River snaps six-game losing streak, but the complete performance is still missing

Two posts saved River in two different matches. First it was the crossbar that denied Argentinos Juniors an equalizer at the Monumental. Then, in Bogota, the woodwork showed up again to protect a 0-0 draw against Independiente Santa Fe. The coincidence keeps repeating, and in soccer, that starts to look like a pattern. River found something it badly needed: to stop losing. But it still hasn't found the complete match.

After six straight losses, Eduardo Coudet's team beat Argentinos and then salvaged a draw in Colombia in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana round of 16. It's now gone two games without a defeat, and that fact alone brings some relief. The problem is that the numbers started improving before the performance did. River still hasn't managed to sustain a structure over 90 minutes that lets it dominate and, above all, stop relying so heavily on individual moments.

Star names, but no support system

The win over Argentinos left encouraging signs. The emergence of Thiago Almada and Angel Correa showed the squad has enough quality to break games open on its own. Almada brought imbalance and the ability to link up play; Correa once again looked lethal near the box. However, what happened in Bogota exposed the other side of the coin: having big names isn't enough if the team doesn't create the conditions for them to make a difference. If River doesn't build clear patterns of play, if it doesn't win the ball back quickly and doesn't bring its midfielders closer to the box, its most talented players end up isolated, forced to solve things on their own. And sooner or later, that runs out of gas.

Midfield remains the big question mark

Against Argentinos, Coudet lined up with a double pivot of Andrada and Moreno, with a three ahead of them made up of Almada, Correa and Freitas. The young player who arrived from Velez left a good impression and seems to have earned a starting spot. On the other side, the former Palmeiras man still hasn't shown what's expected of him in that role. Fausto Vera, meanwhile, has lost ground and now looks like more of a bench option. Galvan, who at one point earned minutes for his work rate, has also been pushed down the pecking order. And now there's another variable: Mauro Arambarri, the new signing who could fight for a starting job once he's fully up to speed physically. The real question isn't just who plays, but what kind of midfield River needs to support its attacking players without giving up balance. And that answer still hasn't shown up.

On top of that there's the physical situation. Some new signings arrived recently and need time to hit their peak; others are carrying knocks. In Bogota, the absences of Gonzalo Montiel and Nicolas "Huevo" Acuna forced Coudet to improvise, and the limit of five substitutions allowed at this stage of the Sudamericana kept him from using all of his new additions.

Missing goals, missing solidity

River also needs to get back to being sharper up front. Sebastian Driussi, when fully fit, is a vital piece thanks to his ability to attack space. Lucas Beltran and Rafael Borre, on the other hand, are still searching for their best form, and the team went through a stretch of four games without scoring. Against Argentinos, curiously, the goals came from two players who aren't out and out forwards: Montiel and Correa. Good news in terms of the resources that showed up, but also a sign that there's a lack of offensive consistency. At the back, something similar is happening: River needs to be more solid without relying so much on the woodwork or on the opponent's lack of finishing.

Coudet knows it. After the loss to Tigre, when his job was in doubt, he publicly admitted the pressure of the moment.

I put my head on the tableEduardo Coudet

The home win and the draw in Colombia bought him some breathing room. Now he'll have to back it up with performances, not just results. The schedule offers no rest: River will host Velez, the leader of Zone A in the Clausura, and will then decide its Sudamericana quarterfinal fate against Independiente Santa Fe at the Monumental. Two games that will show whether the improvement is real or just a pause in the middle of a rough patch.