Hot Streak: Is Racing's Marcos Acuna ready to fill Di Maria's boots for Argentina?
Argentina’s abject displays in the previous two World Cup qualifiers resulted in a fortunate draw with Peru, a humiliating defeat on home soil to Paraguay and several of the senior members of Edgardo Bauza’s squad coming under intense scrutiny. With many questioning how much longer La Albiceleste can persist with the same under-performing big stars, there was one less familiar name among the latest 26-man squad for the forthcoming matches with Brazil and Colombia.
Marcos Acuña may not be too well known among supporters outside Argentina, or those who haven’t been watching much of Racing Club this season, but the 24-year-old has been in scintillating form and despite his less glamorous route to the top could provide a genuine alternative to the left side of midfield.
The blue half of Avellaneda has been calling for the national team to take a closer look at El Huevo for quite some time now but the combination of being perhaps the standout performer in the Primera and growing disillusionment with Ángel Di María’s frustrating performances have finally opened the door.
With four goals and three assists from seven appearances this season, Acuña has directly contributed to over 58% of Racing’s total goals and certainly on club form alone warrants his place, with his WhoScored rating this season (8.09) better than any other player in the Primera Division. However, you only have to look at the other names in the Argentina squad to notice that Acuña’s career trajectory is quite distinct.
While most in the squad immediately impress as youths in academies before brief senior careers fast-track them for Europe, Acuña has made the gradual rise from his humble beginnings in the windy, Patagonian city of Zapala the hard way. Raised by his mother, after his father left at the age of four, when the young Acuña was playing for local clubs Olimpo de Zapala and later Don Bosco as a left-back, any dreams of playing professionally for one of the Buenos Aires giants couldn’t have seemed farther away.
A trip to the capital at the age of 13 resulted in rejections from Boca Juniors and San Lorenzo and four years on when his mother funded another shot, River Plate, Tigre and Argentinos Juniors gave the same answer. Quilmes had been keen but were unable to provide housing and it was only when Nacional B side Ferro Carril Oeste offered him a deal with a room in the working-class neighbourhood of Floresta that Acuña’s dream of making it finally began to take shape.
That is not to say that it wasn’t without its travails given that the youngster was a long way from home, having to wake at 5am to get the train to where the squad train and the victim of robbery on three separate occasions during his commute. As difficult as things were away from the pitch when Acuña was presented with an opportunity in the first team his talent shone through.
Eventually finding his natural position further up the field, Acuña went on to play 117 times for Ferro and while his record of only five goals in that time is less than impressive, his 23 assists were testament to his burgeoning creativity.
With Ferro in dire financial trouble, the sale of Acuña to Racing in 2014 for around five million pesos went someway to paying off the cost of bankruptcy but also proved to be a catalyst in his career sparking his rise. A first season in Avelleneda couldn’t have gone better as Racing ended a 13-year wait for honours and lifted the Transición title with Acuña a vital part of Diego Cocca’s side.
Pace and trickery in abundance, Acuña is a direct and dynamic presence in the midfield, who is as comfortable with the ball at his feet and committing defenders as he is spying opportunities for a pass or a cross. It is this versatility and ability to react to situations in the moment that may make him a more desirable option to a player like Di María, who shares certain qualities but plays instinctively and can sometimes be guilty of lacking the awareness to make the right decisions at the right times.
Can Acuña make the next step up? Time will tell, but he has not been found wanting at any stage of his career so far and has been the most creative player in Argentina by some distance this season. The highest number of key passes per game (2.7), the second highest number of assists (3), second highest number of crosses (2.6) and the second most fouled player (4.3) merely highlights his effectiveness in the final third. Primera defences have been unable to prevent El Huevo either scoring or creating and when Racing need inspiration, it is inevitably the Neuquén native they look to.
If anything has been clear from Argentina’s recent performances, it has been the disconnect between the six defensive players in Bauza’s 4-2-3-1 formation and the four attacking. Acuña could perhaps alleviate this problem from the left side - a position that has been almost exclusively taken by Di María in recent years. With El Fideo struggling for form and Argentina needing some fresh impetus, Bauza could do worse than unleash the Racing man.
Being something of a late bloomer and still playing in Argentina shouldn’t be held against Acuña and with interest from Europe already hotting up, an appearance for La Albiceleste may just drive the price up and secure a transfer.
Does Marcos Acuña warrant a place in the Argentina squad? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
