By Mateo Ledesma – Revista Fútbol Federal

Vega, Batistuta, and Huracán’s Troubling Start

There is a particular silence that follows expectation. Not the loud frustration of relegation battles or financial collapse, but the quieter, more unsettling doubt that creeps in when a project that should be working… isn’t. That is where Huracán find themselves today.

Twelve months ago, Gabriel Batistuta was lifting continental silverware and redefining the club’s identity. Daniel Vega was praised for navigating embargoes, trusting youth, and rebuilding a squad with clarity. Fast forward to now, and the numbers are brutal:

• Torneo Apertura:
  16 matches | 5 wins | 4 draws | 7 defeats
  Goal difference: -4
  9th place, missing the playoffs by 4 points
  19th best team in Argentina
• Copa Libertadores:
  6 matches | 2 wins | 0 draws | 4 defeats
  Goal difference: -1
  Bottom of the group

Huracán are not collapsing but they are stagnating. And that raises the uncomfortable question: who is responsible?
Is this a failure of squad construction by Daniel Vega, or a failure of adaptation by Gabriel Batistuta?

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The January Gamble

January windows are unforgiving. Minimal pre-season, immediate pressure, and no margin for error especially when you overhaul a squad this dramatically. Vega knew the risks. Batistuta accepted them.

The club lost leaders, creators, and defensive pillars. In response, Vega delivered five first-team signings designed to fit Batistuta’s positional, possession-based model. On paper, the profiles made sense. On the pitch, the story is far more complicated.

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Diego Enríquez: Philosophy Over Performance?

The most scrutinised signing of the window.

Enríquez was brought in not just as a goalkeeper, but as a statement: a ball-playing keeper to elevate Huracán’s build-up phase. And technically, he delivers.

• 94.81% pass completion (league best)
• 30.83 passes per game
• Calm, composed, structurally important

But football is ruthless to goalkeepers. And the numbers behind the numbers are alarming:

• 66.13% save percentage (Meza: 80.28%)
• –15.72 expected goals prevented
• 2.2 goals conceded per game vs 1.5 xG conceded
• Zero clean sheets

When Enríquez was injured, Meza stepped in and kept 2 clean sheets in 7 matches.

So the question becomes unavoidable:
Is Batistuta prioritising ideology over results? And if so, how long can that be justified?

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Daniel González: Safe, Passive, and Exposed

González was signed to stabilise the right side of defence. Instead, he has become a lightning rod for criticism.

• 22 appearances | 6.77 average rating
• League leader in blocks per 90
• Clears more than the league average
• 93.4% pass completion

These numbers tell a story but not a flattering one.

González blocks because he reacts, not because he controls. He tackles infrequently, wins few duels, and is well below average aerially (2.7 headers won per 90). He clears danger rather than stepping into space, a passive defender in a system that demands proactivity.

Was this the wrong profile from Vega or has Batistuta failed to coach him into the role?

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Alan Morinigo: Output vs Influence

Morinigo’s injury record has not helped, but even when available, his contribution raises difficult questions.

• 14 appearances
• 0 goals, 0 assists
• 0.1 xA per 90

And yet:

• 2.1 key passes per 90 (league high)
• 4.2 dribbles per 90 (league high)
• Strong defensive metrics: blocks, tackles, interceptions

Morinigo does things. He progresses play, beats men, wins the ball back. But in Batistuta’s system, the left-sided role is meant to decide matches. Right now, it doesn’t.

Is that on the player or on a system that creates volume without clarity?

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Deiber Caicedo: The Impossible Replacement

Replacing Juan Bisanz was always going to be unfair. But Caicedo hasn’t even come close.

• 17 matches | 3 goals | 4 assists
• 6.95 average rating
• 23.4% shots on target
• 0.2 open-play xA per 90
• Below league average in dribbles, key passes, and progression

Caicedo works hard. He stretches play. But he does not dominate games, and Huracán now lack the decisive wide threat that once tilted matches in their favour.

This feels less like a poor signing and more like a miscalculation of impact. Vega replaced the position, not the influence.

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Emilio Aristizábal: Proof the System Isn’t Feeding the Striker

If one signing escapes blame, it is Aristizábal.

• 21 matches | 10 goals | 3 assists
• 0.4 goals per 90
• 59.1% shots on target
• 6.99 average rating

He finishes what he is given. The problem is how rarely he is given anything at all.

This is not a striker failing—it is a structure failing to supply him.

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So… Vega or Batistuta?

The truth, inconvenient as it may be, sits in the middle.

Daniel Vega delivered profiles that aligned with Batistuta’s philosophy. He avoided blocking youth pathways. He spent responsibly. But he underestimated how much leadership, physical dominance, and immediate reliability the squad lost.

Gabriel Batistuta, meanwhile, has shown stubborn loyalty to his defensive structure. The same high-risk build-up, the same insistence on control, even as the margins have disappeared. His refusal to adjust, particularly defensively, has turned small inefficiencies into repeated punishments.

And yet… context matters.

January signings rarely click immediately. A shortened break before the Clausura offers Batistuta time time to recalibrate roles, tighten the defensive block, and integrate his squad properly. The talent is there. The ideas are sound. But patience is thinning.

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Conclusion: Crisis or Crossroads?

This does not feel like the beginning of the end.
It feels like the first real stress test of the project.

Vega must now support Batistuta with targeted reinforcement, not philosophical purity. Batistuta must prove he can evolve without abandoning his identity.

Huracán are not far away but football is unforgiving to those who refuse to adapt.

The next phase will define whether this season becomes a footnote… or the moment everything began to unravel.