Important note: Estudiantes de La Plata vs Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, scheduled for the fourth round of the Torneo Apertura, won’t actually be played until the 29th September. For that reason, these two clubs currently have a game in hand over the rest.
Primera División Torneo Apertura 2010 (last updated 30th August 2010)
Torneo Apertura 2010: standings after four rounds
Note that although positions are separated by goal difference, in the event of two or more teams finishing level on points for the title, a single-match playoff (in the event of two sides finishing level) or a round robin ‘mini league’ will be used to decide the championship regardless of goal difference.
Promedio (last updated 30th August 2010)
Primera División Promedio standings as of 30th August 2010
The Promedio is a table of points-per-game worked out from the last three seasons each side has spent in Primera A (six ‘short championships’). If a side hasn’t spent the whole of the last three seasons in the division (that is, if they’ve been promoted recently), only results from the seasons they have been there out of the last three are counted. At the end of each season (the end of the Clausura), the two sides at the bottom of this table are relegated, whilst the teams in places 17 and 18 play off against the third- and fourth-best sides from Nacional B to ‘defend’ their place in the top flight.
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Wow… I like the breakdown on the goal scorers. I’m also surprized so few seem to have been score from free-kicks. About the only thing one could possibly ask for in addition would be for missed penalties.
Unfortunately, David, missed penalties isn’t a stat I’ve come across for the Argentine league and certainly not one I can track myself. It’s worth noting that penalties can be lucrative enough to serve as the only way of goalscoring and still get you into the chart for the short tournaments, though: Cristián Lucchetti (joint eighth along with his team-mate, striker Darío Cvitanich) is Banfield’s goalkeeper, but takes all their penalties.
As for free kicks not featuring, I’m guessing it’s because they’re often taken by playmakers or other specialists whose first job isn’t necessarily to score from open play (so overall they get fewer). Also, in my experience of watching at least, there’s less of a tendency to shoot from free kicks in Argentina, unless the ball’s fairly central and well within twenty-five yards. None of this 35+ yard screamer stuff we get in England every weekend…