River Plate defender Danilo Gerlo has criticised the hot conditions in which they were forced to play Sunday's game with Newell's Old Boys.

The temperature sat at 35.4º when the two teams took to the field on Sunday evening and this made it almost impossible for both sides to play with the same intensity that they usually do, as they played out a 0-0 draw.

Gerlo feels that playing at such a heat was "inhumane", especially considering that it was River's second game in four days, having played San Martin of Peru in the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday.

"It is very difficult to play with this heat," Gerlo told Radio La Red.

"One always wants to play well and to win, but sometimes this is not possible. To play Wednesday and Sunday with this heat was always going to be difficult."

The twenty-eight year old defender felt that River played as well as could be expected, but knows that there is room for improvement as the team adapt to the tactics of new coach Diego Simeone.

"We played well at certain times and created chances; we needed to score from them. We understand the new ideas, but we haven't been able to implement all of them. It is necessary to improve."

Finally, Gerlo was asked who of Ariel Ortega (River) and Juan Román Riquelme (Boca) he would rather have in his team, to which he gave a very diplomatic response.

"Ortega is a key figure for us. He is my teammate, but both of them have certain qualities and are excellent players; I do not want to cause controversy. I am not going to talk bad of a player with the class of Román," he concluded.