Gago and Battaglia, face to face. One will remain out of the League Cup.
They have different seasons. You can walk into the parking lot at Casa Amarilla and chat with players at the foot of their cars. There are no social networks or hundreds of media outlets. And there were Sebastián Battaglia and Fernando Gago, holding hands Clarion. A few days, in December 2005, before the upcoming Olympic round in Bahía Blanca. Thrown flowers, of course.
One was the 25-year-old captain, with great stability and the support of praise from Alfio Basile, who defined him as the team’s tight rope walker: he ran, pressed, took, looked forward, commanded, played carefully, the rival was trampled. place. That was the right steering wheel, the old “8”. Battaglia, of course.
The other was a midfielder just released, almost 19 years old. Elegant, great ball manager and deep passes. Then, he was compared to his nickname Redondo, not only because of his long hair in his youth. This is an old school “5”. Stupid, of course.
Battaglia and Gago celebrate the Boca title in Bahía Blanca.
Both complemented each other in one of the most beautiful midfields they remember on the shores of Riachuelo. Along with Daniel Bilos, a midfielder with long strides and Croatian backgrounds, and Federico Insúa, a great hurdle.
16 and a half years passed and now Battaglia and Gago are on opposite paths. Sebastián (41 years old) continues to walk the blue and gold path, this time on the other side of the counter. Fernando (36) crossed the Pueyrredón Bridge. They were technicians from Boca and Racing, whose paths crossed in a semi -flavored final.
They never stopped being friends. And although they don’t visit each other, Battaglia is close to Gago with his repeated injuries. The call for support is not lacking. And Boca’s coach himself referred the duel with his former partner. He also mentioned Pocho, who used to be a great figure for Independiente and is now the right hand coach of the Academy, apart from the colors.
Gago and Battaglia, in 2006, with Coco Basile’s coaching staff.
“We are going to see each other, both him (Gago) and Insúa. I haven’t seen them for a long time. The race had a very good tournament, undefeated, they won their zone, they found a way to play. It will be nice to see them again ”, stressed the coach, who during his time in shorts introduced himself as the most successful player in the history of xeneize with 17 titles.
Together they did very well. They won five stars from Coco’s hand. They played 26 games together with 19 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses. Battaglia scored two goals. Stupid, nothing.
Is it possible to imagine that almost two decades later they had to face each other? Hard to guess. Now, if it is possible to say that you play as long as you live, also that your teams are made in image and resemblance.
Battaglia found the performance at the right time. Photo: Marcelo Carroll.
Despite the inequality Boca has throughout the Professional League Cup and the Libertadores, they have always presented themselves as a battered and intense team, that trait that flowed into Battaglia. And it’s coming, of course. Not only because of four consecutive wins, but also because of collective growth. Their individualities continue to be decisive, but a more cohesive football has been observed, at least in recent seasons.
Gago put together a team with an identity very similar to what he displayed when he played: possession of the ball, bruises and a dapper game. The explosion, of course, was due to three strikers, wingers with arrivals and sharp sides.
He did not mention Battaglia because his team had qualified hours before, when they crushed Aldosivi (5-0). Thus, the key to Boca with Defense and Justice has not yet been resolved. However, he was dull when asked about his feelings about a possible fight with his former club. “I am a Racing coach, I owe it to this institution. Now it is not developing anything for me”, he shot.
Fernando Gago brings together a team in the image and resemblance of what he is as a player. Photo: Juano Tesone
The game of similarity
Battaglia and Gago have more in common. Both had to hang up their boots due to injuries, ages 33 and 34, respectively. Osteochondritis has made it impossible for the Santa Fe midfielder to continue. The rupture of the ligaments and the Achilles tendon conspired against Gago’s football.
And the two were baptized at Primera bank in 2021.
Gago shortened. He was accepted by Aldosivi (yes, his victim on Tuesday). It didn’t go well for him, but Víctor Blanco -advised by businessman Christian Bragarnik- gave him an unexpected opportunity. It was a coin toss, it didn’t start well, but from the 2nd date of the League Cup it started, chaining ten wins and beating Juan José Pizzuti.
Battaglia was confirmed by Juan Román Riquelme in June, when he fired Miguel Angel Russo. He is already the champion of the Argentine Cup and wants to add more amid the questions. Of course, he won the major games: Estudiantes, River, Always Ready and that obsession with Libertadores still lives on.
Will the classic be back and forth? Gago didn’t change the way he played, beyond the rotation of performers. Battaglia did not support the memory team theory that Basile supported nor did he respect a single methodology. In the moment of truth, their leaders will give it their all. Like them, when they shared half the field.
Source: Clarin