The farewell is eternal, like its cycle. But the days go by and although there are still a couple of friendlies left, it’s time to do it Marcello Gallardo as a technician River it’s finishing. And this Monday was really special: it’s that “Muñeco” and his coaching staff had their farewell training at the Ezeiza RiverCamp.
The RiverCamp is not just another place for Gallardo: it is “his” place. There, in addition to having been on the pitch to train his players, his bunker was set up. There he had his office where he worked, planned, thought about strategies and stayed for hours and hours, beyond the internships.
And at least in this phase as a coach, this Monday was the last time that Gallardo set foot in the Ezeiza sports center, the structure that with his ideas helped the management to transform it into a first-class one. He has collaborated in promoting the renovation of the fields, the remaking of the gym, of different places and proposing the creation of a concentrate, something that is planned and will be realized in the future.
In a context of good weather, the last training session had an emotional charge. After the players entered pitch 1 of the venue, after training in the gym, Gallardo entered the pitch and greeted each player one by one. And in the end, after the stretch, he did the same, as did each of his collaborators on the technical staff.
Some time before he had greeted the fans who were waiting for him at the entrance to the club, as he did every day. one, bold, dared to ask him if it was true that he would continue his career in Atlético de Madridwhich is at the worst moment of Diego Pablo Simeone’s cycle. “Thing?”Gallardo answered with a loud ring.
In practice he was not far from the intense work that has always characterized his cycle. There were a lot of ball exercises, especially in small spaces, something the “Muñeco” placed a lot of emphasis on. because he allowed his players to solve extreme situations in matches.
Of the whole campus, the only ones who weren’t Franco Armani Y Nicholas of the Crosswho have already joined the Argentina and Uruguay national teams respectively, to go to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Meanwhile, the rest participated in the work, including those that come from long-term injuries such as Roberto Rojas, Philip Pena Y Rodrigo Allendro. The first two are ready to play a few minutes in a friendly match, while the midfielder who broke his malar in the last Superclásico alla Bombonera will only be one hundred percent ready for the January preseason in Miami.
The team is missing a week to go on vacation, but it was the last training in Ezeiza because this Tuesday morning the delegation will go to Viña del Mar to face Colo Colo on Wednesday at 19:30 at the Sausalito stadium, which has capacity for 23,000 people.
After that first friendly match, the delegation will remain in the Chilean city until Saturday, to cross the Cordillera on Sunday and arrive in Mendoza: there, on Sunday 13th, there will be the last match of the Gallardo cycle, against Spanish Betis.
Tickets are already on sale for this meeting: members and Somos River. It started this Monday. They were first able to take advantage of the presale by getting a pin on RiverID and then purchasing up to 4 tickets on Ticketek. Then, in the afternoon, the free sale began through the same platform.
Source: Clarin
