The Russian Zielinski and a hectic first day as coach of Independiente: “I don’t consider myself on the defensive and if I were it wouldn’t be a crime”

Without time or smiles to give away in the midst of the pressures it undergoes Independent, Ricardo Zielinsky He experienced a Friday of super action on his first day as manager of the Avellaneda club. It is that DT, which Thursday was made official after negotiations with the provisional president Nestore Grindetti materialized in record time, signed a contract until June 2024, got to know his new players, started thinking about tomorrow’s classic against racing in the Libertadores of America
-he also stopped an uncertain team- and attended the press on a presentation round in which he had to explain, once again, that the defensive label that usually accompanies him throughout his career is simply a label.

Thus the Russian lived the first day in the red. It all took place in seven hectic hours, almost as intense as the last few weeks, indeed months, of Independientewhich included the resignation of Fabiano Doman to the presidency just over 180 days after the inauguration and decision of the Uruguayan DT Paul Repetto get off a ship that had not yet been boarded during the historic Pedro Damiano Monzon he failed to field a team that started the year with the inexperienced Leandro Stillitano, former assistant to Ariel Holan, as the surprising helmsman.

Zielinski, 63, knows he faces a huge challenge. And he didn’t shrink. “Whenever you take the reins of a team that doesn’t have the best results, the emotional factor is paramount. It is essential to welcome the head to get out of the bad quickly. I liked the challenge, there is a lot to improve. In other teams I was in, we tried to set high goals. My goal with Independiente is to qualify for international cups” was encouraged.

Right away, he stopped at Sunday’s match against Racing and the importance of the fans that fell from the stands of the Libertadores de América. “The classics are the games I like the most. If I didn’t like them, I would have avoided this game. They are encounters to be experienced. People will be essential. I don’t know a single team that if they screw it up, they’ll make it better. So fan support is key. I’m not one to give messages to the fans. Just ask them to support, because together we will go forward “Be honest.

He also sent a message to the players, with whom he had just had his first contact on the stadium pitch. “In Independiente you have to know that you have to live by working under pressure. The players must know it and the coaches who come here must know it. The important thing is also achieved by working under pressure”he remarked.

The DT, mind you, chooses not to rush beyond the logical haste of a team that has barely scored 9 points out of the 33 possible so far in the Lega Professionisti and is 25th in the standings out of 28 teams. The only peace of mind is that the averages are no cause for concern in this part of Avellaneda – March 17 by a good margin – and that there is plenty of time to add between now and the end of the year.

What will Russian Zielinski’s Independiente be like? “There’s no point in moving forward with an idea if we don’t have the interpreters for it. In the world that discussion is over, but in Argentina it still happens. Football teams work together. You have to be solid and it all depends on the artists. I will see and talk to the players to find the best possible system.”.

The equipment you stopped on your first day on the job can serve as a clue. The thing is the manager favored a 4-2-3-1 formation in his initial tryout. The names? Rodrigo Rey was the goalkeeper and the defense included Luciano Gómez, Sergio Barreto, Joaquín Laso and Ayrton Costa. In midfield he stopped two blocks: Agustín Mulet and Iván Marcone complemented each other behind Matías Giménez, Juan Cazares and Nicolás Vallejo, who in turn functioned as a link for Martín Cauteruccio, the lone striker. Today, for sure, he will continue the tests. The era of Russian is already upon us.