One year after Insua’s arrival at San Lorenzo: the exile returned to escape relegation and now dreams of the Scudetto

behind the pointerof those lights that focus on the River, opulent for its history, for its present and for that team full of stars, another great appears who is willing to fight. With other weapons, of course. With a substitute that can be counted on the fingers of one hand, but with a faith that moves Barça mountains.

And discussions, of course. He may not shine like his red-banded opponent, but San Lorenzo plays well. It’s a song about soliditymade his stadium an impregnable fort, to the point of being very close to beating a record that Racing has held for more than a century, and They are the team that has conceded the fewest goals in all world championships. Yes, the saints are marching and want to surprise Martín Demichelis and his red band.

Nobody imagined it exactly 365 days agowhen after firing his tenth head coach in just four years, Rubén Darío Insua took care of the red-hot iron. son of the house, promotion hero in 1982 with that penalty he scored against El Porvenir at the Vélez stadium, champion as coach of the Copa Sudamericana two decades later, he returned to the New Gasometer. At 62, but with the leonine hair that has always accompanied him. And with a working method that has not only convinced the players, but has also dismantled that unwritten football maxim, that a representative of the old guard cannot compete with his young and modern colleagues.

“For many years a certain characteristic of a coach hasn’t worked here in Argentina. I never believed in the theory of young and great technicians because it happened all my life“, he says Galician, which does not argue. His is very simple, almost like his clothing, a leather jacket that he bought in Nazca and Avellaneda and a t-shirt that a fan gave him.

He just completed a year sitting on the bench in which from 2018 to May 19, 2022 Claudio Biaggio (43 matches), Jorge Almirón (25), Juan Antonio Pizzi (13), Hugo Tocalli (3), Mariano Soso (11), Diego Dabove (22), Leandro Romagnoli (3), Paolo Montero (17 ). , Diego Monarriz (8), Pedro Troglio (10) and Fernando Berón (5). And to think that the leaders kept him ready to negotiate with Alexander Medina and Martín Palermo. Until the old acquaintance decided. She got him 13th in the middle school rankings. The descent was unnerving and ended up bringing her back to the international scene.

Insua reached 48 games running Cyclone with extraordinary numbers: 22 wins, 19 draws and only 7 losses, almost 60% efficiency. However, his best records have to do with his greatest virtue, defensive performance.

Augusto Batalla, to whom the Galician He picked a landmark in Sebastián Torrico last year, saved 37 games and has 23 unbeaten hurdles. Currently, San Lorenzo is the team with the best unbeaten streak in the top 30 leagues around the world. He went 1,130 minutes without conceding a goal at the Nuevo Gasómetro (12 games) and is one shot off Racing’s record, which between 1916 and 1918 went 1,320 minutes (14 dates) without conceding an own goal. For the domestic tournament, their supporters have not regretted a goal conceded since 18 September, when Emanuel Mammana scored the classic that gave River victory. In this task, the credit also goes to Torrico himself, who saved in the last round of last season against Aldosivi, and to Facundo Altamirano, present against Arsenal and Platense.

And there is more data about it: the Cyclone It is the team that has conceded the fewest goals in the Conmebol championships, 6 in 17 games, counting tournaments in which at least 10 dates have already been played (Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Bolivia). Independiente del Valle follows, with 7 goals conceded.

Of the 21 matches played in 2023, they have lost only 3 (2-1 against Lanús, 1-0 with Newell’s, both away, and 2-0 with Fortaleza, the only loss at home except for the Copa South American). In 15 he hasn’t received a goal.

Insua’s wise hand shows on the weekends, but in the day after day you build this team that has intensity and deployment thanks to the work of Bruno Militano, a former collaborator of Patón Bauza, no less. Fabián García and Carlos Orsi are at the foot of the canyon as assistants, especially on the players, and Roberto Oste in the tactical part.

The line of threes in the background is a hit. He replaced Cristian Zapata with another Colombian, Rafael Pérez, and he didn’t look out of place. He confirmed it to Gastón Hernández as a stopper on the left. He saved Nahuel Barrios, who was living on loan, boosted him with a great preseason and today he’s one of the figures. He took on Agustín Martegani with the reins short amid a contract conflict and matched Malcom Braida, a winger, as a flying forward. It’s not by chance.

Insua has clear ideas about the plan. Can she crown him with a title?