The DT Superclásico: Demichelis for the plenary at River and Diego Martínez against the statistics of the last 30 games at Boca

THE Superclassics They left separately, it is said. Stay with one win in a River-Boca This is usually as powerful as getting a local tournament. He knows it perfectly Martin Demicheliswhich usually wins – with justice – the medal of the two duels won in 2023: 1-0 in Monumental and 2-0 in candy box. But Micho, despite those sensational victories and the two titles won last season, continues to be looked at with suspicion by most fans. The coach born in Córdoba 43 years ago has failed to fully enter the hearts of the people, who on Sunday will have a new opportunity to get a little closer to the people and start to tip the scales in his favor.

It’s difficult to explain why River fans don’t fall in love with Demichelis. It is possible that some attitudes influenced him, such as distancing himself from Enzo Pérez, the latest idol. He also scored the early elimination in the Copa Libertadores. But what weighs most is the shadow of Marcelo Gallardo: the comparison is not only inevitable, but simple.

“Someone had to take Marcelo’s place. And I felt prepared. I had no doubts about how to put myself in front of the group, about what to say, about how to organize training sessions, because the demands I experienced for four years at Bayern Munich were great training.”Demichelis explained Clarion in July 2023.

Demichelis’ first half was noteworthy: the team won the scudetto with 11 points ahead of Talleres. On the night of his consecration, in the 3-1 victory against Estudiantes, a song was heard in Nuñez: “Let’s all go hand in hand with Demichelis”. The coach was moved to tears on that glorious day. But then the worst would come.

“The ovation wouldn’t have changed my happiness. For River fans there has been a very strong change because a very successful cycle has come to an end. Marcelo, who I also admire, has become a hero. For some I was a foreigner who had left the country 20 years ago. Luckily we managed to finish it off.”said the DT.

In the second half Demichelis loses control of the team. He has made unforced errors such as leaking internal matters to the press. A clear distance was thus created between the team and the technical staff. The most obvious conflict was with Enzo Pérez, the footballer most loved by the fans. Added to all this is the fact that the river has significantly lowered its level. The early elimination in the Copa Libertadores against Porto Alegre’s Inter was a blow that took too long to heal.

Since then, every action of Demichelis has been and is looked at with a magnifying glass. The fans never stop letting go of his hand or supporting him. So, in that context, the classics against Boca appear like dream opportunities. A new victory against Xeneize would place the trainer in a prominent place in history: only three trainers have achieved that number of consecutive victories. Who understood this? José María Minella, 4 joys between 1950 and 1951; Juan Urriolabeitia, 3 between 1972 and 1973; Héctor Rodolfo Veira, 3 years between 1984-1985-1986.

Demichelis is clear that he will present an attacking and ambitious team against Boca. He has not yet defined the scheme or the interpreters, but the idea will not change. In the two previous classics the coach opted for the 4-2-3-1. Those who started on those occasions and could repeat on Sunday are: Franco Armani, Milton Casco, Leandro González Pirez, Ignacio Fernández and Esequiel Barco.

“I imagine River as protagonists because we will have the satisfaction of playing with our people and in a packed stadium. We are very optimistic for the next match, in every sense. We have to prepare the week with a lot of seriousness, a lot of professionalism and also with a lot of fun.”warned Demichelis after the match against Banfield.

In this way, Boca presents itself as a further opportunity for Demichelis to reunite with the River fans. And finally burying some reproaches.

Only 7 wins for Boca in the last 30 games

The situation is far from what he imagined when he left Huracán and arrived at Boca, the suspended dream that he was able to realize thanks to the call from Juan Román Riquelme. And since Argentine football is a meat grinder, the Superclásico will be vital for Diego Martínez. Of course, its continuity is not at stake. But the coach has a game ahead of him with great pressure and many issues to resolve: defining a stable cast, affirming an identity that appears widespread, returning to the path of victory and recovering the level of some individuals such as Edinson Cavani.

Boca drags a statistic that is not only the responsibility of Martínez, who could very well talk about a “famous legacy” by appealing to the politicians’ discourse. After all, they have won 7 of their last 30 games. A very low average considering it is one of the most powerful clubs in Argentina. The new coach must be evaluated based on the seven matches he directed: Gymnastics and jumping shooting (Argentina Cup) and the six dates of the League Cup. In this context, I won three, tied three AND lost one with 7 goals for and 3 against.

Despite his short time in charge of the team, Martínez used 21 players in 6 dates. Also, three schemes (4-1-3-2, 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2). Only four players started in all those matches: Sergio Romero, Luis Advíncula, Cristian Lema, Nicolás Figal and Miguel Merentiel. Subsequently he rotated a lot and never repeated the formation. And he will not be an exception in the Monumental.

Martínez has not yet obtained the “balanced team” of your preference. “We are not tied to a structural scheme, but to a way of feeling it. Make it balanced, make it tidy, keep the ball as long as your opponent because with this you will have control of the game. We are not interested in ball possession for its own sake, but rather that it has meaning and purpose and that we play as long as possible in the rival’s field, but at the same time we have to be balanced. From day to day we will begin to look for our seal with them, “he said in his first press conference, when he was presented to the bluoro company.

Boca is the team with the most ball possession (57.5%) behind River (62.5%) and also the second with the highest number of successful passes per game (373). Of course, these numbers don’t indicate great game flow. In short, more than half (197) were produced in their own fields. And a large deficit is undoubtedly recorded in the rival sector. He scored 6 goals, i.e. in 77 attempts. None on a header, none on a stopped ball. Two were counterattacks (due to unforced errors), the rest were direct attacks.

Despite the positive streak of Miguel Merentiel, who has scored 12 goals in the last 15 games, the rest is not good. Three of Boca’s six goals in the League Cup were by the Uruguayan (Sarmiento, Tigre and Central Córdoba), one was scored by Darío Benedetto (Tigre), another by Kevin Zenón (Central Córdoba) and the last by Lucas Blondel (Lanús) . The midfielders, with the exception of newcomer Corrientes from Unión, have little explosion in the area. Not to mention the stellar center forward who can’t be seen at all, it’s Cavani, obviously.

The Uruguayan has scored 3 goals in 19 games and hasn’t scored for 130 days. He has failed 6 big situations. He was injured on the second date, came back and continues with a wet gunpowder. One of Martínez’s challenges is to help him recapture that performance. Diego Godín, former teammate in the Uruguayan national team, said a couple of days ago: “Edi is stubborn and has a strong head. I met him at Giorgian’s (De Arrascaeta) wedding and I told him: ‘stop rushing a bit, stop helping everyone and focus on that area.'” Will he pull the plug on River?

Martínez was almost without Cristian Medina and Ezequiel Fernández. Neither, with Nicolás Valentini, but the ruffles are fundamental in his scheme. Behind, beyond the absence of Marcos Rojo, he is better covered. Against Lanús they did not express their full potential. Finding greater dynamism in the medium also depends on its evolution.

“We play every three days, that’s no excuse,” the coach said. He is partly right. There is almost no time for rehearsals. Much less in Boca, which demands and without optimal results, wears you out quickly.