What happens in River ?: the semester in which Marcelo Gallardo proves to be grounded

We know: Marcelo Gallardo is the best coach in the history of River. It is also possible that he is the most important character in the long and rich life of the Núñez institution. Awards proliferated for the Doll and his job and they all seem right. But the first months of 2022 offer a hitherto hidden certainty: Gallardo is as earthy as any human being. And then it fails. Because this bad gift from River As for football, it is not only explained by the poor performance of the players. The team spent all their time looking for the game to make the click and I still haven’t found it. Much more: signed his worst tournament start in the Gallardo cycle and it is perceived without the intensity that made it successful in South America.

If something happens to River, something happens to Gallardo; if the River fails, the coach also fails. There are issues where the most successful manager in club history is not hitting the key. And the team suffers, of course: he is obviously relaxed, without intensity and without reaction.

The first thing to discuss is the assembly of the squad and the lack of reinforcements a few days before the start of the second round of Copa Libertadores. The team was full of defenders and midfielders with the same characteristics and was left without forwards. So, it depends entirely on Julián Álvarez’s goals because Matías Suárez was injured for a long time and because Braian Romero lost confidence. Other: Federico Girotti and Lucas Beltrán, who will return from loan to Colón, have been sidelined.

It is striking that, at this point, River does not have at least one striker as a reinforcement. The sale of Álvarez was known in January and there has been time since then to start closing a striker. Time passed and now the coach was worried. “We weren’t aggressive”, released. The good and relieving thing is that you can count on Álvarez for the series against Vélez.

Gallardo is considered less foolproof when it comes to making changes during matches. The feeling of the last few games is that he always makes the same changes. Remember: he earned the nickname of Napoleon for his amazing reading to get his hands on the team. The highlight may have been the entrance of Juan Fer Quintero di Ponzio in Madrid. Now those changes are not felt. For example, against Colón he could have included Enzo Fernández as a starting midfielder and replaced Zuculini with an attacking midfielder. Or take Barco out of the left sector and experience it as a hitch. Or put together a line of three defenders. All movements that have already been masterfully performed by Doll.

Another problem that can be glimpsed is the lack of resources in stationary balls. Most of the teams are late to play the River which is why they usually have several free kicks near the rival area and corners. But the action is always the same: direct send to look for the heads of the central scorers. Against Sarmiento de Junín it was the last time any preparation was observed, culminating in a goal from Tomás Pochettino.

The last of the observations is the lack of youth to fill the gaps that usually leave the injured or those mentioned in their selections. River did not complete the substitutes’ bench in the first three dates of the championship because Gallardo chose not to use the reserve’s youth teams.

During their eight years at the River, the team led by Marcelo Gallardo went through some downturns and came out stronger and stronger. “We are facing a negative streak, which is not to be alarmed but to go through it. We must know how to live these moments without despair or generate any negative frustration that installs itself from which it is much more difficult to get out later”explained on Doll.

There are alarms on the River and it’s good that it is: concentrated, Gallardo’s teams are usually competitive and unstoppable. The memory of the last bad moment is of 2018, which ended with the Copa Libertadores in Madrid. This is why it is better not to be strict with River, who will play the rematch against the Unión and with on Sunday Juan Fer Quintero among the concentrates. Later, Vélez will come for the goddess Libertadores. Because yes, despite the poor results, River is still alive in all competitions and it is scary because, among other things, he has an elite coach who always reinvents himself. And he who knows what it means to believe.