Ricardo Gareca, the first on the list of possible Boca coaches. Photo: Martin BERNETTI / AFP.
On Wednesday evening, with a focus on River and Vélez, from Boca they spread a news that no one expected, or at least not so quickly. Sebastián Battaglia ceased to be DT one day after being eliminated from the Copa Libertadores in the round of 16 after falling on penalties against Corinthians.
And as always happens in these cases, the departure of a coach opens the beginning of the cycle for another, a story that is experienced more sporadically in the xeneize club than in other institutions, albeit with a greater resonance.
Miguel Ángel Russo’s successor was Battaglia, who took over the team in August last year, after accepting the proposal of Juan Román Riquelme and his companions: to leave the Reserve and take the big leap. Seba won the Argentine Cup and the League Cup but failed in that “dangerous obsession” of Boca World, a Libertadores that becomes more unattainable every day, especially in terms of budget and recruitment.
Whenever the Football Council has had to choose a manager, they have opted for names identified with the club, like Russo and Sebastian himself. This is why, in the short term, it will be Hugo Ibarra who will direct training ahead of Saturday’s match against San Lorenzo, at Nuevo Gasómetro, for a championship that will now become more competitive with Boca and River in need of victories.
Hugo Ibarra, manager of the Boca Reserve. Photo: Jorge Sanchez.
A few months ago, when Battaglia faltered in his position, there was talk of another heavyweight working in the lower ranks: Blas Armando Giunta, a symbol. And even a blanket, Walter Piccoone of the surprises of the Ezeiza estate, responsible for the youth of Boca.
These would be the more earthly options, even if right now the number 1 candidate is another, and with a past in Brandsen 805 that many are appealing to to deliver a verdict: Ricardo Gareca.
The tiger in sight
In 1985 the Gareca player left a troubled Boca to go to the River, a gesture that fans still blame him for. What few remember was the economic benefit he left the institution in his darkest financial years.
Riquelme loves Gareca, it is part of his football palate, as Russo once was. And unlike the last time it was talked about, Tiger was excluded from the World Cup in Qatar with his Peru, after losing a playoff against Australia. Today he is free and is about to close his cycle of successes at the helm of the Inca team.
Determined to return to the countryside to be with his family, the proposal to run Boca would close Gareca. Above all because they will have time to work and emotionally recover a good squad, which has the championship, the Argentine Cup and the final of the Champions Trophy as national objectives.
other candidates
There are other names that were mentioned when Battaglia was about to leave his post. Some are out of work and others engaged in other institutions, which makes them more relegated to consideration.
Gabriel Heinze, Kily González, Luis Zubeldía and even Sebastián Beccacece, in conflict with Defense and Justice, are some of the coaches mentioned in recent days.
Martín Palermo left Aldosivi early in the tournament and is unemployed. Photo Juano Tesone
Likewise, Martín Palermo is a DT who would automatically insert himself in the heart of the Bombonera and who has been flirting with the possibility for some time, encouraged by his good dialogue with Riquelme.
What Boca has in favor is time. Missing an eternity to the next Copa Libertadores, a tournament in which Xeneize is the only Argentine already classified,
Source: Clarin
