The return of River He went to work in silence and with serious faces. Not a fly flew on the club grounds in Ezeiza. There, the technical team led by Martín Demichelis and the footballers met again after Wednesday’s free day after the mess in Mendoza, where Núñez’s team was left out of the Argentine Cupremoved by Temperley, which navigates through the middle of the table in the First National. And the training also included visits from Enzo Francescoli and Leonardo Ponzio.
The presence of the club’s sports director and technical secretary were key for Demichelis. Beyond the fact that they follow the RiverCamp, their presence in Ezeiza, after critical hours on the planet riverplatense, are important for the coach, who was once again in the eye of the storm, which is getting bigger and bigger. The fans’ questions increased. So, having Enzo and Ponzio close means that leadership support not only remains in words, but is translated into actions.
Demichelis was very injured after the blow at the Malvinas Argentinas, a stadium from which he left without speaking. And is not for less. The loss to Temperley was the club’s worst in years. And he put his cycle back into the well when it seemed to stabilize. “We looked bad, he hit us very hard,” acknowledged a member of the coaching staff. And low down, they are beginning to feel that the future will be at stake with the Copa Libertadores. There are no more half measures.
But to reach the decisive stages of the continental tournament there is still a long way to go. And the story continues now, immediately. Thats why he body language What Demichelis and his collaborators must demonstrate from now on will be strength. Because if they fall, they can hardly lift the players’ spirits. At least to get through the games left at the end of the semester and then shuffle and hit again during the mini preseasonfacing the second part of the year.
Beyond football and these crises that seem to be self-generating, The concern of Micho and company is the reaction of the fans. “Thank goodness we’re not playing at home this weekend.”, one of them slipped. Avoiding the Monumental for a few days they believe that the tide may go out. But be careful because a bad result in La Paternal can make it rise to dangerous levels.
The last responses from the fans were ambiguous. Although in the last two games in Udaondo and Figueroa Alcorta there was applause for Demichelisin the run-up to the match with Central Córdoba, whistles thundered. It was the first home game after the elimination with Boca in the League Cup and the 2-2 draw against Nacional, which River was winning 2-0 but then the Uruguayan team took it ahead.
The return to the Monumental will now take place on Thursday the 30th, when River receives Deportivo Táchira from Venezuela for the last day of the group stage of the Copa Libertadores. And three days later they will perform again at home, against Tigre, for the Professional League.
But, as already mentioned, before River has to play against Argentines at the Diego Armando Maradona, a always difficult stronghold. In fact, with Demichelis in charge, the team lost 3-2 in their League Cup visit last year. At that time, as now, the Millonario team was coming off a recent hard blow. On that occasion, having been eliminated from the Copa Libertadores.
That is why, against Argentinos, even though it is a match for the third date of a long tournament, River plays much more than three points. And all because of a surprising, shocking and unexpected elimination, after which the coaching staff and the squad were dejected.
