2024-04-23 19:32:27
The defeat against Boca Juniors had a deep impact on the River world. Not only for being his lifelong rival, but also for having been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the League Cup. El Millonario finished first in zone “A” and showed a higher level than the rest of the teams in the group stage, but did not demonstrate it in the Superclásico.
Beyond the elimination against the classic rival, what hurt the most within the squad was the way it happened, with a team that had no reaction being at a disadvantage, lacking attitude and play, and that, furthermore, did not He knew how to maintain the difference when he was 1-0 up. This defeat represents an emotional blow for Martín Demichelis and his players, prior to playing against Libertad at the Defensores del Chaco stadium, within the framework of the third date corresponding to group H of the Copa Libertadores.
Until the fall against Boca in Córdoba, River had achieved two victories, a draw and a defeat against this opponent during the Demichelis cycle. In addition, they had only lost against Huracán during 2024, the year in which they won the Argentine Super Cup against Estudiantes de La Plata.
At the end of the match against Xeneize at the Mario Alberto Kempes, the millionaire squad left in single file without making any statements. Most of the footballers left very angry about the final result, and in disagreement with the referee decisions that they believe tipped the balance for the winner. “His continuity is not in doubt, he is working very well,” a very important management source assured Página/12. The Córdoba coach will maintain his position, since he has the support of the leadership led by Jorge Brito, and his contract ends in December 2025.
The positive thing for River is that he will have revenge in football in a short time. The match against Libertad will be as a visitor, in a scenario that is favorable for Demichelis and company, to avoid the harassment of their people as a sign of dissatisfaction with their team’s performance against Boca.
How does Demichelis stand?
For now, the match in Paraguay will mark where the coach stands for the future. A defeat will deepen the relationship with the millionaire public, since two consecutive falls will cause him to be looked askance again, and even whistled for the way his team plays. It has been a long time since the fan has had empathy with Demichelis, a relationship that was broken due to the fight that arose with Enzo Pérez, one of the greatest idols of the millionaire institution, and the unexpected changes that so often surprise the Núñez public. In addition, River would lose first place in Group H, and would put its qualification to the round of 16 at risk.
On the other hand, a victory will bring a little calm and will undoubtedly show how the coach managed to get the team out of the emotional hole into which it fell due to the defeat against Boca. If they bring the three points from Asunción, River will be one step away from qualifying for the round of 16 of this Cup, and will meet the first objective of 2024.
Meanwhile, a tie will generate murmurs with the millionaire public about the progress of their team. But with the point he will maintain the leadership in his area, and it will be up to River to advance to the next stage of the Libertadores.
The statistics support the coach since he took over in November 2022 to replace Marcelo Gallardo. He won the 2023 Professional League, the ’23 Champions Trophy and the ’24 Argentine Super Cup. Demichelis’ numbers are positive: he obtained 67% of the points adding up all the official competitions, although in the Monumental stands he does not have the support of the majority, since he received isolated whistles in the last games.
Beyond this hostile panorama, its continuity is assured by the leadership until December 31, 2025.
How is River emotionally?
“The squad is beaten, but luckily we have a quick game,” the same leader told this medium. The emotional decline was generated for several reasons: they fell to the classic rival, the performance left much to be desired, being surpassed in the complement, and the low levels of several of their figures.
For this reason, it goes through the second storm of the Demichelis cycle. The first was when he was eliminated in the Copa Libertadores ’23, after having lost on penalties with Inter in Porto Alegre. That defeat was the final trigger in the Demichelis-Pérez relationship. The coach had criticized several of his players in front of the press in a record off-season, and that attitude did not go down well behind closed doors at all. From that moment on, Demichelis began to be discussed by the footballers, by a tiny group of fans, but not by the leadership that always supported him in all his decisions.
“No one likes to lose a game like Boca’s, but this is River and we have a Copa Libertadores game. We take stock of what happened and think about the future, working on what happened,” said Ignacio Villarroel, vice president of River , in dialogue with Radio Continental.
The most delicate moment of 2024 for River involves a challenge with the immediate revenge of performing in the Libertadores. But for this he will need the locker room leaders to react to change the pale image he left in the last game.
What leaders do River have left?
After the departure of Enzo Pérez, River lost leadership. And the replacement process has not yet arrived, both on and off the field. Beyond that it has players who are very listened to like Franco Armani, a world champion goalkeeper and captain, a vice-captain like Ignacio Fernández, a historic winner of the Copa Libertadores ’18, a winner of a thousand battles like Milton Casco, and at the same time best defender in Argentine football, Paulo Díaz, Demichelis’ team lacks a leader on the field of play, who in the worst moments brings out that characteristic to absorb the pressure generated by wearing the La Banda shirt.
As a result of this, the leadership has the firm intention of repatriating a man from the house, Germán Pezzella. The world champion defender is playing for Real Betis in Spain and has a current contract until June 2025. But he will hardly be able to arrive in the next transfer market due to his good presence in Europe.
Will there be changes in the team to visit Libertad?
Based on the short time that exists from one game to the next, and with Demichelis’ idea of not touching the team because he considers it the best way to recover, River would face Libertad with the same eleven that started the Superclásico. Although there are players who are injured like Leandro González Pirez, who ended up with pain in his waist, and Andrés Herrera who is very tired.
After visiting Libertad in Paraguay, the Millonario will face Nacional in Montevideo on May 7, and could seal his pass to the next stage of the Libertadores. To do this, they must win both games.
The truth is that Monumental will speak on May 14, in the debut in the Professional League against Central Córdoba. If at that point they already have a guaranteed place in the round of 16, the defeat against Boca will be forgotten. Otherwise, the problems will continue and the fans will speak out for or against Demichelis, the unfair target of all eyes.