“If something comforting was to make a difference to the closest pursuer, on his court, with his people. And not only for workshops, but for the rest that could come closer, take advantage and have some kind of illusion. Today is also a blow for the others, who could join the fight, which we are going to have to sustain. We were able to maintain the difference with the third and get more distance from the pursuer. We take it as a sign of character, of not giving up the forms, of confirming who we really are. The players live it and feel that way “, was Marcelo Gallardo’s covert message for Boca Juniors, which remains third in the standings, nine points from the top.
River Plate achieved a great victory in Córdoba against Talleres by 2 to 0 and stretched the difference units to seven. The Millionaire added three very valuable points in an always complex redoubt such as the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium and in a very unfavorable setting, after the expulsion of Felipe Peña Biafore at seven minutes into the game. “The expulsion could have changed everything in those first minutes. But I rescue the great adaptability of the players not to be distorted, or get confused or get carried away by something that we understand was trying to get through the adverse situation in the best way. We control them and vary the position of Enzo Pérez so as not to change an attacking player. In that first time, beyond the occasional hot flash, we held it well. Then we change and We sustained with tremendous fortitude, enormous energy, in the face of a difficult adversary and at a time of great tension. We carry it forward with enormous fortitude, I am very happy and proud “, analyzed the Doll in dialogue with ESPN.
On the very uphill stage that they managed to overcome, Gallardo added: “There are always some tests that we have to pass, and today was one more test. With many guys on the court. Sometimes you learn on the road and these kids are going to keep growing and keep learning. In games like these they do a crash course. Sometimes the easy is much more pleasant and the natural talent is more reflected. In difficult moments character is shown. The team made us feel very identified ”.
The River Plate coach also recalled the other obstacles they managed to overcome throughout the year, between injuries and calls for the Playoffs that decimated the team. “Things come up all the time. It has been a difficult year, we had to challenge ourselves as the coaching staff. It is difficult to sustain oneself in Argentine soccer with the same dynamic that one has had for a long time and trying to sustain an idea, a style. He challenges us as coaches and as players as well. They feel that they are facing difficult situations and they have to give a little more. And in these games they mark the essence of a team. And that fills me with pride. After so many years, we show ourselves as a team that, despite adversity, sustains itself with head, ideas and collective effort ”, he valued.
Other outstanding phrases by Marcelo Gallardo:
On the play prepared in the goal of Robert Rojas: “It was a play that we had evaluated and trained. Ulián is confused thinking that he could fall in the area and that play indicated to make a 3 against 2 on the outside. They executed it very well ”.
The moment of the expulsion of Peña Biafore: “It was going to depend on how I observed in those first minutes, without going into despair and depending on what Workshops were going to do. In those four or five minutes we had observed that Talleres was going to have control, but not overwhelmingly. Before making a change and putting a center back for an offensive midfielder, I thought about accommodating Enzo (Pérez) in the position of first center-back and accompanying Julián (Álvarez) in attack. We settled in well. After those 5 minutes, I tried to let the thing flow and have the possibility of attack. We put ourselves ahead and were very smart in the second half to sustain him, with poise and personality ”.
Your stay at River Plate: “Our profession is not friendly, it is ungrateful. After more than 7 years, I only have to be grateful for having sustained me and for having sustained me. It is about the credibility that the players receive, that they insist on manifesting it when the team goes out to play. The work of a team behind, of the leadership that has accompanied, in a very hostile environment. We continue to sustain ourselves with a lot of effort. And in a country like ours it is not normal ”.
If you feel capable of directing any team or any footballer: “I feel like I’m the one you named, a guy who works with an idea, a conviction. That he cannot carry over to what would happen. I am here, I try to live today, I work respecting the place where I am and the people I work with. What comes, I can not measure or define. I feel ready to do what I do. Later, who knows. What is great here, perhaps elsewhere is not so good. I live and enjoy what I feel ”.
The appearance of the juveniles: “I believe in boys, that’s why I put them on and support them. They have a lot to learn, it is not Julián Álvarez who is at his best, in a three-year process and he still has a lot to give, with a long journey. He is a 21 year old boy. And the rest too. And when you see a performance like today, you want to hug them, shelter them ”.
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