“I hope we become champions and continue with the Grazzini-Videla duo,” declared Víctor Blanco, in conversation with ESPN, a while before the Academy match. The president was not explicit, but he hinted at what everyone in the club already knew: the idea of keeping the duo in office in 2024 if the team won or, failing that, if they lost the final, leaving a good image. That uncertainty that has affected the fans for weeks also made the protagonists themselves uncomfortable. One of them was categorical… After the elimination due to the defeat in a penalty shootout against Rosario Central, Grazzini in Racing showed discomfort because the leadership established that the continuity of the coaches depended on reaching the highest level of the tournament.
“Many times that is difficult, isn’t it? When they say that if you win, you continue or if you end up becoming champion, you continue… Many times we, who are on this side, suffer a lot from those things. But they are the rules of the game “We have to understand them,” said the Academy coach, in a clear message to the club authorities, with Blanco at the helm. The Academy coach launched a shot from elevation that reflected dissatisfaction due to a conditioning that, evidently, threatened serenity.
Grazzini in Racing did not feel comfortable under the condition of reaching the final to continue in office in 2024. Is the duo leaving?
Grazzini highlighted the work carried out at the head of Racing in 2023, including the defeat with Rosario Central
El Mágico was dejected at the press conference. From that exultant coach after the 4-1 with a dance to Belgrano, to this emotionally collapsed one who had a hard time saying words. But the former hitchhiker defended the work done since they were summoned as interim drivers after the resignation of Fernando Gago.
“What I’m saying is that we took charge of a difficult moment. And thank God the objectives were met. Afterwards, each one takes charge of the things they say… We are calm, but very, very sad. We dreamed of fighting because I think that, in general terms, Racing was a team that played well. They came from less to more. They always tried. But football is like that, sometimes it doesn’t pay.”
Another new frustration hit Racing in a tough 2023 due to missteps in kill-kill encounters. Grazzini and Videla suffered this last disappointment, although Mágico is sure of one thing. “The balance is positive. We arrived when the team had been eliminated from the Copa Libertadores, the Argentine Cup and had also missed the Avellaneda classic. It was a difficult stop for us. The team finished first, qualified for the Sudamericana. …”.
El Mágico liked how the Academy played
The Academy coach left the Pedro Ernesto Martearena stadium with the pain of defeat and the certainty that Racing played better than Canalla. He praised the attitude of a team that bravely overcame a 0-2 deficit. “We couldn’t pass on penalties, but the team went from less to more. And ended up playing very well. It’s unfair that we were left out. And in that way. This team was always ahead. We ended up playing with one and a half defenders. “We put a center back one-on-one, we put a five. Sometimes football – the coach lamented – is unfair and takes you where it wants.”
Grazzini continued with his analysis of the match: “We played a good game. We were superior to the rival. We had played a great first half, we had three or four clear goal situations. We couldn’t convert.” Likewise, he criticized himself for how the two goals came: “We took care of the issue of the dead ball. And in that central way it could surprise us. It was the only way, we had it under control. The team was rebellious, they were able to tie it. And when it came to penalties we were unlucky.”
The Academy coach added that “Central is a team that is difficult to score goals against, and in the first half we left with four or five goal situations and the team tied it by playing well.”
He left his future in the hands of the leadership
At the end of the conference, Grazzini was asked again about its continuity. And he reiterated: “I said it from the beginning. We came to lend a hand. I’m not the one who decides. So… They have the freedom to decide what they want.” Will the duo leave? In the next few hours it will be known. If the objective that the leaders had set is taken as a parameter, the coaches should leave and look for another one for 2024. But the supportive response that the team gave on the field, perhaps, is a factor that leaves them in office.
Cover photo: @RacingClub
2023-12-04 19:18:45
#Grazzini #Racing #Rosario #Central
