The phrase echoed in the environment. Travel from Salta to Buenos Aires. And Marcelo Gallardo stressed this question in practice in Ezeiza, as he was already thinking about the match against Jimnasia, on Sunday, in the Monumental, for the League Cup. The Doll seeks to ignite the sacred flame of fire (and the game) in his team to find the best performance and a sense of completeness.
“We don’t find that full game that gives us ease of finding ourselves at all, a leap in qualitybut we do not confuse ourselves with a good moment of the match, victories, We are looking for the perfect party that will give us the click How it has happened over the years and our sustainability over time,” the River coach confirmed after the 5-0 win over Deportivo Lavererre in Salta for the Argentina Cup.What does Gallardo refer to with that perfect match that gives this team a flick?
Gallardo is not committed by nature. Obsessive and competitive, he strives for perfection and analyzes even the smallest details so that his work shines from start to finish. Until the cake is complete, his search is relentless and enduring. In fact, many of the players he’s already coached have commented that, in the euphoria of winning, he might not be satisfied if his team didn’t play a part of that match as he intended.
When Gallardo talks about that full match, he’s not just referring to winning, nor to winning and scoring goals. It aims to win, like and score, the historic phrase that accompanies River Plate’s philosophy and demand. And River, at the start of 2022, still doesn’t like it. Or at least that’s clear from his coach’s words – as well as from the faces he puts on during matches.
“We are in this search, to find work with many new players who came They need portrayal, continuity and understanding, and we are working on that. We look for the best performer, to find ourselves better, and let go.”
River’s coach also appealed to “the click,” a term he used several times in his course. In fact, one of them was in an interview with Clarín, published on March 5, 2017, her first questions are transcribed below:
– Do you like how River plays?
– It’s too early to assess how we play when the competition hasn’t even started yet. I expect at least three or four tournament dates. Except for the match with Lanus, we played friendly matches that I don’t give the same value because you don’t play for nothing. Another stress level. Likewise, what is done in these preparatory matches is to draw conclusions, and in this idea, we have not yet been able to find the performance we desire.
– But since last year they have not performed as well as you like …
-Yes. But one thing for me is to demand myself and with the players and another is for others to take advantage of my demands. If you go into the numbers, they are very good and no one will say anything. But we are talking about the game. I think we can give so much more and so far this has not been the case. Despite the level of demand we have, I don’t see it in others. They can win a championship from time to time and then play two or three matches well, another four or five matches poorly and no one tells them anything. We are required to be a great team, because we have the opportunity to raise the bar and because the coach, his players and the fans demand it. Sometimes we played well and they say River didn’t play well. It is not. I try to make what was created a reality. It happened to us already at the beginning of our cycle.
But it was effective…
-Not even. We tied with Ferro and Jimnasia. In front of the central in our square there was a click. The best thing about this is for the players to realize that what you do next is reflected on the field, and that whatever you did can be done. It is a matter of infection.
-Does a river need that click?
Yes, we need a click. This is the summary. We have to find that musical note that connects to a good infection sequence.
The answers are still valid. This is because Gallardo’s thought remains the same. The technician wants his equipment to find a smooth operation. And to do that, he needs his players, especially midfielders, to have better passing accuracy, greater mobility and more speed to achieve fluidity in the game and thus harm his opponents.
During his course, there were specific games where those flicks were received where River found the action. in 2014, in a 2-0 win over Rosario Central at the Monumental; In 2015, in the 1–0 first leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16 against Boca in the Monumental; In 2017, in a 3-1 match against Lanus, at night, in La Fortaleza; In 2018, in the Super Cup final against Boca in Mendoza; In 2019, in a 2-0 match against Racing in Nunez and in 2021, in a 2-1 match against Boca in Odondo and Figueroa Alcorta. In conclusion: River didn’t need to score goals for his coach – except for the fact that he loves his team to score a lot – to leave.
And now? Will a new click arrive? Will it be Sunday against Jimnasia or the following week, again in Superclásico?
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