The coach of Mouth, Diego Martinezsaid today that he has “the strength to continue” in office after the 1-0 defeat this Saturday against River.
The coach was in charge of his third Superclásico, the first at La Bombonera, and suffered his first defeat with a poor performance by his team.
After this fall and the accumulation of disappointments, Martinez referred to his continuity: “Yes, I have the strength. I will always want the best for Boca. Being here is everything I have sought as a coach throughout my career, my coaching staff as well. We all want the best for Boca. We will see together what is best, we are here to continue. We want to fight for the championship and the Argentine Cup.”.
“We are in a difficult moment. We lost the League Cup in the semi-final, we were eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana, and today we are far from the championship. When you analyse the reasons for the three issues from the perspective of the game, the team did not deserve it, and when I say this I am referring to River and Racing. I know that the results are very important for the management. We as a coaching staff and I as a coach are strong enough to keep trying, achieving objectives, but I want the best for Boca. And we will all see that through” he added.
After the defeat, Boca fans expressed themselves and even had altercations with some players such as Sergio Romero. Regarding this public discontent, Martínez was clear: “I apologize for losing, also against Racing, even though I have to analyze the game and I feel it was unfair, the fans don’t understand that and want Boca to win. We’re going to try to give more.”.
“Working like we do every day and people failing or being unhappy is normal because we lost at home against our rival. We have the obligation to work harder” he added.
Finally, Martínez referred to the controversy surrounding the goal disallowed by Milton Giménez that would have meant Boca’s equaliser: “I think the play is what we often talk about, how we take into account similar plays. Milton was hit in the foot, in the hand, in the head and it ended up going in when it hit him in the back. We did not unify our criteria. The referee may be wrong, but I do not understand how a goal by River last week is a goal and this one is not. For me the goal was valid, if we measure it by that yardstick it was valid, it would have been fair for us.”.
Gallardo, between joy for the victory and the Copa Libertadores
The coach of River Plate, Marcelo Gallardostated that his team went to La Bombonera to win and not “to see what would happen” in the Superclásico.
The coach returned to manage the ‘Millonario’ in a Superclásico and did it in the best way: a 1-0 victory at the home of their eternal rival. After this great victory, he declared: “It’s hard to ignore these kinds of matches, even though the main objective was set for Tuesday. A classic always leaves its mark. If we had lost, it would have left us with after-effects thinking about Tuesday. It’s hard to lose and it’s a joy if you win. We were convinced, we came to win, not to see what would happen and to be hesitant. We stood firm from the first minute despite the conditions that some changes were imposing on us.”.
“The victory belongs to the players. We work so that they have tools and confidence. I need everyone’s commitment and will for these moments. We compete often and energy must be renewed. We have a large squad and they must take advantage of the opportunities. It was good for those who were not getting minutes and for them to gain confidence. I congratulate the players despite the lack of continuity that some had. And it is worth a lot. We were there.”Gallardo added in relation to the performance of his players.
For this crucial match, the River Plate coach made the risky decision to play with a highly alternative team. Regarding this decision, the ‘Muñeco’ explained that “We had to manage loads. We had a tough game on Tuesday, we had to play the derby and we had to play with a lot of energy. The players did their job and played a great game. It was about managing effort and energy.”.
“We have little time to rest and the focus is on Tuesday. This will stimulate us and the fans wanted a win beyond Tuesday’s being at the Monumental with all the emotions that will be experienced, because we need the fans. This win stimulates us a lot,” added Gallardo, undefeated in the nine games he has played since his return.
Finally, the two-time Copa Libertadores champion as a coach referred to the performance of referee Nicolás Ramírez. “Sometimes I put myself in the players’ shoes. I understand things that happen and sometimes they leave a hint of injustice. There were conditions, but we had to ignore them. From where I am, I see the raised arm and those who were close to it realized it was a handball. I quickly realized it. Thank goodness it was clear, but it took a long time to make a decision.”Gallardo concluded, referring to the controversy of the match regarding the goal disallowed by Milton Giménez.
Source: Ambito
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