Hugo Ibarra appeals to talks with the squad to hold on to his position

The Boca Juniors squad trained at the Ezeiza property, where DT Hugo Ibarra had another long talk with the players, amid versions of their continuity before visiting Barracas Central for the Professional Leagueand where the draw for the Copa Libertadores brought some peace of mind when meeting their rivals in the group stage.

ibarra got some oxygen with the 2-1 victory against Olimpo de Bahía Blanca last Saturday in Chaco, for the Argentine Cup, in another weak performance by the team with very little associated game production.

In this context, the arrival of the vice president of the club and head of the Football Council, is expected in the next few hours. Juan roman riquelmeafter participating in the draw for the Libertadores that took place on Monday in the Paraguayan city of Luque, at the headquarters of the conmebol.

In the midst of various versions that have to do with the continuity of DT as Boca’s coach, what is certain is that there will be a new conversation between the legendary “10” from Boca and “Negro” ibarra for the immediate future.

Among these versions, the one that gained the most strength was the one that indicated that Riquelme spoke days ago with leaders of the squad to find out their perspective on a difficult moment, where the team does not have a defined line of play and lost three games out of eight played in the current tournament.

People close to the Soccer Secretariat told Télam that among the names that sound like possible replacements for ibarra there is that of Gerardo “Tata” Martino, a technician with vast experience and to the liking of Román; and also José Pekerman, who was DT of the selected Under 20 world champion in Malaysia with riquelme as a figure, but that would not be in solitude, but rather as a weight advisor accompanied by a Boca history, who could be Blas Armando Giunta, current youth soccer coordinator, along with Diego “Chiche” Soñora.

Regarding soccer activity, the first 20 minutes of today’s practice were open doors, where it was possible to observe the conversation between the coach (with his back to the cameras) and the players, in the middle of the playing field, to begin later with the physical work and with the ball of the soccer players.

The good news was that, just like on Monday afternoon, the “Changuito” Exequiel Zeballosone of the great promises of “Xeneize”, worked alongside the group after recovering from a meniscus injury that affected him a month ago, when he had just returned from the fracture that the defender caused him last year Milton Leyendeckerfrom Agropecuario, in a match for the Argentine Cup.

They also worked normally Nicolas Orsini and Nicolas Figalrecovered from muscular ailments, and Norberto Briascowho played on the FIFA date for the Armenian national team, while Martín Payero and Cristian Medina, who left the field with bruises in the match against Olimpo, worked separately.

The Boquense coaching staff had arranged a double training shift for today, with a break at noon for the players to go home for lunch, rest and return in the afternoon. But everything was complicated by a major collision between a truck and two vehicles on the Ricchieri highway that caused significant delays in the area, for which the double shift was suspended, according to the Ribera club.

Another good news for the “Boca world” was the draw for the Copa Libertadores, which determined that the Ribera club be part of Group F along with Colo Colo from Chile; Monagas from Venezuela; and Deportivo Pereira from Colombia, considered “accessible” by players, coaching staff and management.

Although the Copa Libertadores is a tough and difficult tournament in all its phases, last night’s draw left the distance of the trips to be made as the main difficulty: to play against Monagas, in the debut game on Thursday, April 6 at 21 as a visitor, Boca will have to travel to the Venezuelan city of Maturín, in the northeast of that country, an area of ​​great oil activity.

Another long trip will be to face Deportivo Pereira, the current Colombian champion, who won the first title in its 78-year history last December. To play that match, on May 24 in the city of the same name, Boca will have to travel to the department of Risaralda, central west of Colombia.

In both cases, it will be Boca’s first meeting against those rivals, since he has never met them in both official and friendly matches.

The other rival is an old acquaintance, Colo Colo, with whom Boca starred in a tough clash in the semifinals of the 1991 Copa Libertadores, which the Chilean team won amid incidents, and later matches for the Copa Libertadores in the 2003, 2004 and 2004 editions. 2008.

But before the cup crusade, Boca’s next game will be on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. as a visitor to Barracas Central, for the Professional League, with Yael Falcón Pérez refereeing.