The blow is hard. Regardless of whether the defeat and the consequent elimination were with Boca, the discomfort increases due to the forms. River did not reflect in the Kempes what is sought in Núñez. She left a dingy and worrying image. So, the biggest responsibility falls on the coach. Martin Demichelisthe main loser of the Super classic.
River was weak in the direct crossing against Boca, something that had not happened in recent times. Because he could lose, but defeat was expensive. And in Kempes there was a lack of rebellion. Although the players take the lion’s share because they are the ones who walk the field, the image that the team gave inevitably has an impact on the manager.
And Demichelis can’t find a way back to the game. Against Boca, although he played with the scheme that gave him the most returns, again the team had a good performance for just 20 minutes. After, the domain was the rival’s. And what is even worse, this time she collapsed emotionally and did not know how to recover in the face of adversity. First, with the psychological goal of Miguel Merentiel’s equalizer at the end of the first half. Then, after the disallowed goal. And later, when he received two hits in just five minutes.
It is true that the story could have been different if River went 2-1 as all the Millonario claimed, arguing that the VAR made a gross error by disavowing the field referees, who validated the goal, without having a concrete image that marks clearly the opposite. Only with the technology (the sensor on the ball) that four of the main European Leagues have (except Spain), the controversy would have ended. But the feeling in the River Plate world is that the ball crossed the goal line.
Regarding that situation, Demichelis’ visit to the referees’ locker room after the game was surprising, but more incredible were the statements from the coach, who acknowledged that he went to apologize in case his players had said something ugly to them during the protests.
Anyway, if River stays on that question, he will only look at the tree. The fact is that the defeat left more worrying issues than an elimination against the eternal rival in a quarterfinal series of a local tournament, which perhaps in the future will be remembered more for the return of the two fans to the same field than for the match in Yeah.
What generates the most unease is the loss of character for this type of matches. As happened in the elimination of the Copa Libertadores last year against Inter de Porto Alegre, it seemed that River was taken away in the Kempes. And that, in that situation, the response was light. “This team has a hard time creating a mystique. There is the feeling that they scored three times more than us”admitted a member of the millionaire delegation.
It is clear that Demichelis does not play, but he is the one who decides who does. But before that, who makes up the squad. And that is another question to review. Because internally, due to the figures who left, River lost leadership. And the replacement process degraded the workforce. Both on and off the field. And you can see it. Beyond the fact that it has a world champion goalkeeper and the best on the continent as captain, as Franco Armania talented vice captain like Ignacio Fernandeza historic and also a winner like Milton Casco third in line of succession Paulo Diaz, the best defender on the team, it is difficult to find footballers with “capanga” profiles. And until very recently there were several that had these characteristics. Maybe Miguel Borja It may be one of them, but it is little.
So, looking ahead, these questions are central. Because if we advance in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, the great objective of the year, the heads-up will return. Precisely, a pending account for Demichelis until now. Although since his arrival at River, of the 10 elimination matches that he played, he won 6 and lost 4, each case must be analyzed. And of the four defeats, three were in the toughest games. Before a Workshops of a very good level, a Brazilian team like Inter and now against the eternal rival. The remaining, compared to Central Rosary, for whom he later got even by winning the Champions Trophy final. And the other brave stop was Students of La Platain the definition of the Argentine Super Cup but he beat him and lifted the trophy, which was the third that Demichelis won since he replaced Marcelo Gallardo.
What is observed is that River was losing that sacred fire that it had been having in this type of duels. That they are important in soccer, because many tournaments are defined this way and no matter how much Micho’s numbers give him high points, statistics do not play a role in those matches.
Photo: Fernando de la Orden / ClarínAnd it’s not just that question. Demichelis once again lost a tactical duel against the rival coach, in this case Diego Martínez. That they scored the same goal against River as in the previous Superclásico (Cristian Medina’s in Nuñez is a carbon copy of Merentiel’s first in Córdoba). When he gets involved, Micho confuses his players. And so, the team becomes disoriented. It happened on Sunday at Kempes, when he brought out Diablito Echeverri and Nacho Fernández, the two game generators, at the same time.
For all this, Demichelis was once again in the eye of the storm. As already said, his position is not in doubt given that it has great support from the leaders. Of course, the chemistry with the fans continues to deteriorate and perhaps a point has been reached where the only way to rebuild it is by winning the Copa Libertadores.