Boca
's loss
to
Instituto at La Bombonera ended Hugo Ibarra's undefeated record at Brandsen 805 and stirred the mood due to the team's malfunction just before the
Copa Libertadores
premiere
(the draw will be on Monday, in Asunción).
For this reason, in the search for a horizon with certainties regarding the identity of the team, the coach's voice appeared on the scene before a trip to Chaco for the Argentine Cup
to
face Olimpo and try to bring not only a victory: also signs are needed.
From the team, from the references, from the performance and also from the coaching staff that Roberto Pompei and Leandro Gracián complete.
It is that everyone, under the magnifying glass, must react.
"It was a normal talk, it was not something different from what we always do with the squad. It was about football and to try to reverse this situation of two straight losses and we have the chance at the weekend. I have a round trip with the group constant, with self-criticism for the moment. We didn't change the day off, we were clear that we were going to train and only the schedule was changed. What we talk about with them stays indoors, it stays there and for me it will always be that way way"
, began Ibarra in a press conference in which for the first time he was heard much more firmly from the tone, assuming not only the role but also the responsibility for the present of the team that was champion three weeks ago of the Argentine Super
Cup
.
Ibarra pointed to the context, in a year also political and with agitation from the opposition to add in moments of criticism.
"I was a player for this club and I know it perfectly. I am grateful to the institution, to the people and I know the demand that is here. You have to reverse every day, if you win you have to win again and if you lose, turn it around. The leadership gave me the opportunity to direct the institution that I love; I have been here for 8 years and I did it continuously, preparing myself; a year and a half ago I had to take the Reserve and achieve two titles and I have been at the also faced and we had to be champions on two occasions. It's a matter of continuing to feed that day by day with objectives"
, reviewed on stage his time with the first team.
A detail: Ibarra is one of the few surnames that was in the management of Daniel Angelici and that now endures in Boca.
He also went through the electoral tremor of December 2019.
Before the Institute, the addition to the fall was the
(logical) disapproval
of the Bombonera for the team's progress.
And it has much more to do with the operation than with the results, because Boca won the last two national Primera competitions and has won the two classics against River in 2022. The individual level disrupted everything and that decanted in a deeper critique.
Although the big issue, for DT, is to find answers again as he had them during 2022, with a calendar that hurries him with the
ticking
of the Libertadores sounding louder and louder.
And there he stopped.
Mouth, aimlessly.
Photo: Marcelo Carroll.
"There are always things to improve. We know that last year was a difficult year, at the time we caught the team it was 14th, we were able to raise it and they (for the squad) were necessary participants in the situation to win the title; it was difficult to catch up with the leader (NdR: Atlético Tucumán was 12 points behind), pass him and once we did, they were deservedly champions, regardless of what may be said or questions may be had about the game. This year we have to improve and we work for that"
, he stressed as a reminder of how he raised Boca since his arrival after the abrupt departure of Battaglia and with questions about his ability.
It's not little.
For the coaching staff, beyond the football downturn there is also a mental component.
And while in the Football Council they evaluate the behavior of the squad much more than that of the coach, they anticipate a complex scenario calmly.
The indications that the vice president left for his people before his trip to Spain and Asunción, for the Copa Libertadores draw, was not to enter into anticipated despair.
"No one likes to lose and when Boca loses it transcends much more. You have to be calm, stay calm. We know that we have to improve day by day and when you win you are not the best or when you lose you are the worst. My essence is to work and nothing more," said Ibarra, who behind the doors of the Boca Predio spoke with those who should.
Battaglia and the match against Olimpo
In addition to talking about his situation, Ibarra was also consulted about statements by
Sebastián Battaglia
(his predecessor as Boca coach), who had questioned the former right-back's intentions to be the club's coach.
But beyond answering him, Ibarra's message went in another direction so as not to confront.
"I love Sebastián (Battaglia) very much, I appreciate him and he is an idol of the club. We share many beautiful things. When you leave football, you choose the path. I always supported the place where I was, always. I never spoke of a coach, never. None that happened, always supporting. I'm grateful for this possibility and I think he should be grateful too. I think this way and I can't put these words in his mouth, but I wish him a lot", it
was Ibarra's speech, with height, for a dart that Battaglia had thrown in the last hours.
Today, the exDT is working with the opposition of Boca and in the search for a club after leaving the institution in August 2022.
Companions on the field and working in the Reserve, despite the insistence on making a fight bigger, Ibarra was cautious.
But he marked distance.
"I would not think of a partner about things of this nature. Each one does it the way they want. I supported and will always support this institution, whoever it is," he closed on a day when his word was not
expected but that ended up breaking in from one moment to another.
Other times.
Ibarra, Riquelme and Battaglia.
Photo: File
Depending on the match in Chaco against Olimpo for the Argentine Cup, there is no room for the coach to think further.
And for this reason he stressed that
"I always think and have always thought game by game, trying to get the best for the team. First it will be Olimpo, then it will be Barracas Central and so on every week"
.
Although the constant changes of surnames in the search for an eleven do not finish convincing him.
"Ante Olimpo is a football game. We go with the idea of doing our best and trying to win, without hesitation. What might happen will happen later, I'm not thinking of anything other than the 90 minutes of the game, nothing more", Boca's DT closed in a complex week with many questions.
How do you lower the foam?
With the usual formula: winning.
For the game against Olimpo, Boca's eleven will be with Javier García (he is the goalkeeper in competitions of this type);
Weigandt (Advíncula is not there, Roncaglia (Valdez is not there), Valentini (Figal has physical discomfort) and Fabra. In the midfield he will put Cristian Medina, Alan Varela, Martín Payero and Juan Ramírez, who returns after 5 games. And up For the first time, he will join the double 9 with Merentiel and Benedetto.Langoni and Villa?As they worked with difficulty in the week they will be preserved.
look too
Martín Palermo confirmed that he will play the match for the centenary of Villarreal, where Riquelme will also be
Referee Baliño's explanation of why he did not penalize Boca at the end of the defeat against Instituto
