The departure of
Hugo Ibarra
from
Boca
is already res judicata and the club chaired by Jorge Ameal but led by
Juan Román Riquelme
is looking for his successor, with
Tata Martino
in front of the preferences but other names sounding like an option in case the coach from Rosario does not like him. convince the proposal.
Black Ibarra is history.
The DT champion of the League and the 2022 Super Cup had actually spent months
without finding a football path
for his team and the weak start in the tournament (he is already 7 points behind the leader) ended up decreeing his departure, a week after it begins the
Libertadores Cup
.
The Reserve coach,
Mariano Herrón
, will lead the team when he visits Barracas Central next Saturday, and on Thursday the 6th he will play in Venezuela against Monagas, with a new coach?
The dance of names has been playing for a while at Brandsen 805, beyond the fact that last Saturday Boca beat Olimpo for the Argentine Cup (again playing poorly), with Ibarra on the bench and confident that he would continue in his position.
The first on the list was
Gerardo Martino
, the former Newell's and Barcelona player, with steps through the teams of Paraguay, Argentina and Mexico.
At 60 years of age, Tata can re-position himself in Argentine soccer with a great challenge, although the big question mark seems to be
his coexistence with the Soccer Council
.
Gerardo Martino led Mexico to the World Cup but did not make it past the group stage and was fired.
Photo: AP Photo/Moises Castillo.
Since the beginning of Ameal Riquelme's management, in December 2019, Boca's DTs have always been from Román's palate or trained at the club: Miguel Ángel Russo, Sebastián Battaglia and the recent passage of Hugo Ibarra.
They were all champions, it's true.
But that link that positioned them in the bank also held them hostage to uncomfortable, traumatic and/or delayed departures.
In
a political year
(there are elections in December), the bet of the Boca leadership could be logical: definitively delegate the bank to a coach and focus on the polls.
Experience will be a fundamental factor in rescuing a team that is going through a crisis, not only footballing but also emotional, which is why another of the candidates to lead Boca is José Pekerman, the coach of the only World Cup that Riquelme played in, in Germany 2006.
With
73 years and a life dedicated to soccer, José made a name for himself directing the Juveniles de la Albiceleste, had his chance with the Major, left a great memory in Colombia and comes from a brief stint in Venezuela: almost all of his curriculum is linked to national
teams
.
At the club level, he managed just two teams in Mexico, Toluca and Tigres, with discreet results.
Néstor Pekerman in the Bombonera: he led Venezuela against Argentina in March 2022. Photo: EFE/Juan Ignacio Roncoroni.
And if the idea is to combine trajectory and sheet metal, what name could beat
Carlos Bianchi
?
The Viceroy is a glory of the club and he maintains a relationship of friendship and respect with Riquelme although it is hard to believe that he will put on the coach's outfit again.
His first two cycles at the helm of Xeneize, more than 20 years ago, took him to the top of the world.
The third, in 2013, lasted a year and a half and had him fighting for the Libertadores (he was eliminated on penalties in the quarterfinals against Newell's de Martino) but it was no longer the same: he did not win titles, he was second last in the 2013 Final Tournament , did not qualify for the next Libertadores and was kicked out in August 2014 by then-president
Daniel Angelici
after losing three of the first four games of the 2014 Final.
Bianchi did not direct again and during this time he was linked only with
Vélez
, the club that saw him born and in which he has legendary status after making him world champion in 1994. "If they need me, I'm here," the Viceroy would have said when the Fortín suffered with the relegation averages.
It was not necessary.
Meanwhile, he can be seen in his box at the Liniers stadium, where he enjoys peace and recognition away from the pitches.
Now, a message from Paul, one of his grandchildren, brought him back into the Xeneize scene:
"I, as a fan, want my grandfather to be a Boca coach again. Carlos talks quite often with Román, they are friends.
"
Riquelme, Bianchi and an almost paternal relationship that lasted over time.
Photo: Mario Quinteros.
There are other names, although more linked to the situation than to reality because they are unemployed but would not be willing to lead in an economy like Argentina: Jorge Sampaoli, Marcelo Bielsa and even the Brazilian Tité, to name just three examples.
They don't run.
The "cover" in this dance of candidates is
Diego Martínez
, the coach who has been doing a great job in Tigre and already seems ready to take the leap of leading a big team.
From directing in the D and growing up, to going through the children's club of Boca and having his formative experience in Messi's Barcelona, the "Gigoló" as his players nicknamed him is 44 years old and he likes it a lot, knowing the good dialogue that there is between Riquelme and the Victoria club.
Diego Martínez, one of the best of the new generation of coaches.
Tigre did not start the year well but he is going through the South American and trusts his coach.
Against the clock but with the confidence of a favorable Libertadores draw, Boca is looking for a new DT.
The debut in the Cup is coming, the Champions Trophy pending 2020 against River, the 16th of the Argentine Cup and come back in the local tournament, where it can be three-time champion for the first time in its history.
Bunch of goals.
look also
End of cycle: Boca threw Ibarra out and goes for Martino
Retegui's dream start in Italy that will leave millions in Boca and Tigre
