Jorge Almirón
broke the silence after his departure from
Boca
in November, but already as the new coach of
Colo Colo
.
He does not like to declare and he prefers to make his decisions "closely". And so it was, because the former coach of Xeneize, who led them to the final of the
Copa Libertadores
, stopped leading the team after the 2- 1 against Fluminense at the Maracaná and weeks later he became the new coach of the Chilean team, which this Thursday beat Godoy Cruz in the first leg of Phase 2.
Although the focus of his career is on getting his current club on the right path, concerns about Boca and his “surprising” but logical resignation were the topic of conversation.
In a note with TyC Sports,
Almirón defended his time at the club and its operation
.
"It is not easy to reach a Libertadores final. The team always showed things, we changed, we had many games in a row. There were changes of coaches, there were injuries and the team still performed well.
In the decisive games Boca showed solidity and almost always deserved win
, "
he said regarding the tight competitive year he had in 2023, which ended without any success.
"In the last short tournament, many games came together and Boca put all its energy into the Cup
," he added.
The expectation was placed not only on the arrival of the new coach, but on the player who was going to be the “star” and who would positively stimulate the rest of the squad.
Edinson Cavani
, who did not have the best start, had excited the fans with his presence in the Cup, but the plans were not on track.
“Cavani made them all grow
,” Almirón commented;
and he added that it was very important to have him and assured that
“we reached the final thanks to Cavani”
for everything he generated in the growth of his teammates.
With complete confidence he commented that
“the Boca fan has to be very happy with Cavani because they are players who will never fall and
the goal will open at any moment
.
”
Almirón with Merentiel and Cavani in Boca.
(AFP)
“I was lucky to have high-ranking and well-known players and they are the simplest.
They compete and they are the ones who have won many things, they understand that they have to be at their best, they make your job easier
and they help you a lot," he justified under the importance of directing this type of footballers and gave
Marcos Rojo, Cavani
as an example.
and Sergio Romero
, key players in Boca during his cycle.
Although the public was divided in terms of opinions, there was no doubt that it had a positive impact and highlighted players like
Valentín Barco and Luis Advíncula
, both of whom greatly participated in the journey to the Cup final. Thanks to this, the
Colo
changed his future and now belongs to English football.
“I put Barco in when Fabra was injured, he trained and already played the first week.
He generated very good energy on the court, he earned the respect of people and teammates.
The people who follow him see many details and he is a high-quality boy who did very well
,” he noted and wished him success on the path ahead.
Almirón gave Barco confidence in First Division.
EFE/Osvaldo Villarroel
Boca is one of the greatest desires for any coach but it can also be a great hot iron for whoever takes control, exposing themselves to the place in football and above all to the people.
For this reason, Almirón decided to handle all disputes internally and stated that
“I don't have to explain anything, one has to make decisions and I talk about it with whoever I have to talk to
. ”
But he did not stop being grateful for his opportunity beyond having had a short cycle.
“
Talking to leaders who were players is good because you talk about football,
they are people with experience, it was very easy to deal with.
Grateful for the opportunity that Román gave me.
We reached the Libertadores final and it was a spectacular experience, even though it didn't continue
," he said.
Did Boca play well or play badly?
That is the big question that hovered over last year in each of the competitions it competed in, but with the Libertadores and the obsession with the seventh being what got the most attention;
reaching the final ignored the state of Xeneize in the rest of the tournaments.
“I don't listen to the criticism but it gets to you.
I pay a lot of attention to the energy that people did not agree with because the team always tied but they did not notice that it always dominated or that it created scoring chances
, we always had more chances with very strong rivals, like Palmeiras
. "
analyzed.
Following the theme, he once again highlighted the exclusivity of having experienced players.
Among them, Frank Fabra, who has been in Boca for 8 years and who seemed to break the relationship with the fans due to his expulsion in the final.
The coach defended him in the face of the controversy over his continuity:
“Fabra is used to this type of pressure.
I imagine these are difficult times but the only way to handle it is to demonstrate his hierarchy.
He also happens a lot to young people.
He is tough but with the passage of time he will be able to demonstrate all that quality.
Unfortunately it is a big club and you are marked.”
Another of the topics in recent weeks were the comments of
Darío Benedetto
, who has also been on the team for many seasons;
The player had said that
“it has been a long time since they had a coach who coexists with the team”
and he drew attention.
Almost ignoring the controversy, the current coach of Colo Colo responded:
“I heard the statements and it seems good to me, it highlights the work of the current coach who has to move the team forward.
Everyone has their opinion about him”
: Furthermore, he praised him and added that he is prepared for any moment because he has many goals and quality.
"It's going to happen and it's a good time to remember people's affection," he added.
The superclassic beat and he referred to the youngest ones like
Nicolás Valentini and Cristian Medina
.
“The kids take the important moments very naturally, they have been in the club since they were 10 years old and when they get to first class they know what Boca means.
They are used to competing, they do it with pride, in a natural way.
Sometimes they may have bad moments but they are used to competing, they are young.
I hope they do well
,” he said.
According to him,
“Boca was finding the style, with the players who mark you”
and he highlighted that the club has the blood to play this type of games.
“The boys and those with more experience prepare well during the week and they are different games
,” he concluded.