It may sound exaggerated - and even unfair - to criticize
Martín Demichelis
'
River
. His team, with three titles, was the most successful of Argentina 2023. He is, to complete the positive scenario, one of the protagonists in this frenetic start to 2024 with a foot and a half inside the quarterfinals of the League Cup and a triumphant debut in the Libertadores after the first international away victory of his cycle. In fact,
he barely lost an official match that year.
However, it is known, results rule but forms matter. And imperfections and distrust appear in the forms. Thus, perhaps, it can be explained why the fan of the Núñez club does not end up falling in love with the successor of the irreplaceable?
Marcelo Gallardo.
The Monumental murmured
on Sunday night when River lost to the alternative team from Rosario Central. Justly. The team looked disjointed. Without direction. No depth. And with a midfield that left absolute responsibility for containment to a doubtful Nicolás Fonseca. He had the ball, he dominated with his usual arrogance, but he didn't know what to do with it. The coach had changed the system: he had mutated from 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3.
He had put together a team that fit perfectly with the trap that Miguel Ángel Russo had set for him with his muletto
. What else could I do but defend and come out against it.
Clearly, as has happened several times since he took charge of the team - especially after the early elimination in the 2023 Libertadores -, Demichelis made the wrong initial approach.
He had room to correct the mistake
. River changed its face radically by moving the substitute bench. Already at halftime he corrected with the arrivals of Marcelo Herrera for Sebastián Boselli and Rodrigo Villagra for Fonseca. There he had more exit on the right side and more circulation to supply Claudio Echeverri and Santiago Simón. And not to mention when after 20 minutes he gave Nacho Fernández and Esequiel Barco a clue. They took the places of Simón and Facundo Colidio, who looked extremely uncomfortable in their roles, and changed the equation.
Thus
River cornered a worn-out Central team
and it was a matter of time before the defeat turned into victory thanks to the two appearances of Miguel Borja, the League Cup scorer who left behind almost a month of drought.
The question is which is the real Demichelis.
The coach who poorly plans the games before the ball starts rolling or the one who is capable of arranging the pieces so that the team meets the expectations that come with having the best team in Argentine soccer?
Clearly,
Justiniano Posse's Cordoba coach is a coach in the making
. River still lacks a style and, above all, an identity-based game system. Perhaps the abundance of players - among the renowned ones, the additions and the very good guys who appear - makes him think that he can have a versatile formation capable of mutating according to the demands of each game. Management is key.
Sometimes having too much is a problem
. There's a reason why Guardiola at Manchester City uses a rotation of just 15 players.
Relief. The hug of Borja and Demichelis. Photo: Marcelo Carroll.
Constant changes take a toll on trust. Even in some who are usually starters, but game after game they occupy a different role. The case of Colidio as a left winger is a good example. Be careful, not everything is Demichelis' responsibility. Barco and Nacho Fernández went from not being in tune in the defeat against Huracán in Parque Patricios to being the essential catalysts in the comeback against Rosario Central in the Monumental. The opposite happened with
Diablito
Echeverri. In the victory over Deportivo Táchira in Venezuela he was key as a replacement. The boy who bought Manchester City did not finish refueling on Sunday.
Demichelis has time to consolidate. He has the foundation to be a great manager. There is plenty of raw material. But he knows that he can't live off the results. River always asks for more.