Football Details of the tense evening during which Ricardo Gareca finally found some peace in La Roja

Ricardo Gareca raises his arms with a smile. He immediately embraces his colleagues. Facundo Tello has just kicked off. La Roja del Tigre adds three points for the first time. This is his third victory at the head of the national team, but the only one on points. “We had to not lose this opportunity against a great team that is doing very well emotionally. Well, logically, a victory is not what we are looking for throughout this year. But it serves to strengthen us, to make people understand that we are going to fight. » the coach said after the match.

The Argentine strategist had a tense week. Just as tense as this Tuesday evening. On Monday, he had a difficult face-to-face with the press. He felt interrogated by journalists and responded harshly when asked about his negative experiences in Vélez Sarsfield and Chile. “More than a question, it is the development of an idea, of what happened. I won’t do it, you do it, I have the same work team. Sometimes the results don’t come,” he said. People started to lose patience. Another diagnosis that DT himself recognizes. Last week, he revealed that he was not going to matches at the National Tournament to avoid receiving insults.

All this was seen at the National Stadium. At the beginning, when the formation of La Roja was announced over the loudspeaker, his name was omitted at the closing. The organization preferred to avoid the obvious whistle. Of course, this happened when the Argentinian came out of the tunnel and headed towards the bench. There, the public did not support him and he badly botched his project. The coach admits he didn’t have a good time. He feels that situations he considers normal are being called into question, such as his trip to Buenos Aires. After the victory, more relaxed, he recognized that it was normal for his position to be questioned. “The climate was not ideal and yet the truth is that they supported us, the leaders supported us too. It’s very difficult to support a staff that hasn’t scored any points in the first four rounds. And also with a performance that was not what we all expected,” he said.

In Lima, when the national team faced Peru, Gareca spent almost the entire match sitting on the bench and constantly in dialogue with his colleagues. Today, one of these two aspects has changed. El Tigre was on his feet most of the match. Stand at the edge of the line that demarcates your movement zone and with your hands behind you. Only occasionally did I go to the seating area. But yes, on several occasions he turned to Sergio Santín and Hugo Alves, his assistants. When he saw something that didn’t seem right, he would yell at the players. In the first half, he put up a strong challenge.

The strategist arrived with the rope around his neck. And I knew it. After the 4-0 defeat against Colombia last month, the coach received an ultimatum from Pablo Milad. The manager told him he had to get at least four of the six points in dispute in this doubleheader. He did it. Last Friday, the Curicano changed his speech and assured that he had been asked for the maximum number of units. But this Tuesday, he backed down again and confirmed the DT in his position. “This result supports Ricardo. As happened in Peru, in the first matches he was not as good. I think the players understand the coach. We must work with faith, will and hope. We must support the coach,” declared the president of the ANFP.

El Tigre had its brightest day. Especially for the decisions that earned him points. For example, after Diego Valdés was injured in training on Monday, he opted for Lucas Cepeda as the starter. The Santiago Wanderers striker responded with two goals. At one point, Chile was at the bottom of the scoreboard. In two moments, rather. There, Gareca, in a move they had practiced during the weekend, asked Aravena and Cepeda to change sectors. He was the key to the Colo Colo striker’s double.

In addition, also for his peace of mind, he now has the support of Arturo Vidal, who until a month ago was one of his main detractors. The King, in fact, summoned those who maintained this condition. “I hope the former players aren’t so harsh. Those who suffer the most are young people. Those who were here should not attack too much, but rather give advice. We are neither Brazil nor Argentina. It’s our turn to fight. I hope they go talk to the boys. We are waiting for you. “Those who have won things and gone through difficult times should advise,” he said.