Arruabarrena, pleased with the win, but self-critical: “we suffered a bit” | OneFootball

Rodolfo Arruabarrena analyzed what was left by Boca’s hard-fought 3-1 victory over Recoleta at the Tomás Adolfo Ducó stadium. The coach valued the result achieved at home, although he did not hide his concern over certain defensive lapses and stressed the need to maintain sharpness in the middle of a demanding run of fixtures.

The strategist of the club from La Ribera began his analysis by focusing on the approach shown by the blue and gold side from the start. "We were playing at home, our fans push us toward that and so does our idea. I’d like us to have a little more patience; I think we had it in the second half," the Xeneize coach said about the match.

Despite the win, the self-criticism came quickly when examining the moments of uncertainty the team went through during the first half. "I don’t know if we came out asleep, but we were unlucky on the goal play. There was an individual mistake beforehand, and then for a few minutes we were late closing down, late getting to some spaces. But at the same time we were also causing them problems in defense," explained the squad’s tactical leader.

Boca celebrate against Recoleta. Photo: Gerónimo Marino/La Número 12.

Aware of the demands of the schedule, the coach trusts in making the most of the momentum to sustain the team’s collective growth. "It was a match that, for a neutral, was interesting and entertaining to watch; those of us involved suffered a little, especially when they attacked us, but anyway. There are things to correct, a lot to work on. Hopefully we can finish this month, or what remains of this run, with the feeling that the team is finding itself, that results help us, and at some point we’ll have a chance to work," he concluded about the team’s overall performance.

El Vasco and the change during the match

The head coach explained the tactical reading he made on the fly to tip the balance in favor of the La Ribera side after Wilfrido Báez was sent off. "The change in system was because they already had one man less and we had to take risks, knowing that Lozano gives you that, he’s an all-rounder and he started as a stopper when defending, but we knew he was a winger when attacking," the coach argued.

The highlights of Boca 3-1 Recoleta.

Likewise, Rodolfo Arruabarrena stressed the importance of individual weight out wide to break down the opposition’s resistance. "Sebastián’s (Villa) introduction was aimed at getting that one-on-one, trying to make the difference down the flanks. I think right away he made the difference; then we played a lot down the right, where Lozano and Flores gave us that option, they got forward a lot, cut inside a lot, beat their man a lot. But we also should have played with Sebastián, who was causing problems, and I think two of the three goals came from that side. But we’re happy, I’m happy with him. He’s working very well and hopefully we can keep going this way as a team," he said.

Arruabarrena said how Bareiro is progressing

On another matter, the blue and gold strategist gave details about the physical condition of the Paraguayan forward. "Adam is in the recovery process. I see him a lot in the dressing room, I see him in training, we talk, he’s still going slowly, but he’s doing well. You know it’s a complicated injury and that one day he can feel good and another day he can feel bad. But the truth is that he’s with the group; you’ve probably seen that he’s here. Hopefully we can have him back soon, but it’s really a medical issue and the doctors can be more specific," he said.

How he sees Enner Valencia in his first days

The Xeneize boss referred to the adaptation of the recent signing and the conditioning plan designed together with the coaching staff. "Enner is working well. He arrived recently and on the first day he had to do a little extra fitness work. Today he underwent some tests and the truth is that he’s fine. He’s working with the group and at the same time doing some specific work. We’ll see, we’ll talk it over with him," he revealed.

Enner Valencia will be brought up to speed physically.

To finish, he made clear the cautious stance that the coaching staff and directors will maintain so as not to rush the timeline of his official debut. "What I want is for him to be in condition to be at the level the team is at, and not to rush him, push him, and injure him. It’s been 45 days; although he’s very professional and has worked, he had 12 or 15 days of vacation, so we’re going to bring him along little by little if we can. But well, you know I lie a lot," he concluded with a laugh.

Already thinking about Platense

To conclude, El Vasco referred to the team’s next match: they will visit Platense in Vicente López: "We’ll see over these next few days, we’ll keep talking. There will be some rotation, yes. We’ve started with three or four matches in a row with players logging a lot of minutes, but I don’t know. Everyone wants to play, and the boys who didn’t come on, I know they feel angry, upset. It’s normal and that’s what I like."

Boca will visit Platense on Saturday.

But we’ll keep watching over these next few days, analyzing. We also have to watch Platense tomorrow, we’ll see what’s best and I’ll try to field what I believe is best," warned the head coach of the team that has Martín Palermo’s Calamar up next.

Keep reading:

Arruabarrena confirmed changes for Boca’s visit to Platense

When Boca play again after the win over Recoleta

Boca’s player ratings in the win over Recoleta at the Ducó

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.