Francescoli on Gallardo’s River exit and why he picked Coudet | OneFootball

The Technical Secretary of the Millionaire touched on various current topics about the club and referred to the departure from the AFA Executive Committee.

Ahead of the debut of Eduardo Coudet as coach of River, Enzo Francescoli, the club’s Technical Secretary, spoke in an extensive interview with F12, a program broadcast by ESPN, where he addressed several current issues regarding the club.

Among these topics, the Uruguayan referred to the departure of Marcelo Gallardo as coach, explained why he chose Coudet, and assured that the squad is going through a tough time emotionally. He also explained the reasons behind leaving the AFA Executive Committee.

Gallardo’s Departure

“For me, the main assessment I made was with him and I’ll keep it to myself, because above all, Marcelo was clear that the end of last year was bad for what he expects. When you’re at a club, we look for people to manage who have known River and experienced it, because when you have that feeling you can manage the timing, and that’s what Marcelo did,” he began.

“The preseason was very good, he tried, the start of the championship gave the impression that the team had a different dynamic, but they took a hit and I think he didn’t find answers. I imagine he wanted River not to suffer anymore—I think the team wasn’t giving him the answers he expected. I don’t get involved in personal relationships, and professionally I didn’t see any wear and tear in the relationships or all that is said about the players with Marcelo,” he continued.

“I think he left because he saw he wasn’t finding answers and didn’t want to keep making the situation worse. There comes a point where football has technique, tactics, strategy, but it’s still 70% mental, and when the mind doesn’t respond, it’s hard to turn it around unless there’s a drastic change. I think that’s what happened and Marcelo understands it, that’s why he made the decision,” he concluded.

The Choice of Coudet

“First of all, he knows River. I think it was the right time after good performances at Racing, Central, Inter. Looking at the range of possibilities, it was his moment, also because I saw that the team was in a pretty low mood because they can’t find a way out, and Chacho can give them that,” he said about the choice of coach.

“Coudet is excited. He saw the players were down and little by little he’s getting them back. He’s intense when it comes to work and I think things are getting on track,” he continued about how the coach has seen the players in recent days.

And he added to show support for the coach: “I’m convinced I made a good choice with Chacho, I know he can give the team a mindset of thinking about the opponent’s goal and that the fans will support us. Little by little we’re going to improve.”

The Squad’s Tough Moment

“I’m worried about the team’s performance. I think they’ve entered a phase where it’s more mental than football-related. When the slump is widespread, it’s a mental problem and it’s very complex to come back. It happens to most teams, otherwise the same one would always win,” said the Uruguayan.

“It’s a mental, emotional problem, and once it ends for different reasons, whether because of a result or because the coach changes the training sessions. Sometimes in football it’s good to share personal stories. Football is like that, you don’t have to look for anything else, it’s a big state of mind. Salas will be Salas, Colidio will be Colidio when they get back to their good state of mind and that depends on themselves,” he assured.

“They have something different, that’s why they’re at River, but I don’t think some of them can’t play at River. The young guys are being managed well,” he said to support the players currently in the squad led by Coudet.

And he concluded: “At River there were a lot of players who turned the situation around. Ponzio, De La Cruz, Pity Martínez. The young guys at River know it, and if they don’t, it’s a mistake. That’s when I’d really get mad. It’s a mistake if the young guys at River don’t know what River is about.”

River’s Departure from the AFA Executive Committee

“When you’re part of something and your idea contradicts it, it’s better to leave and not bother than to stay there and try to leave early so you’re not in the photo or to give your opinion because what you say goes against what you want. I don’t think it can hurt us, I hope not,” he said about River’s departure and the statement released a few days ago.

The Match Against Huracán

On the other hand, he was asked about the match against Huracán next Thursday, which still doesn’t have a venue since the Globo wants to play with fans and requested its suspension. “As of today, it will be played without fans due to the collapse issue. I don’t know how it will end,” he said.

River’s Transfer Markets

“At River, ever since I’ve been here, the coach chooses the players, then whoever negotiates does so. The problem with players is that you sign them for what they’ve done up to that point, and when they put on the River shirt, everything changes, there are many factors that influence whether it works. What you try to do with scouting and people who can support you is to try to make as few mistakes as possible,” he explained about how the club operates during transfer windows.

“If the finances work, the final decision is the coach’s. We can suggest other alternatives, the dialogue has always worked. What River paid is different. The limits are set when there’s no money. When there’s a certain budget and it’s going to be exceeded, it can’t be done,” he added about the club’s financial expenditures.

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