He’s settling in: Arruabarrena backs under-fire Boca player | OneFootball

Boca drew 1-1 with Vélez at the Tomás A. Ducó, where they are playing their home matches while La Bombonera’s pitch is being renovated, in a match corresponding to the fourth round of the 2026 Torneo Clausura. Rodolfo Arruabarrena spoke at a press conference after the match and analyzed the team’s result.

Although it was one of the best performances of his second spell, Arruabarrena’s side started out behind because of a huge mistake by Álvaro Montero, one of the new faces the coach brought in during this transfer window. The Colombian set up the wall poorly, Diego Valdés took advantage of the distraction, and opened the scoring during Boca’s best spell.

Far from placing blame, Arruabarrena chose to back the man he picked as his first-choice goalkeeper over Leandro Brey, and said he was happy with his performances, since “he is adapting to the Boca world.” Along those same lines, he stated that “he is responding better and better each time and will have all our support as he tries to adapt,” because he arrived “in a different world from the one he was used to. Without taking anything away from Vélez.”

Arruabarrena and the reason Villa is not a starter

Among the other aspects the Vasco analyzed was Leonel Flores’ place in the starting eleven once again, instead of another one of his signings. Sebastián Villa arrived from Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza for 6.5 million dollars and has not been able to establish himself in the team that starts matches.

For Arruabarrena, this is nothing alarming, since “he is doing very well and is waiting for his moment” and “he knows there is competition and at some point I may be able to play with a system that suits having two wingers”. He also pointed out that his adaptation to the group influences the decision he makes from match to match, and that he will surely have opportunities in the future.

What’s next for Boca

There will be no time to dwell on the missed opportunities, as Arruabarrena’s Boca will have their next commitment in just a few days. On Tuesday, August 11, from 7:00 p.m., and once again playing at home at the Tomás A. Ducó, they will host Paraguay’s Recoleta in the first leg of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana round of 16.

Boca’s starting lineup against Vélez. Photo: Gerónimo Marino/La Número 12.

But the action will not end there, because on Saturday the 15th, just four days later, they will visit Platense in Saavedra at 9:15 p.m. for the fifth round of the 2026 Torneo Clausura.

Keep reading:

Boca’s player ratings in the draw against Vélez in Parque Patricios

Boca deserved more, but could not get past a draw against Vélez

What time does Boca play today vs. Vélez? Lineups and TV coverage

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