Intensity, set pieces and a morale boost: Coudet’s first days at River | OneFootball

River urgently needed a change of atmosphere after a second cycle under Marcelo Gallardo that ended with poor results and an unbearable internal climate. Eduardo Coudet arrived to embody this new era, and in his first days of training, he is seeking an immediate impact to lift a demoralized squad.

Still in the honeymoon phase, from within the club there is nothing but praise for the start of Chacho’s tenure. In just three training sessions, his focus has been physical, tactical, and psychological. It was evident that the team suffered from injuries and players who lacked explosiveness and reaction, in addition to having a very low level of performance and no resilience in the face of adversity.

“I want a very physical, aggressive team that always looks towards the opponent’s goal,” he explained in his introductory press conference. That’s why, in these almost 10 days he’ll have before the debut against Huracán, the idea is to instill in the team a physical intensity that has been missing in 2026.

Chacho has been very attentive to each player, trying to instill the concept (similar to Gallardo’s ideal) of recovering the ball quickly, high up the pitch, and with aggression. Of course, he has complemented this work with a psychological boost to try to improve the internal atmosphere and restore confidence to players who, the last time they went to the Monumental, left under a rain of whistles and insults.

Furthermore, in terms of football and beyond tactical formations and strategy, the coach placed special emphasis on set pieces. This Friday, in the first training session focused solely on the ball, he worked on improving movements during corners and free kicks, both for and against.

Among the most urgent challenges Coudet faces upon his arrival at River is raising the individual performance levels, especially of the experienced players who have been most criticized lately. With a paternalistic style, Chacho will try to connect on a human level with players whose performances have not met expectations.

Facundo Colidio, Maximiliano Salas, Paulo Díaz (whose situation remains uncertain), Kevin Castaño, Marcos Acuña, and even Fabricio Bustos—the only one he has already coached, having made him captain at Inter, Porto Alegre. We’ll have to see if, for his debut on the bench, he decides to return some of them to the starting lineup or if he opts for the continuity of the youngsters who stepped up in a difficult moment.

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