Leandro Paredes asks to be subbed off, alarm bells ring at Boca | OneFootball

Alarms went off at Boca. The team once again showed a poor level of football, and to top it off, Leandro Paredes left the field injured. Claudio Úbeda's team continues to struggle. They drew 0-0 against Platense at La Bombonera, in the 5th round of Zone A of the Torneo Apertura, and the captain couldn't complete the 90 minutes of play.

Although, in recent matches, the world champion was substituted midway through the second half, there was significant concern during the match against Calamar when he requested a change in the final moments. Paredes bent down, looked at the substitutes' bench, and headed there to sit and be attended to. Milton Delgado came on in his place.

Through the images from the official broadcast, the Boca captain could be seen hiding so the cameras wouldn't capture his expressions of pain, but the moment he held his right ankle was caught. Even during the first half, he also showed signs of discomfort in the same area, although he managed to stay on the field for a few minutes.

At the end of the draw, Leandro Paredes left the field at La Bombonera wearing flip-flops and with ice on his ankle, where he spoke about his physical condition, which might be affecting his football performance. “I've been dealing with discomfort, but it's part of the sport. I'll be there when I need to be, sometimes better or worse, but always doing my best”, he stated in an interview with “ESPN”.

Similarly, journalist Emiliano Raddi confirmed that the 31-year-old midfielder has been dealing with discomfort in his right ankle since the semifinal match of the Torneo Clausura 2025 against Racing, at La Bombonera. Although the pain decreased during the vacation period, it intensified with the series of matches.

Leandro Paredes' Strong Self-Criticism

Boca is not playing well and seems to be taking several steps backward. After the defeat against Vélez, they added a draw against Platense. In both matches, the team showed a poor version that worries the fans ahead of the match against Racing on Friday, and the first round of the Copa Argentina on Tuesday, February 24.

In response, far from making excuses, Leandro Paredes was very self-critical regarding the team's level and everything they need to improve during the training week. “It hurts to play this kind of match and the two away games we played. We have to improve and be self-critical. It's part of the confidence, the team's performance, it improves day by day and personally. The group is fine, there's no choice but to keep improving and think about what was done wrong”, he concluded.

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