Marcelo Escudero takes the reins as interim boss at River | OneFootball

After the victory against Banfield and the farewell to the "Muñeco," the team will reunite this Friday under Escudero's leadership, focusing on the visit to Independiente Rivadavia of Mendoza. Meanwhile, the management will try to finalize Coudet's appointment as soon as possible.

The day has come at River: Marcelo Gallardo is officially no longer the coach. It was a night filled with emotions, leaving a bittersweet feeling among the fans, who experienced the 90 minutes of victory against Banfield between cheering for the coach and booing the players. Now, the "Millonario" will seek to reinvent itself. Starting this Friday, with Marcelo Escudero as interim coach, the team will gather at the Ezeiza facility without the "Muñeco" and with their sights set on Independiente Rivadavia of Mendoza.

It's time to reshuffle and start anew. In Núñez, they know these are critical times, and the departure of the most successful coach in history has left a heavy burden on the players' shoulders, as was evident on a night when the Monumental spoke. In this sense, there is no time for regrets, and with "Pichi" temporarily in charge until the management secures Eduardo Coudet's arrival, they will return to work in the afternoon session.

River aims to be cautious and has yet to confirm any contacts with "Chacho." He himself held a press conference before the match against Levante and swore on his four children that he had not received any calls. However, the information is that the agreement is complete, and only details remain before he travels to Argentina.

Now, the only remaining obstacle is Coudet's contract with Deportivo Alavés, which extends until June of this year and has no termination clause. After initial talks, it became clear that his departure should not pose a major problem, and there is even speculation that he could coach his team this Friday against Levante.

Meanwhile, starting at 6 PM and with no injured players from the 3-1 win over Taladro—an important fact considering the visit to Mendoza on Monday at 9:30 PM—River will begin its journey without Gallardo and precisely with Escudero, who returned to the club in 2020 at the express request of the "Muñeco," after having been in the Fifth Division and later in the Fourth. Since 2022, he has been in charge of the Reserve team and knows many of the young players who are now part of the professional squad very well.

"Pichi," who will now take the helm in the First Division, already assumed the interim role on August 4, 2024, when Martín Demichelis left, in a 0-0 draw against Unión in Santa Fe for the ninth round of the Professional League. In that match, the coach's influence was evident, as he called up several young players like Daniel Zabala, Agustín Ruberto, and Ian Subiabre, and he also gave Santiago Lencina his professional debut.

Escudero, a Homegrown Man at River

The 51-year-old coach knows what the River world is like and what it feels like to defend the red band, having been there from 1996 to 2002. During that time, the former midfielder won eight titles, six domestic and two international, including the 1996 Copa Libertadores, where he was crucial in the final against América de Cali by assisting Hernán Crespo to secure the 2-0 final (after a 1-0 defeat in Colombia).

Additionally, in the Reserve team, he coached 88 matches, winning 49, drawing 18, losing 21, and winning the Millonario in the 2024 Projection Cup and the Champions Trophy, where they defeated Vélez on penalties with some players who are now in the first team, such as Cristian Jaime, Joaquín Freitas, Giorgio Costantini, Facundo González, Agustín Obregón, or Juan Cruz Meza.

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