Claudio Úbeda explained it: why Merentiel and Bareiro went off | OneFootball

Claudio Úbeda has plenty of reasons to be happy: Boca won away in Chile, in what was their debut in the group stage of the 2026 Copa Libertadores. It was a 2-1 victory over Universidad Católica, in one of the best performances of the current coach’s tenure.

Sifón is getting a better feel for the team and also looks much more confident when making changes. Many of the substitutions he made did not draw the criticism that had put his tenure in jeopardy, although it did attract attention that both Miguel Merentiel and Adam Bareiro left the field.

The Uruguayan came off for Ander Herrera. Photo: Geraldo Caso Bizama/Getty Images

The most striking case was that of the Uruguayan, who was replaced by Ander Herrera. Claudio Úbeda pointed out that it was because “he was already dealing with pubic pain at halftime” and this forced his early exit from the match.

As for the Paraguayan’s substitution, Sifón was quite clear, since his exit for the introduction of Milton Giménez “was due to physical fatigue”, in addition to the fact that the team needed “to start changing the energy of the match.”

The former Banfield man got minutes again, just as he did against Talleres, and will be another alternative that will be very useful for Boca in its three competitions.

Claudio Úbeda also explained the introductions of Herrera and Pellegrino

Another thing that caught attention in the Boca world was the fact that Claudio Úbeda repeated the same setup when naming the starting eleven, but that he opted for a different shape with the substitutions was something that surprised many.

Boca’s coach spoke about the changes he made during the game against UC. Photo: Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images.

With Ander Herrera coming on for Merentiel, the team switched to playing with five midfielders and Bareiro as the lone attacking reference. “The changes were made to have more control of the game”, explained Sifón, who also added that the Spaniard was needed “to avoid transitions that would wear us down.”

In a context in which Universidad Católica were losing at home and made attacking substitutions to search for the equalizer, Claudio Úbeda was also forced to turn to the bench and bring on Marco Pellegrino. “We knew they make heavy use of wide midfielders who attack the box with three players”, the coach explained, before concluding that these decisions “work afterward or they don’t.”

Read also:

Claudio Úbeda’s message to win back the fans’ trust

Dream fulfilled: Leandro Paredes’ revelation after Boca’s win

Boca won and moved to the top: the table and what’s next in the Libertadores

The ratings from Boca’s huge win over Católica in their Libertadores debut

Boca beat Universidad Católica in their debut in the 2026 Copa Libertadores

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