Claudio Úbeda explained it: why Merentiel and Bareiro came 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 matches of the current coach’s spell.

Sifón is getting a better handle on the team and also looks much more confident when it comes to making changes. Many of the substitutions he made did not draw the criticism that had put his spell in jeopardy, although it did catch 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 already had pain in his pubis at halftime” and this forced his early exit from the match.

As for the Paraguayan’s substitution, Sifón was quite clear, since his departure for Milton Giménez’s entrance “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 player got minutes again, just as he did against Talleres, and will be another option that will be very useful for Boca in the 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 putting together the starting eleven, but his choice to use a different shape with the substitutions was surprising.

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, Boca switched to playing with five midfielders and Bareiro as the lone attacking reference. “The changes were 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 changes in search of an equalizer, it also forced Claudio Úbeda to go to the bench and opt for Marco Pellegrino. “We knew they make a lot of use of wide midfielders who attack the box with three players”, clarified the coach, who concluded that these decisions “work afterward or they don’t.”

Read also:

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

Dream come true: Leandro Paredes’ revelation after Boca’s win

Boca won and climbed 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 2026 Copa Libertadores debut

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