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

River urgently needed a change of scenery after a second cycle with Marcelo Gallardo that was marked by poor results and an unbearable internal atmosphere. Eduardo Coudet arrived to embody this new era, and in his first days of training, he seeks to have an immediate impact to lift a demoralized squad.

Still in the honeymoon phase, there are only words of praise from within for the start of Chacho's tenure at the club. In just three training sessions, his focus is on physical, tactical, and emotional aspects. It was evident that the team suffered from injuries and players who lacked explosiveness and reaction, in addition to having a very low level and no resilience in adverse situations.

"I want a very physical, aggressive team that looks towards the opponent's goal," he explained at the press conference. Therefore, in these almost 10 days before the debut against Huracán, the idea is to instill a physical intensity in the team that has not been shown in 2026.

Chacho has been very attentive to each player, trying to instill the concept (similar to Gallardo's ideal) of quick, high, and aggressive recovery. Of course, he accompanied this work with a morale boost to try to improve the internal atmosphere and raise the confidence of players who, the last time they were at the Monumental, left under a rain of boos and insults.

Additionally, in the football aspect, beyond tactical schemes and strategy, the coach placed special emphasis on set pieces. This Friday, in the first practice focused on the ball, he worked on improving movements in corners and free kicks, both in favor and against.

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

Facundo Colidio, Maximiliano Salas, Paulo Díaz (whose situation is uncertain), Kevin Castaño, Marcos Acuña, and even Fabricio Bustos, the only one he has already coached – he was his captain at Inter, Porto Alegre. It remains to be seen if for his debut on the bench he decides to restore some of them to the starting lineup or if he relies on the continuity of the young players who stepped up in a difficult moment.

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