Matías Módolo on Colón clash: «Name, history and budget win nothing» | OneFootball

In the lead-up to this Saturday’s crucial clash at 3:30 p.m. for Matchday 26 of the Primera Nacional, San Miguel head coach Matías Módolo spoke at length with the ADN program on Radio Gol 96.7. The coach analyzed his team’s current situation in Los Polvorines, recalled his recent departure from Chacarita, denied rumors about the Sabalero, and offered a deep reflection on the urgency weighing on the big clubs in the division.

San Miguel’s present and structure

When asked about the club he found upon arriving, Módolo highlighted its institutional growth and the return to its traditional training ground. On that point, he explained that “our arrival came with a commitment to return to training at the ground the club had in the past, which is Predio Los Abrojos, near the stadium.” In the same vein, he praised the facilities and the efforts of the club’s leadership, saying that “we have a top-level field, a top-level gym,” and added that San Miguel “is fairly well organized… it’s a club where everything is very hard-earned, it does everything with a lot of effort and tries to meet every obligation on time and properly, which is no small thing in the times we’re living through.”

The need for a breather after leaving Chacarita

The head coach also took time to explain the personal reasons that led him to step away temporarily from coaching before taking over at the “Green Thunder,” emphasizing the wear and tear suffered by football professionals. “The truth is that we, as a coaching staff, needed a breather. It had been more than 10 years working nonstop, where you never stop for more than 10 days, you probably don’t get vacations… many times you put off family, your whole life gets arranged around the weekend schedule or your trips,” he openly admitted. He also added that “in my case, I needed to reorganize my life in Buenos Aires, be there for relatives who were in delicate health, and finish up some things at home.”

His assessment of his spell with the “Funebrero”

Regarding his abrupt previous stint at Chacarita, the coach acknowledged the difficulties of coordinating a football project with so many new faces from the start of preseason. “My time at Chaca, like every challenge I take on in life, leaves me with growth, with many lessons… from the outside, what people see is that the results didn’t come, and that I couldn’t stay for even a minimum stretch of time to start putting an idea together,” he analyzed self-critically. In line with that, he admitted that “we underestimated it, or didn’t believe it would be as complicated as building a squad from scratch with 24 new players. That’s something I don’t think has worked at any club, or if it does, you need time.”

The denial of the rumor linking him to Colón

During the interview, Módolo firmly clarified the media reports circulating in Santa Fe claiming there had been formal contact for him to become head coach of the Sabalero side. “No, no, no, I had no communication with the club, no, no, no. My agent may have fluid talks with most of the presidents or sporting directors in the division… but there was never any real chance of us even meeting,” he said bluntly. He even joked about what happened during the farewell match for Luis Miguel “Pulga” Rodríguez: “I was surprised, because when I went to Luis Miguel’s farewell, there were rumors that I was close to taking the job. I should have brought a bigger suitcase — if they’d told me, it would’ve been one less move to make.”

The pressures of the Primera Nacional

Looking ahead to Saturday’s match in Los Polvorines, Módolo offered a blunt diagnosis of how the emotional demands of supporters and club boards directly undermine coaches’ work processes. “I think it also has to start with a change where the fan understands that names, history, the shirt, and the budget don’t win matches, and that’s exactly what we’re being shown, especially in the Nacional B,” he said forcefully. He also reflected on the intolerance that reigns in the game, stating that “today it’s proven… people react emotionally more than rationally, so the team loses, I get angry, it’s a disaster, nobody is any good, everything has to change, everyone has to go — and normally the coach is the one who pays for that.” Aiming his comments at club leadership, he concluded that “I don’t understand why there’s such a rush to end coaching spells when today, as a director, you have to be convinced about the coaching staff… if all you look at is the result or the abuse they’re getting on social media, I don’t think that’s good.”

Praise for Iván Delfino

To close, San Miguel’s current manager dedicated words of deep professional respect to Iván Delfino, highlighting his human qualities within the world of Argentina’s lower divisions. “I highlight his quality, his character, his humility in the way he relates to colleagues, the respect he commands in the football world. I think that goes beyond his track record,” Módolo praised. At the same time, he ended by stressing that “I think Iván is an example of great ability and of never forgetting the mud of the lower divisions, even though he is perhaps the coach from that world who has had the longest run in the top flight.”

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