“The manager made me”: why Paredes misses Boca v Riestra | OneFootball

The accumulated physical wear and tear of recent weeks forced the Boca coaching staff to take precautions ahead of the start of the local competition. Paredes will not play for Boca against Riestra: “The coach forced me to take two days off”. The Xeneize captain will not be in the Torneo Clausura opener against the Malevo at the request of Rodolfo Arruabarrena, who agreed to let him play against O’Higgins but asked him to take a breather, after the intense run of matches he faced with both the national team and the club.

The holding midfielder’s commitment was recognized by the crowd in the continental match played at La Bombonera. In Boca’s 1-0 win over O’Higgins in the Copa Sudamericana playoffs, Leandro Paredes showed exemplary attitude that Boca fans rewarded with a deafening ovation: four days after playing in the World Cup final with the Argentina national team, he put on the blue and gold and played the full 90 minutes against the Chilean side.

The grind the midfielder went through in recent days was extremely demanding. On Sunday, under the intense New York sun, he played 75 minutes in the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. Physically exhausted after having played the last few matches with a cracked rib and disappointed after the loss—which included an outburst with Eric García and Gavi—the following day he started the trip back to the country along with 15 other teammates, plus club officials and members of the coaching staff.

As soon as he set foot on Argentine soil, the player immediately rejoined the squad’s routine. On Tuesday morning he joined training at Boca Predio and made himself available to Arruabarrena to start two days later against O’Higgins. El Vasco accepted his request, and the captain not only made the squad, but started and played the full 90 minutes.

What Leandro Paredes said after Boca’s win over O’Higgins

The midfielder acknowledged the impact of the trip, the run of matches, and the coach’s order to slow down.

At the end of the match at Alberto J. Armando Stadium, the midfielder himself spoke about the effort in the mixed zone. “I’m tired. I thought I’d be better, but clearly the trip, the 50 days, and the matches I had on me take their toll. I wanted to be here, I wanted to be part of the team because the sense of belonging is huge and I always want to be here. In that regard I’m happy because we played and we won,” Paredes said.

He also explained the measure adopted by the coaching staff to protect his physical condition: “I’ve lived it this way throughout my entire career—imagine what I can do for Boca. I try to give back the affection people show me with these kinds of things, by making myself available, although now the coach forced me to take two days off because you really do feel everything the World Cup, the trip, and today’s match took out of me”.

When Boca vs. Deportivo Riestra is played and what team Arruabarrena could field

The Xeneize will open the Torneo Clausura with the confirmed absence of its captain and a possible rotation.

As a result of this technical decision, the midfielder will not take part in the next tactical sessions. The captain will comply with the Basque coach’s order, will not be part of Friday’s and Saturday’s training sessions and, therefore, will be left out of the squad for Sunday’s league opener against Deportivo Riestra at 7:15 p.m. at Guillermo Laza.

With the schedule planning in mind, taking into account how close the local league match is and the trip to Chile the squad will have to make next week for the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana, it is very likely that the coach will use mostly backups this weekend

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