In a monumental frenzy, the cry thundered for the first time in the almost seven and a half years that he has been a team coach: “Olelé, Olalá, Gallardo is from River, from River he does not leave.” Imperative, the song was more like a plea than a sentence. The fans know that Marcelo Gallardo has not yet decided what will become of his future as of January 1 and on Sunday, in the Band’s 2 to 1 victory in the Superclásico, the plan began to try to seduce him with his love from the stands. The “Doll” still does not offer indications about whether he will accept to renew his contract, an uncertainty that gnaws at the heads of the supporters millionaires. Just in case, the leadership begins to put on the table a list of possible candidates to succeed him.
“Marcelo already knows that we want to continue on the same path, but we let him take his time to decide if he is going to continue. Meanwhile, we think about the future with the idea of continuing with the current project, which obviously involves Marcelo “, they say softly from the ruling party that commands Rodolfo D’Onofrio, whose term will end in December, as will the contract for the most winning coach in River’s history.
In River there will be elections on Saturday, December 4 and the candidate for president for the ruling party is Jorge Brito. Both he and the other four candidates to lead the club (the opponents Antonio Caselli, Carlos Trillo, Matías Barreiro and Luis Belli) they want the continuity of the “Doll”. In that sense, River’s political arc does not offer cracks: Gallardo is the God of the present riverplatense and everyone wants to have his services, the best protective umbrella for any Board of Directors.
Many speculations began to be woven on Sunday, in full celebration for the victory against Boca. The image of Gallardo watching his players celebrate in the center of the playing field, accompanied by a part of his coaching staff (the field assistant Matías Biscay, the physical trainer Pablo Dolce, the kinesiologist Jorge Bombicino and the doctor Pedro Hansing) woke up speculation of all kinds among fans and also among the press. That that image in which he was seen with glassy eyes was synonymous with a close farewell. That the affection of the people is the emotional fuel that will keep him going a while longer. That that lost gaze on the horizon was that of a man who was going through seven years of glory as if he knew that he had little time left in that place. That his project is still unfinished and that nowhere else on the planet will he be as comfortable and at ease as in River, which in 1997 -in his days as a footballer- he himself defined as “One of the five most important clubs in the world.”
Today, the only certainty is that Gallardo, who is in the plans of none other than Barcelona Spanish, has not yet made a decision about what will become of his working life as of January 1. Reserved like few others, not even the members of his coaching staff know if they will continue to have work next year. “He’s focused on trying to win the local championship. For now he is not talking about the future ”, say those who know the technician best. But just in case they keep updating a list of possible replacements among which are Alexander Medina, Eduardo Domínguez, Martín Demichelis, Germán Burgos, Eduardo Berizzo and Hernán Crespo.
The current River leadership anxiously awaits Gallardo to decide whether to continue in office. “We do not know what will happen, but we are working as if the project were going to continue”, they insist. And by low they recognize that if the “Doll” decided to run from the center of the scene (he always said that the day he leaves River he will take at least six months sabbatical), the candidates to succeed him are in a napkin to which Infobae had access: the “Cacique” Medina (Workshops of Córdoba), Eduardo Dominguez (Colón de Santa Fe), Demichelis (leads Bayern Munich second team), the “Mono” Burgos (not busy), Berizzo (Paraguay) and Curly (Saint Paul). Of the six, only Medina and Domínguez have no antecedents in the club, although the current coach of Colón shares a representative with Gallardo: Juan Berros.
If the ruling party wins the elections, it has already announced that Enzo Francescoli will continue as manager or technical secretary of the club. And his name should never be ruled out to lead the team: in 2017, when Gallardo himself hesitated a lot in renewing his contract, Rodolfo D’Onofrio thought of the Uruguayan and he left open the possibility of taking over the team, something that finally it did not happen because the “Doll” continued to be the technician.
There are not a few who, in the corridors of the Monumental, consider Matias Biscay as a suitable and suitable candidate to succeed Gallardo. Because it would be a way of continuing with the “Doll” method and because the coach’s main assistant field knows the club perfectly. Curiosities of the Gallardo cycle, Biscay was the one who had the team in charge in the last two Libertadores finals won by River due to suspensions of the coach: in 2015 and 2018. However, Biscay for now does not plan to separate from his friend.
For now, the cold letter of Gallardo’s contract says that he has less than three months left as River’s coach. The leaders think that no later than mid-November, the “Doll” will announce whether he will continue in office. Anyway, the coach said more than once that the day he leaves, he will make it known in advance so that the leaders can look for his replacement without pressure and with room for a reasonable transition, other than in a hurry.
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