Buenos Aires, November 24 (NA) -- River Plate's coach, Marcelo Gallardo, lamented the 3-2 defeat against Racing, which meant his team's elimination in the round of 16 of the Clausura Tournament, and stated that the fall 'may be a consequence of what the last quarter was'. Additionally, according to the Argentine News Agency, the coach commented that it was 'very difficult' for them to 'stay as a team' and that he leaves 'disappointed' by the difference between the beginning and the end of the year. With the defeat, River was eliminated in the first playoff stage and lost a great chance to play in the 2026 Copa Libertadores, so now they will have to wait for Boca or Argentinos Juniors to be champions of the Clausura to be able to play the preliminary stage of the continental tournament. Self-critical after a terrible end to the year and taking on the role of the 'first responsible', Gallardo assured that starting this Tuesday he will begin to work on restructuring the first team squad and planning the preseason. 'It is an uncomfortable situation and one must take responsibility,' commented the coach, who would have liked to reach the end of the year 'with objectives at play' and said that he will take a few days to 'reflect and review what to change so that this does not end this way'. Regarding the entry of midfielders Matías Galarza Fonda and Juan Portillo, who came on the field with the game ahead 2-1, the 49-year-old coach explained his substitutions by focusing on the fact that they are 'two young and fresh players who came in to replace two experienced ones' and removed responsibility from them for the opponent's comeback, as the replaced midfielders Enzo Pérez and Ignacio Fernández 'were already asking for a change due to the dynamic nature of the match'. 'Surely I have failed and I am very self-critical,' the coach acknowledged again, although he clarified that he will not 'undress in front of everyone' since his process is internal and recalled: 'I am responsible when things do not go well, but when they go well I usually am too. I accept it as a bad year in my career, but I have also had good years'. Finally, Gallardo lamented the lack of 'mental and football strength' after the defeat against Palmeiras in the Copa Libertadores and opined that they need to 'decompress', because 'the heads are too overloaded and that makes everything cost more', concluding: 'This was a year in which we failed, and in what comes we must not fail'.
