Gallardo's ironic comment after River Plate's qualification: "I grabbed a magic wand..."

Marcelo Gallardo, River Plate's coach, gave a curious and ironic account of the team's current situation after the 3-0 defeat to Barracas Central at the Monumental stadium in the round of 16 of the 2025 Apertura Tournament.

At a press conference, El Muñeco was asked how he managed to turn around El Millonario's bad run, and true to form, he said: "Magic. All magic. Not to get into the details... I've already explained in all the press conferences that there was a process... Now it's magic. It's magic. I pulled out a wand and made magic..."

“It's work, guys. Work, time, and conviction. And no moping here (the word the journalist used). Life is harder than a football match, or if we can't win two or three matches in a row, or if the ball hits the post and goes out. I was never moping; I did magic tricks to make a team work. Just a bit of a joke, nothing more,” concluded the most successful coach in the club's history.

The Merlo native also analyzed the victory against Guapo, coached by Rubén Darío Insúa: “We knew it was going to be tough against Barracas. Their coach and players showed they had prepared for this match, and we knew they were going to try to play a long game. The good thing is that we scored goals at the right moments, and that allowed us to play calmly in the second half, with great control, great possession without wearing ourselves out, managing the ball well, and that makes the opposing team wear down. With great control and game management, the team flowed in a satisfactory manner.”

When asked if he had found his ideal XI, Gallardo was firm: “I don't like that. I try to put together the best possible team with the players who give me those options. The important thing is that the idea sustains us in what we intend: to play the way we are playing. That thing about a team by heart… as if I only had eleven players. I have to manage thirty different players, thirty different minds. I'm not going to tell you that I already have the team by heart; it's not going to come out of my mouth. Tomorrow a player will be missing and another will have to come in, trying to play the same way without damaging the structure.”

“Today, unlike what hasn't happened in recent games, when a team pushes forward and goes forward, it's normal for them to be left unprotected. We didn't suffer today; we were solid across all our lines, and the pressure was so good that they didn't have any quick transition opportunities to attack us, and that leaves us very satisfied,” the 49-year-old coach added.

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