The revelations of Sebastián Battaglia: the zero dialogue with Riquelme in Boca, the situation of the bus in La Bombonera and his strong crossover with Almendra

Sebastian Battaglia, predecessor of Hugo Ibarra in the technical direction of Boca Juniors, made a brief review of what was his cycle as DT that ended after the elimination in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores 2022 against Corinthians, after the fateful penalty shootout in the Bombonera His relationship with the Football Council and particularly with Juan roman riquelmethe uncomfortable situation of the micro that he had to live and the decision to separate the youth team from the squad Augustine Almondwere some of the topics that he referred to as a guest in TyC Sports.

THE FOOTBALL COUNCIL AND RIQUELME

· “With the Council we had different thoughts and football talks where one thinks one thing and another another. It is what you have to live with. He spoke little with Roman. I am by no means ungrateful, I know that I had the opportunity to direct and I think that my path could have been different, not so stormy, but it is what it touched, it is an apprenticeship”.

· “It would have been better to talk more with Román, but it happened that way. He spoke much more with those of the Council (by Jorge Bermúdez, Raúl Cascini and the Chelo Slim). One can have one thought and the other another, but the important thing is to trust. Relax and trust the one in charge of the team”.

· “The boys on the Council were the ones who told me that I was not going to continue being the coach of Boca, not Román.”

· “We tied with Godoy Cruz and I didn’t like the team at all. I suspended the conference and it was said that I was going to resign. I didn’t like the disorder and the madness that the team had in that game, I was clear with my players and told them that what I wanted least from my team was that. They understood it very well and from there things got on track”.

· “With Román we talked little about football. There were different situations that were uncomfortable. The one with the micro was one of them, without a doubt. But he chatted and from there we tried to continue in the best way ”

· “I was at the press conference. If I had been on the bus, I wouldn’t go down. But Román’s message in the locker room was not bad, I was present. It wasn’t the best way to act, but Roman’s message was very good. Perhaps the moment was not the right one. What if I regret my sentence after going to the final of the Argentine Cup against Argentinos Juniors? No”.

· “What happened that day I never experienced, neither as a player nor as a coach”.

· “As head of the group I had to make a decision because it is the job that corresponded to me. What happened was not happy at all, but it was the decision I had to make. They tried to convince me to back down because it is the club’s heritage and it was difficult, but I could not include it again because of the dressing room and out of respect. Agustín is a great player, but at that moment he was wrong ”.

· “He never apologized to me, I never spoke to him again at all. He made me sad because he is a great player, he has a great future, but unfortunately as head of the group you have to make a decision and be fair to everyone. Hopefully these things help him learn and for his career, which today is somewhat undecided ”.

· “If I had thought about resigning if they did not respect my decision to separate Almendra from the squad? Without a doubt. It was not going to be easy to continue like this. I am not happy with the decision I made, but it was not difficult for me to make it ”.

THE FIGHT OF THE SCHOOL FOR THE AWARDS AND ITS OUTPUT OF MOUTH

· “It is a situation that should have been resolved a long time before, not prior to playing a series of round of 16 of Libertadores. He was not lost for that, the player always wants to win for his prestige, the Cup and the Boca shirt. But the best thing is to be calm in the head and think only about playing and performing. This situation spread too far and it got to that point.”

· “At one point we found a way, a way to have an operation that took us some time. Unfortunately, the Copa Libertadores was what ended this cycle. I would have liked to fulfill my contract and finish my job, which, in my opinion, was done correctly. It was thought that it was not like that and it was chosen for the change ”.

· “I don’t regret my statements after Corinthians. They asked me a question (about the reinforcements that hadn’t arrived) and I answered something specific, just that. If I hurt someone or not, they never came to tell me. I don’t know why I left. If that was the reason (his statements at the conference) or if it was sports. It was never clear.”

· “Did it seem unserious to me that they fired me at a service station? It happened that way, there is no need to delve into details. It was comfortable for both of them surely. Today I am no longer at the club, but tomorrow I would advise it to be otherwise”.

OTHER PHRASES BY SEBASTIAN BATTAGLIA

· “Boca has not been working well or had low performance, but it has something to improve it with. It depends only on Boca”

· “The fans I come across thank me not only for what I did as a player but also as a coach. It seems that the main objective is always the Libertadores, but the fans saw the work he had been doing and how the team had improved ”

· “How can I not want to lead back to Boca, for me it is my home. I want him to do well and achieve things. If you would change something to return with this leadership? I don’t just have to change. There are things to change, yes, but not just me. I’m not perfect, but we should all change and learn from what went wrong.”

· “I took a photo with Andrés Ibarra (opposition leader) because I went to a solidarity event for the ALS disease and he was there. Then the political ties and speculations began. Will I participate in the next elections? Today my idea is to direct”

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