Juan Román Riquelme spoke with TYC Sports and left no topic for dealing with the Boca World. After the great triumph at Monumental against River Plate, the idol and vice president told why the team played in the yellow alternative jersey. In addition, he responded to criticism and assured: “The Superclassics are won.”
“We are happy. The classics are complicated and have to be won. The fan is very happy and that is thanks to the players, the coaching staff. We are very grateful. I always think we have to play well, but I was also lucky enough to be a football player and defend these colors and we knew that when we had to go to our rival's court, our goalkeeper would have to cover some of them. Oscar (Córdoba) always did it very well. Whoever plays at home will always have goal situations, yesterday I heard that they said that we were lucky, that we hit a little, but the classics are like that and in our house we played three classics since we returned to the club and we should have won 2 or 3 to 0 and we could never score the second goal. In those classics they hit a lot and yesterday it was our turn,” Román recalled.
Riquelme also highlighted Franco Armani and praised his own goalkeeper, Agustín Rossi who was the great figure in the Monumental. “They have an archery that always does it well. The one that takes Ramirez out, I don't know how many archers get it. It's incredible, impressive. It was our second goal. Ramirez deserved it. Every time he plays the classic he does it well and that's not normal, he always does it well. But he encounters an archer who always covers impressive balls. Augustine has been saving very well for a long time, not yesterday. It is very nice to see him like this, he is enjoying it a lot and we trust him. He has many years ahead of him and I hope we can enjoy it a lot.”
On whether it was the most celebrated victory, he added: “No, but winning the classic is always celebrated. The good thing we played a tie in our house, and we passed; and we played a tie in La Plata for Copa Argentina, and we passed. Now we went to their court and won. That's good because we always have to compete. The boys deserved this joy. I had to play many classics. I had to win and sometimes I didn't, but on that court it's very difficult. They have good players and you always have to suffer to win. The classic has to be won for the fan to be happy.”
About Pol Fernández's new position as a central steering wheel, Riquelme highlighted it but at the same time clarified that he will have to learn many things. “Pol is very smart and can play anywhere in the middle. You will surely have to add things, order your teammates, get further back with the central ones, make mistakes. These are things that the natural steering wheel knows how to do and will incorporate it little by little.”
Another of the most talked about topics during the week was the decision to play with the yellow alternative shirt. Roman explained where the idea came from. “The shirt has to be worn several games and was played against Estudiantes for the first time. Then, the players asked to play with that one again. We don't have any problems. If so, they asked for it and it was a visitor it didn't cause us any problems. It was nothing more than that. It's a game guys, there was a lot of talk and sometimes you win and lose and it's not because of a shirt. That doesn't make much sense. The players asked for it and the coach accepted. We don't have much to do with that.”
Riquelme also talked about the rumors about the continuity that Battaglia was playing in the matches against Estudiantes and River. “What TV says I don't take care of it. They even said I had something to do with the shirt and I had nothing to do with it. It's all right, it's okay, they have to talk about our club. Sebastian is happy, it is not easy to be a coach of our club. You have to get used to talking 24 hours a day every day. Yesterday's triumph serves to give us peace of mind and confidence. We are happy with the coaching staff and with the players. We're getting it right and that gives us peace of mind, every player we bring in yields.”
On the situation of Agustín Almendra, he added: “He has a contract with us for many years. He is a player who plays incredibly well. I personally love him very much and he knows it. He has been in his house for many months and when he came back we helped him a lot. Now with the reservation he is fulfilling his obligations. Every day you can learn and grow, he knows what I think. The football player decides his life and has to make the decision of what he wants to do. She has a very nice daughter and she must decide if her daughter is going to live with all the luxuries because the father has all the conditions. She does things that not many do. I hope you can understand it and prepare yourself in the best way.”
Other notable phrases from Riquelme:
Criticism of Messi at PSG: “Against Real Madrid, Mbappé, Neymar and Messi played a great game. Messi can't score Benzema, he plays something else. The three of them played well and they didn't lose the ball behind. Messi is a genius, he is not the same as in other years and he was reinventing himself. He didn't kick free throws before and now he's the best ever. He played a great game but on the other side was Real Madrid with Benzema, which is an extraordinary thing.”
The World Cup: “We are always candidates, as long as Messi is there we will be. We have the best of all. I have no doubt that it will be a great World Cup. For Argentina to be close, we need him to be well and we always have to trust.”
Argentina playing in La Bombonera: “It's wonderful that the best player in the world comes to play on our court. It's a pleasure. When they asked us, we told them it was a luxury. We are very grateful that you come to our stadium. Seeing Messi in La Bombonera is going to be wonderful. We're going to enjoy it. I hope he enjoys it too.”
His return to Boca: “I spent six years away from the club. My biggest dream was to return to the club and have the illusion that all the coaches are former players. It was the biggest dream and I'm fulfilling it. Seeing you all together after 20 years or more makes me very happy. We know that criticism is going to come here, Ameal lives peacefully and we want it. We are going to take great care of the club to put together a top team that can compete, with good players.”
Aaron Molinas: “He's very happy, he's really enjoying it. When we arrived he was playing the wheel in another position, Seba found him his place that he has now. It has a lot of technique. When you look at name by name we have a hierarchy squad. Now we have to be patient and hopefully we will find more and more games, and to be more protagonists in the matches.”
The Copa Libertadores: “We are clear that there will always be an obligation to compete to the fullest. Dreaming is not bad, you always have to dream. When you have good players, you have to have the illusion.”
Salvio: “He's an extraordinary kid of the best I've met in recent times. You have to give him time for the injury, he's skillful. He has to be very calm, if he is going to help us a lot. I hope you want to be with us much longer, we want you to keep wearing colors for many years. Now comes the most difficult, most complicated and most beautiful work. We want the players that we have to talk little by little, only with Salvio, to be happy in our club and feel comfortable and calm.”
His farewell: “We are going to try to do it in December, after the World Cup that ends on the 18th. It's been more than seven years and I'm looking forward to doing it. It's going to be very nice to meet up with all the teammates I had and close that stage we lived through.”
The projectiles in the Monumental: “It's our country, we're used to that. I don't know if it was loaded or not, I swear on my kids I don't listen to TV. It's a shame, it would have to be a party on his court, as happened in ours. Hopefully in La Bombonera we have to win, but rather that our fans always respect all the players of other clubs. We must take care of yourselves and respect them. We made the decision to put on a sleeve, and with that we avoid many things. The normal thing is for the opposing team to walk normally. It's a game and sometimes they beat you. A loaded one does not hurt anyone, when they beat us they charged us and it will be the next one then”.
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