River Plate's loss to Argentinos Juniors has deepened the team's crisis and sparked rumors about Marcelo Gallardo's future as coach. The manager was sent off during the match, and social media is buzzing with potential replacements. Despite this, Gallardo retains fan support.
River Plate suffered a loss to Argentinos Juniors at La Paternal, adding to the crisis that began with a 1-4 defeat to Tigre. This result has put Marcelo Gallardo in his most critical moment since taking over as coach. In the corridors of the Monumental, the phrase 'end of cycle' is circulating strongly.
The board, led by Stefano Di Carlo, had bet on renewing Gallardo's contract after a tough 2025, but the poor start to the tournament has revived unexpected rumors. During the contentious first half of the match against Argentinos Juniors, referee Andrés Merlos sent off Gallardo and filed a report detailing the reasons for the decision.
On social media and within the club's circle, five names are being floated to succeed the 'Muñeco': Pablo César Aimar, Eduardo Coudet, Hernán Crespo, Ariel Holan, and Santiago Solari, who recently met with people close to the board. Four of these candidates have strong ties to the institution.
Despite unanimous criticism toward the coach, Gallardo continues to have the backing of fans, who cheer him at every home game in gratitude for his historic tenure. His assistant, Matías Biscay, stated after the defeat: "We will try to continue on our path, we have to improve and we will achieve it".
River Plate will face Ciudad de Bolívar this Tuesday in San Luis for the Copa Argentina. A win could provide some breathing room for the team; an early elimination would heighten the rumors.
