The defeat against the eternal rival left Pintita feeling crushed, with the very real danger of slipping away through the back door of the club. The stakes were high, and the margins for error were slim, turning a tough moment into a crisis that demanded immediate clarity about the team’s direction and leadership. This is where the emotional ripple of a classic becomes more than just a memory; it hits the players, the staff, and the fan base with a weight that is hard to shake off in a league that never forgives slack moments.
A signature clash can lift the spirits or drain them, and in this case the latter cast a shadow over the squad. The 0-2 loss at the Presidente Perón Stadium against Independiente on the seventh day of the Professional League Cup in 2023 proved decisive for Fernando Gagohat. He decided to resign, signaling a turning point for the club and its supporters who have watched a long season unfold with a mix of frustration andexpectation. The moment marked more than a managerial change; it closed a chapter that had lingered in the air for weeks, turning conversations on the touchline into a chorus of questions about the project and its future.
The 37-year-old coach had arrived on October 20, 2021 and carried a contract that ran through the last day of 2024. Yet the sense that the cycle had worn thin grew stronger as the campaign progressed, particularly given the difficulty of securing wins in the most meaningful matches. The numbers were not disastrous, but they did not tell the full story of a side that sometimes outplayed its rivals yet failed to convert those performances into trophies. Over 109 matches, the team captured 53 victories, posted 28 losses, and drew 28 times. In the cabinet were two titles that carried prestige but also highlighted a paradox: victories against Boca Juniors in high-stakes finals stood alongside episodes of struggle against rivals in other key competitions.
The drama intensified around the critical fixtures. The defeats to River Plate of Uruguay in the Copa Sudamericana, another loss to Agropecuario in the same competition, and the setback to River Plate in the League Tournament of 2022 all added to the growing sense of discontent. A particularly painful chapter involved a defeat to Boca Juniors in the Copa Libertadores, followed by a loss to the club’s fiercest local rival. Those results left many observers questioning whether the team could sustain progress or if the project was hitting a natural plateau, with criticism raining down in the stands and across media platforms alike. The atmosphere became charged with the kind of energy that often pushes a club toward change, whether the party line favored it or not.
Without hesitation, and despite still leading Zone A in the competition, Gago made the difficult decision to step away. He met with club president Víctor Blanco, who attempted to persuade him to stay and continue steering the journey. Yet the decision appeared settled, with the coach signaling that a fresh direction was needed. The immediate plan for the club involved a transition period, and the expected form of leadership would come from a technical duo. Ezequiel Videla and Sebastián Grazzini, currently serving in the reserve squad, were identified as the likely interim pair to guide the team while the organization sought a longer-term solution. The arrangement suggested a return to fundamentals and a chance to reset after a season defined by high hopes and hard lessons for a team balancing ambition with the realities of a competitive league.