Simeone Resigns; Will Coach Final Game This Sunday Against Huracán

By: Christian | November 7th, 2008

Less then 24 hours after the painful elimination in the Copa Sudamericana, embattled coach Diego Simeone has resigned as head coach of River Plate, agreeing to step down after this Sunday’s Apertura fixture against Huracán. He leaves River after two seasons with a 14-10-8 record. There is no word yet on who will be appointed as successor.

After leading River to its first title in nearly 4 years in his first season in charge, Simeone has seen his squad crash this year to the bottom of the Primera table with a 1-6-6 record, the worst start ever in River’s history. After a defeat in the Superclasico, the rumors began to swirld that el Cholo’s days at River were numbered, and only a Copa Sudamericana title could rescue his job. But after River blew their early 2-0 lead last night that would have seen them through to the next round, Simeone, who was tossed out after arguing calls in the second half after Chivas had tied the game 2-2 and thereby eliminating River, it was only a matter of time before today’s news.

It’s is an acrimonious end for Simeone and the club, who, after the disappointing reign of Daniel Passarella, was appointed with the task of turning the club’s fortunes around. After a successful stint at Estudiantes, which included a league title, Simeone was seen as a fresh face, a young and fiery coach who would bring his enthusiasm and experience from his days on the national team to Argentina’s most successful club.

But there were several missteps from the start. Simeone struggled to find his best starting XI for much of the first season, constantly changing his tactics week after week and failing to establish any sort of consistency. He failed to beat Boca both times in the league, and the 2-2 draw at home against a 9-man San Lorenzo in the Copa Libertadores remains one of the most embarrassing moments in River history.

Behind the scenes, Simeone struggled to take on a role as a leader of the clubhouse. He failed to reign in players like Juan Pablo Carrizo and Oscar Ahumada, whose post-Libertadores comments infuriated the River fan-base. He had a long standing and bitter feud with Ariel Ortega, a River legend, and his decision to leave him on the bench brought the wrath of fans who were furious to see their captain so disrespected. When it appeared that President Jose Aguilar went behind Simeone’s back and extended Ortega’s contract with the club, his role as coach was severely undermined. Though Ortega would ultimately leave, Simeone was left as the scapegoat, his authority challenged.

This season proved to be disastrous almost right from the start. Without a true team captain, his reinforcements failing on the pitch, River’s title hope was over in a matter of weeks, and Simeone’s tenure was hanging by a thread. Last night was just the final straw.

Though it was the necessary change, (being known as the coach of the worst River team ever is not going to keep you around long), it is still a sad end to what at the time was perceived as a new start for River, a new era of championship glory for la gloriosa banda. Diego may have deserved better, and he may not be as bad as his record shows, but there was really no other choice to be made.

Glad to see Simeone out? Think it came too late? And who do you want to see take over? With nothing left to play for, there will be plenty of time to hash out these questions n the coming months.