Gallardo it is, then. If we're not going the Poch route, which I'm quite ambivalent about, Gallardo should be the one we bring in.
He adapts his system to the players he has available and to the opposition and has his players ready to step in at any time.
Over the past five years there are a dozen more examples of him naming a surprise player or formation to counter the specific circumstances the team found itself in. He will never be accused of being inflexible, and many consider him the most adaptable of all Latin American managers. No one is assured of a starting role at River Plate, but every player has a role when it comes time to step up. Gallardo has built a squad of players that can come in at any moment.
He is great at in-game management.
His use of the bench is also legendary, and he has won many critical games with goals from substitutes. In one example, the cameras record him outlining to a substitute exactly the goal he wants the team to score after an upcoming tactical switch. Five minutes later, the goal is replicated almost precisely as the manager had envisioned it.
He has no problem rotating players when they're not performing.
Gallardo is not beyond playing a youth player over an experienced one if the youth player is showing well in practice, and he is famously loath to guarantee playing time to aging stars that make their return to River, valuing them for their experience and leadership instead.
He improves players.
In his years in charge of River Plate, the players fight for playing time but play for the cause. Not one player has left the team since Gallardo’s arrival without stating they are better players.
He knows how to win big games
Another of Gallardo’s greatest strengths is his ability to motivate players. His River sides will forever be remembered for their capacity to prepare perfectly for big cup nights and produce their best performances. He has instilled a mentality in his squad whereby the crunch matches invite players to rise to the occasion, not freeze under pressure.
He instills a winning culture and puts team first.
Above tactics, titles, and players, Gallardo has created a winning culture at River Plate on the back of dedication, honor, and professionalism. Gallardo usually begins his day at 7 a.m. and leaves at 8 p.m., and his players are fine-tuned machines who work, eat, and understand the importance of the team.
He creates an identity at the club he's at that the players and fans relate to.
Representation is another concept the ex-Nacional coach puts a lot of emphasis on. When asked by the media about the crowd applauding his team off the pitch in victory and occasionally in defeat, he often replies that they clearly feel the team represents them. He explains they see a certain method of play, an attitude, and a professionalism that makes them feel represented. It’s clear that he values this idea greatly.
Gallardo and his close assistants, Matias Biscay and Hernan Buján, directed an integrated youth system where they were closely involved in the progression of River youngsters as young as 11.
All youth games are recorded so that they can watch any game any of the youth teams play at any time, and they schedule quarterly meetings with the coaches at each level to coordinate closely on development.
The idea the club has is to teach young kids a certain style and philosophy, which can be replicated all the way up to the first team. Gallardo hopes that his biggest legacy will be to leave River in good hands way beyond his stint as manager, and he can often be seen at reserve or youth matches when his commitments to the first team allow him.
And he is recognized by the best player and one of the best managers in the world as being elite (comments from 2019).
Lionel Messi nominated him as one of the top three managers in the world in the recent The Best awards, and Pep Guardiola despaired that Gallardo was not nominated, saying that his work is incredible and undervalued simply because it is not happening in Europe. “He gives them consistency year after year even though they lose players. I don’t understand how he’s never nominated” said the Catalan.
