The former defender was scathing about Boca Juniors' current situation on ESPN, targeting the locker room, criticizing Riquelme, and calling for an urgent meeting led by the midfielder
When analyzing the squad, Ruggeri was blunt: "Do you know who Boca's best players are today? The ones who aren't playing. Today the fans embrace Marcos Rojo and say: 'Don't leave, come back'"
The most sensitive point of his analysis was the case of Leandro Paredes, world champion with the Argentina National Team and one of the management's big bets for this season.
Amid the deep crisis that Boca is going through, Oscar Ruggeri, world champion and emblem of Argentine soccer, held nothing back and launched harsh criticism on the F90 de ESPN program.
When Federico Bulos asked him what the main problem at Xeneize is, Ruggeri replied ironically: "Boca has one problem? Where do you want to start?"
The former defender pointed directly to the internal disorder and lack of authority, and was especially critical of the management led by Juan Román Riquelme: "There needs to be a conversation with Merentiel. Riquelme needs to act as a president, he needs to solve Russo's problems. Because the locker room is already..."
Ruggeri, who knows the dynamics of squads like few others, described how a situation like the one with Miguel Merentiel should be handled. Merentiel reacted angrily after being substituted against Huracán and went straight to the locker room.
"When you go to the locker room at halftime, at first nobody talks. Then, the coach tells you if you're going to come off. If you get angry, you throw your boot, everything, but right there they calm you down. Now, what happened with Merentiel is a reflection that nobody is in control"
"He already knows what's going on and must be thinking: 'Where did I get myself into?'" Ruggeri said. "He came to Boca because he wants to play from now until the World Cup. Over there in Europe he played sometimes yes, sometimes no. But now he sees Palacios in the stands with a mask, what happened with Merentiel... and he can't believe it" he added.
He also questioned how he is being used on the field: "Paredes is phenomenal. He has that pass that hurts. But if he positions himself between the center backs, I laugh. For him to send a long ball and leave you one-on-one, you have to be out of position. Put him next to Delgado and free him up, because he used to be an attacking midfielder. He has the ability to control the game"
To conclude, Ruggeri was forceful in his diagnosis and proposed an immediate solution: "Paredes needs to have a meeting with everyone: with Russo, with the players. It's not about his spot, it's about his World Cup draft. Today, everyone should be meeting in the afternoon to solve things"
With his usual directness, "Cabezón" set off all the alarms at Brandsen 805. His analysis not only reflects the seriousness of the moment, but also the urgent need for clear leadership inside and outside the locker room.
