Carreño admits Nacional "isn't getting the job done" after draw with Juventud

A draw that tastes like a loss and a line that sums up the moment: "it isn't getting the job done." That's how blunt Daniel Carreño was after Nacional let a win slip away against Juventud in stoppage time, in a match that ended 2-2 in matchday five of the 2026 Clausura Tournament.

The coach spoke this Monday on Carve Deportiva's "Minuto 1" program and didn't dodge a single uncomfortable question, not about how the team is playing, not about the club's lack of a sporting director, not even about the locker room speech video that went viral after the derby. It was a long interview, the kind where a coach drops the act.

On the team's recent form, Carreño was self-critical but also stood up for the work done in just a few weeks: "The team responds and has the right attitude, it's improved a lot physically. It's hard for me to say this because it brushes up against the previous process and Jorge Bava is very capable, but they were going for something different. In some areas there's been a positive change, but it isn't getting the job done."

With just three matches under his belt (two wins and a draw), the coach knows the numbers alone won't ease the pressure. And he said so plainly: "Those are good numbers, but people won't see it that way. I can't separate the two. I'm analyzing things and trying to make sure I don't fall short either, that I'm the leader this team needs (...) We have very little margin, in time and in room for error."

The missing sporting director, a sensitive subject

One of the strongest moments of the conversation was Carreño's complaint, almost a lament, about the absence of a sporting director since Sebastián Eguren's departure. Carreño admitted he's "suffering a lot" because of that situation, especially when it comes to decisions that go beyond the purely footballing side.

"The Fourth Division needs players because they're playing the derby and they can qualify for the Under 20 Libertadores. The Third Division is asking for players because it doesn't have center backs, and neither do I. The Under 20 national team is asking for players and we're using all of them," he explained, adding a reflection that lays bare the institutional void: "Think about a young player and one with a big contract in equal situations, what's the club's priority? I'll build the team myself and whoever's playing well will play, but sometimes that club policy is missing, the one that says: this is the direction we're going."

The derby, the viral speech and Coates' leadership

On the win over Peñarol in matchday four, Carreño admitted the original game plan wasn't as attacking as it ended up looking on the field: "I didn't set up a team just to sit back and defend deep. I built a team to even out the midfield, win it, and play more in the opponent's half (...) We found a goal and the game changed. I didn't plan for such a defensive match."

He also addressed, with a hint of irritation, the video of the locker room speech that Nacional shared after the derby: "I didn't like it at all. It's something I didn't know about, and I don't think the squad did either. That's meant to stay private, I didn't like that it became public. It caught me off guard."

Finally, he had words for Sebastián Coates' quiet leadership, comparing it to the kind Santiago Ostolaza showed during his playing days: "Coates, just like Vasco Ostolaza, leads in a different way, through example, through calm, just by walking around and a low key gesture. Some people need to raise their voice to be a leader who imposes himself, others are natural at it, like Ostolaza, Coates and a few others."