Jadson Viera admits Independiente fell short against Gimnasia de Mendoza

A 2-0 deficit that came out of nowhere changed the face of the match and the mood in the locker room. Independiente suffered a lopsided defeat against Gimnasia de Mendoza in matchday seven of the Torneo Clausura, and Jadson Viera didn't look for excuses when he sat down for his press conference.

"It wasn't a good game. I think there was a big difference compared to the last match. I thought we'd be a bit better," the coach began, candid from his very first sentence. The team had shown a different face the previous week, and the loss to the Mendoza side left more doubts than answers.

According to Viera himself, the first half had started with a degree of control, though costly mistakes ended up weighing heavily. "We started well, a first half that was fairly, in quotation marks, controlled, but we made a lot of mistakes with our passing. The opponent took advantage," he explained. That detail, the giveaways in buildup play, ended up being the turning point of the match.

The break in the second half

The team came out of halftime looking much the same as it had at kickoff, but an unexpected goal derailed any plan. "We started the second half a little better, just like the first, with some good chances, but suddenly we were down 2-0. We fell into disorder and I didn't like that," admitted the coach, who made no effort to hide his frustration over how the team unraveled after that psychological blow.

Viera went further and acknowledged that the squad is still in the middle of a settling-in period, which makes sense given how little time he's had in charge of the team. "We're settling in. We're trying to get things in order. It wasn't a good game," he repeated, almost as if he needed to drive the point home.

Asked specifically about Leo Godoy's performance and the decision to leave Pérez Cursi out of the lineup, the coach was direct: "Leo was the one involved in those giveaways that ended in a goal. He put in an effort that was above and beyond because we didn't have any fullbacks." He also pointed to the tactical reasoning behind the change: "I looked for runs into space from the interior midfielders, Montiel and Millán. That's why I took Pérez Cursi out."

The Uruguayan coach also spoke about the physical work being developed behind the scenes. "We're working on a physical aspect of the team. There's a change in methodology. We've made some progress, and during the week we have some situations that need attention. In some positions we're stretched thin," he said, hinting that the lack of depth at certain spots limits his options.

A final before its time

Looking ahead to the next matchday, Viera was blunt about what's at stake for Independiente. "I think I have to analyze the system for the next game because it's crucial if we want to be back up there. If we had won today, we'd be in first place," he explained, making clear that the advantage had been within reach before this defeat.

We're trying to find the balance and the team. Today I have a pretty solid foundation, and now I have to draw conclusions and think about the next game, which is a final for us.Jadson Viera

One of the ideas the coach kept coming back to was patience as a virtue the team needs to recover. "Today called for a patient game, they pressed us less. That's what I want to find, patience. We need to try to circulate the ball, and we're going to do it," he said, convinced that's where much of the solution lies.

Finally, he addressed Ávalos's departure and the search for a forward to replace him. "We're going to try to bring someone in to cover that spot. Chimi (Ávila) needs to keep improving, and we already knew Ávalos's exit was a possibility," he explained. As for potential signings, he preferred not to name names: "There are names that have come up and we're looking into them. We're not in a position to throw out a name because those players already have contracts. If nobody comes in, we'll work with what we have."