River hasn't come from behind in 28 games as it searches for its identity under Ponzio

Twenty-eight games. That's the number that sums up River's current situation better than any spot in the standings. It has been 28 matches since the team last managed to come back after conceding a goal. This isn't a rough patch, it's a symptom. And with Eduardo Coudet out and Leonardo Ponzio in charge on an interim basis, that number says more about what's coming than any tactical breakdown could.

Because the real problem isn't who draws up the lineup on Tuesdays in Ezeiza. The problem runs deeper and further back: River has gone through two full coaching cycles without finding a footballing identity that holds up when things get difficult.

A problem that predates this

Back when Marcelo Gallardo departed after his second stint, the diagnosis was already circulating inside Nunez: it wasn't enough to change coaches or swap names on the squad list. What was needed was a change in mentality. On the field, players looked disconnected, showing little commitment in the moments that decide games. It was an era that had burned itself out from within.

With Coudet there was a real difference at first: the results showed up. The team started winning, strung together victories and reached the final of the Torneo Apertura against Belgrano. That's where the first big blow landed. And behind those numbers there was something that never quite came together: River was winning, but not building a recognizable style of play. That tension, built up game after game, eventually boiled over.

The loss in that final was the breaking point. What followed was the decision to set aside 15 players from the squad, the image that stuck in everyone's mind of the shipping container placed on Cantilo street, and the departure of Juan Fernando Quintero, who terminated his contract with the club. The elimination from the Copa Argentina against Aldosivi in Salta deepened the crisis, and although the win over Argentinos provided some breathing room, the series against Independiente Santa Fe ultimately sealed the fate of that cycle.

Not even marquee signings like Nicolas Otamendi, Angel Correa and Thiago Almada were enough to turn that individual potential into collective functioning. Coudet's failing wasn't any single loss, it was never managing to turn a talented squad into a recognizable team.

What awaits Ponzio (and whoever comes next)

Now, with Ponzio in charge, whether for a handful of games or longer, the club is running into the same wall again. The players are there. So is the talent. What's missing is something else: confidence, mental strength, the ability to react when the scoreboard turns against them.

That figure of 28 games without a comeback partly explains why the Monumental stopped being that historic fortress. River has been losing at home to opponents who, in the past, wouldn't have pushed them nearly as hard.

That's why the first thing that needs to change isn't the tactical system. It's the mood inside the squad. Rebuilding bonds in the locker room, restoring confidence in players worn down by difficult months, and getting everyone to take ownership of their role on the field. The idea has to be simple: every game is a chance to start fresh.

At its core, the deepest challenge is recovering an identity. Historically, River built a way of understanding soccer based on taking the initiative, going out to win games, having a clear idea of how to play. That doesn't depend on any one coach. Gallardo's exit showed how burnout can drain the energy of an entire squad. Coudet's tenure taught another lesson: results alone aren't enough if there's no real structure behind them.

Ponzio's mission now is to start rebuilding from within. And if another coach eventually arrives, he'll inherit exactly the same task: turning a squad full of big names into a team that recognizes itself again on the field. International trophies and sporting goals will come later. Before any of that, River needs to believe in being River again.