Errors, ups and downs and elimination: this was the Gandolfi cycle in Nacional
The Argentine coach leaves the Antioquia institution after nine months in office. He had arrived to replace Mexican Efraín Juárez, who left after conquering two titles with the team.
The Verdolaga directive opted for the coach despite its low recognition in the country and its limited experience in front of large clubs, where the demand is significantly greater.
Gandolfi and a hopeful start in Nacional
The start of the technician in Atlético Nacional was positive because in his first game he defeated Once Caldas 4-0 on the first day of the Colombian League Opening Tournament.
Subsequently, he played the Super League, where he achieved the title against Atlético Bucaramanga, in a very even final final that was defined by criminal shooting releases, after draws in both games.
It was almost a full month of good results, in which he accumulated six parties undefeated: three victories against Once Caldas, La Equidad and Deportivo Pereira, and three draws against Atlético Bucaramanga (twice) and Independiente Santa Fe.
Despite the defeat, the team continued to add good results at the local level and positioned itself in the first places of the championship, staying within the group of eight throughout the regular phase.
The support begins to wear
The Verlaga team began its participation in the Conmebol Libertadores with good results as a local, but showed low performance as a visitor. Outside the home, the team failed to add points and fell in all its games of the group stage against International, Bahia and National of Uruguay.
Although the team managed to classify the next phase of the tournament, criticisms for irregular game began to rain, both internationally and at the local level.
Everything worsened with the elimination in the semifinal home runs of the Opening Tournament where he could not win at home in front of Once Caldas and losing in front of Santa Fe and Millionaires.
Nacional finished third in his group, with just eight points, surpassed by Millionaires and Santa Fe, who advanced to the final. The Verlaga team failed to defend the title of the previous semester, a hard blow for the fans.
“Zubeldía, Ribonetto and Vicente Sánchez are the candidates to reach Atlético Nacional”
José Luis Alarcón, about possible new coaches for green.
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The support by the managers
The directives of Atlético Nacional They publicly supported Javier Gandolfi in June 2025, just after the elimination of the team in the semifinal home runs of the Betplay League and in the midst of growing questions about his performance.
That support came despite: the elimination in the league, without classifying the final and the irregular game, both in the local tournament and in the Libertadores.
Rupture with the fans: exit orders grow
With the team classified at the round of 16 of the Conmebol Libertadores, SAnd I expected the Verdolaga team to access the rooms, especially when facing an opponent who, on paper, seemed accessible as São Paulo.
However, Nacional failed to advance: he tied both games to the Brazilian team and was eliminated in the penalty shootout. Although the technician was not directly indicated as the main responsible, especially after the penalties erred by Edwin Cardona, the elimination deepened the discontent of the fans.
End of cycle
With the fans increasingly impatient after the elimination in the Libertadores, Nacional tried to pass the page with the hope of a better version, but the inconsistency in the game persisted and intensified in recent games.
In the Colombia Cup, Nacional had no major problems to advance two rounds: in sixteenth-final sixteenth, he eliminated Cúcuta Deportivo with a 4-0 global, and in the round of 16 he surpassed Sports Quindío 6-2.
However, in The end tournament, National began to show problems, adding several draws And without being able to impose themselves against rivals who, in theory, were inferior, such as Deportivo Pereira and Bucaramanga.
Nor did he stand out against large teams, drawing at home in front of Independiente Santa Fe and América de Cali, and adding another draw as a visitor to Independiente Medellín.
The drop that filled the glass was The defeat of the weekend against Atlético Bucaramanga At the Atanasio Girardot stadium, in a match where Nacional played with one more man throughout the second half.
To this was added a serious error of the coaching staff: the alignment of four foreign players at the same time, an infraction to the regulation that ended up accelerating the departure of Gandolfi.
Candidates to replace it
The name dance to replace Javier Gandolfi in National It has several foreigners. There are two Argentines and a Uruguayan among the candidates. Vicente Sánchez, Luis Zubeldía and Walter Ribonetto.
The next game of the Antioqueños will be on September 21 against Magdalena Union In Santa Marta.
