River Plate supporters have delivered a unified verdict on Kendry Paez’s debut against Argentinos Juniors, with the Millonario faithful pointing to one specific factor about the Chelsea loanee.
Kendry Paez struggled to showcase his talents in Europe, which has led to him joining Argentinian side River Plate on loan until the end of the season.
His time at Strasbourg was a bit of a rollercoaster. Paez started off well, scooping up a nomination for the Ligue 1 Player of the Month award in September under Liam Rosenior.
However, it was a mixture of consistency struggles and behavioural issues that proved to be Paez’s downfall in France. After all, he is still only 18 years of age.
A return back to South America gives the youngster a fresh start in familiar surroundings that will hopefully provide the foundations for him to kick on in England.
What changes would you make to our XI?
River Plate fans feel it’s unfair to judge Kendry Paez yet
Paez played around 20 minutes on his debut for River Plate in their 1-0 loss, but only touched the ball five times, so it’s hard to take things from his performance.
Here’s what River Plate supporters had to say on X.
One supporter said:
“The dancer Paez is simply motivating.”
Another pointed out how little he was involved:
“Barely any ball touches, what the do you want me to say.”
A third River Plate supporter agreed:
“It’s difficult to give an opinion in such an adverse context.”
Raheem Sterling takes a swipe at Chelsea 🗣️
Was he mistreated?
Raheem Sterling interview after leaving Chelsea for Feyenoord
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
This seemed like a common theme after such little involvement:
“He touched the ball 3 or 4 times; he had nothing to do. I want to see him from the start.”
Finally, this River Plate fan said:
“He didn’t do much, but you can’t really blame the kid for his debut. You can blame his teammates though.”
Why Kendry Paez was only given limited minutes
Marcelo Gallardo didn’t originally plan on handing Paez any minutes. He wanted to make the youngster’s debut in the duel for the 32nd finals of the Copa Argentina.
To succeed at River Plate, Kendry Paez primarily needs patience and a structured environment, as both local media and coaching staff agree his debut occurred under nearly impossible circumstances.
During his 20-minute cameo in the 1-0 defeat to Argentinos Juniors, he entered a disjointed side that was playing with ten men following an injury to Juan Carlos Portillo.
Moving forward, the 18-year-old must focus on Gallardo’s specialised 10-day physical and technical conditioning plan, which was specifically designed to adapt his game to the high intensity of the Argentine league following a difficult stint at Strasbourg.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox