He seemed to be outside so often. There has been so much talk about the end of the cycle. So many times they saw him defeated… So many times he fought back. And he won so many times. Eduardo Dominguez He was the big winner of the year and with the Clausura title he not only added his fourth star as coach of Estudiantes in less than three years, but also established himself as a champion of resilience and resilience. Now he will define his future after Saturday’s Champions Trophy final in San Nicolás and there is no guarantee that he will continue as Pincha’s coach.
Domínguez conquered his own fate. The thing is, it was on the rise throughout 2025. Because his team’s game was not as fluid as in 2023 and 2024 and some negative results stalled it. But he created a balance.
Estudiantes went 10 games without a win at local level. A 4-0 defeat against Argentinos, elimination with Central in the round of 16 of the Apertura playoffs, defeat by Aldosivi in the round of 16 of the Argentine Cup and the fall to Vélez in the International Super Cup left him on a tightrope, but the trigger seemed to come mid-year against Huracán in the UNO.
After a tumultuous week in which rumors of the coach’s departure were more prevalent than ever, his team turned the result around to win 2-1 and the people of Pincha supported their coach with a rare ovation.
In addition to the public and the good relationship with Agustín Alayes and Marcos Angeleri, the club’s sports directors, Domínguez was supported by his good performance in the Copa Libertadoresin which Estudiantes reached the quarter-finals and beat Flamengo, the eventual champions, in a penalty shootout that saw them crash out in a massive defeat in the UNO.
Domínguez took the lead. The thing is, following the arrival of Cristian Medina at the start of the year, at a time when the agreement with the controversial Foster Gillett, which was later cut, was looming, the coach gave a press conference that reflected the confusion that existed behind closed doors due to a transfer market that had become a naming machine. “You’re taking a nap and a player comes. “You go to sleep, have breakfast and three more have arrived,” the DT said. Of course, the DT also made specific requests outside Medina, which were fulfilled and in other cases ignored.
“You took my resignation for granted. That’s a lie,” he replied harshly after the victory over Huracán. And there were also references to the president. “I didn’t listen to Verón, we just trained. If Sebastián has something to comment, I imagine he will tell me.. We are not the ones who talk a lot, we talked last year about the investments that were made half-heartedly. My relationship is more with Marcos (Angeleri) and Agustin (Alayes).” he confessed.
With twists and turns, Estudiantes ended with a defeat against Argentinos, ending a terrible regular phase of the Clausura that saw Pincha qualify for the round of 16 again on the strength of four independent results. At this point, coaching continuity was virtually impossible as León no longer had a chance to compete for an international title. In addition, the coach fired heavy ammunition after the Argentinos fell. “You have to see what the club wants, it doesn’t depend on you, it has never depended on you. They wanted to release me in the middle of the year,” he said.
Domínguez defeated the AFA. After the nonsense of the mother house of Argentine football in naming Rosario Central “champions” for the annual football championship, They forced Estudiantes to build a corridor in Arroyitowhere they met for the round of 16 of the playoffs. The players, in conversation with Verón, decided to turn away and that seemed to strengthen them, despite the threats and sanctions against the club president (six months to carry out his duties) and eleven players, which will be fulfilled at the beginning of 2026.
⛔️🇦🇷 LA PLATA STUDENTS HAVE MADE THE HALLWAY ON THEIR BACKS! TO THE CENTER OF ROSARIO.
One of the pictures of the year.pic.twitter.com/YvSr4t2ceX
— Sudanalytics (@sudanalytics_) November 23, 2025
Not only did they defeat the champion on their pitch by beating him 1-0, but they didn’t give up from then on until they were champions.after defeating Central Córdoba from Santiago del Estero, a team linked to Pablo Toviggino, Gimnasia, the classic rival, and Racing in the Madre de Ciudades. At the time of the award ceremony, Domínguez’s revenge came. The coach became serious and greeted Claudio Tapia coolly as he presented him with the championship medal. He barely extended his hand.
At the celebrations, Domínguez came and saw Verón again and they hugged and smiled happily. They changed the tugging for joy. “Hopefully Eduardo will be at the top,” confirmed the Pincha president, looking ahead to 2026, when Estudiantes will once again play for the Copa Libertadores. And he added: “We have to give ourselves the space and time to be able to talk and plan. We have to have self-criticism and then something good will come out of it.”
This comes after another Champions Cup final on Saturday against Platense in San Nicolás. Domínguez left without speaking, but knows that he now has the best cards on his side. If he didn’t continue at Estudiantes, he could be considered by Boca if Claudio Úbeda falls ill, or by River if Marcelo Gallardo’s second cycle ends suddenly for some reason. He even has an offer to manage the Peru national team. The fact is that after Barba became Argentine football champion again, he became a sought-after coach.
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