José María Minella
Minella joined the River Plate bench the year after his retirement as a player; he replaced Renato Cesarini, creator of La Máquina, capable of winning several championships. In 1945, at his debut, Minella's first title as coach arrived, obtained one day from the end thanks to a 2-0 win over Chacarita Juniors. Minella deployed the team following the 2-3-5, the so-called "WM", module particularly popular in South America in those years. The 1946 season saw River hit third place, five points behind the winner, San Lorenzo de Almagro. In 1947 the team led by Minella was still champion, again one day from the end of the championship, defeating Rosario Central. In the 1950s the coach made an important contribution to the club's victories, which followed one another shortly after between 1952 and 1957. Key elements of that team were Ángel Labruna, Néstor Rossi and Amadeo Carrizo. The first trophy was obtained not without difficulty, while in 1953 the River got the better of Racing from Avellaneda; in 1955 the title also came thanks to a positive streak of 16 matches. In 1956 and 1957 the championships were dominated by River, but following the transfer of Omar Sívori to Juventus , the period of success came to an end, and Minella left the bench. In 1964 the coach was called by the Argentine Football Federation to hold the position of coach of the Albiceleste national team ; he made his debut on May 31 in Rio de Janeiro against Portugal. Minella was called up to direct the selection during the Taça das Nações, a tournament that included four national teams. In this event the Argentines obtained the victory, thanks to the three successes with Portugal, Brazil and England, all arrived without conceding goals. The CT made some particular choices, placing lesser known elements at the international level alongside already established players. After this title, he was confirmed on the bench, and took part in various tournaments, mainly of a friendly nature, including the Dittborn Cup and the Chevallier Boutell Cup. He was also the coach who led the national team to qualify for England 1966; however, he was replaced by Osvaldo Zubeldía first and then Juan Carlos Lorenzo, with the latter sitting on the Argentine bench during the Rimet Cup. In 1968 he was recalled as a replacement for Cesarini, and he was the coach for eight other matches, all friendly, collecting three defeats, three draws and two victories.