About the Final Regia in Liga MX
One day before the first leg of the Final Regia in Liga MX, Ricardo Ferretti and Antonio Mohamed appeared before the media as part of the Media Day prior to the first clash between Tigres and Monterrey in the dispute for the Apertura 2017 trophy.
Both teams arrive as the best in the tournament and their coaches want the teams to be up to the challenge of such an important match as the Mexican soccer final, but they are aware that despite their performance throughout the 17 rounds and the playoffs, these two games are like starting from scratch and only what happens on Thursday, December 7th, and Sunday, December 10th will matter.
"It's time to leave everything behind, this is unprecedented and the duel will mark the history of each club," said Antonio Mohamed, coach of Rayados. "I expect a team that repeats what it did in the tournament, that competes against a great rival, and above all, the attitude."
"There's pressure, but I think we are prepared to withstand it. Both teams have a lot of ability, there's quality, and we know perfectly well what we will experience," said Tuca, who reached his third consecutive final with Tigres after a dramatic victory over Club America (Apertura 2016) and a defeat against Chivas last semester.
But both are aware of the rivalry between the clubs, protagonists of the Clásico Regio. Added to this is the painful defeat suffered by Rayados last season against Tigres in the playoffs, so this confrontation has a special taste.
"We have a series lost against them, since preseason we've had a thirst for revenge," commented the former coach. "Now we really wanted to face Tigres, because they beat us in the last playoffs."
"It's different to face America or Chivas in the Finals compared to facing your biggest rival (Monterrey). We are prepared, we know who we are going to face, I have confidence," asserted Tuca.
FOOTBALL ABOVE ECONOMICS
Both squads are the most expensive in our soccer, and that has generated criticism from fans who consider these teams to be solely focused on economics, which represents a disadvantage for other competitors.
However, neither Ferretti nor Mohamed believe that this is actually happening, as they assure that our soccer has a level and what their teams do is invest wisely in signings.
"In Mexico, we have a very equal soccer, anyone can win against anyone and it's not about economics, it's about investing money wisely," Tuca assured.
"There are many teams that invest, although sometimes it is exaggerated. The work of the squad is sometimes diminished when only the economic aspect is discussed," expressed Mohamed.