The midfielder recognizes the great pressure in the team for being champions and therefore believes that mental coaching is key to managing the locker room
Rafael Baca, midfielder for Cruz Azul, stated that mental coaching, which they no longer have, is a tool that can weigh on how they handle the pressure within the club, as he acknowledged that the demand is "coming to Cruz Azul means being a champion or you are a failure".
"It was a tough blow. The reality is that the mental aspect has always been fundamental and I have always been in contact with a coach and I have a good relationship with Bernardo Angulo, who was with Cruz Azul, and with a coach from the United States who has helped me a lot," he said in a press conference on Friday.
In fact, he acknowledged that being in an institution where the pressure is very high, this tool helps them to channel it in a good way and not let it consume them.
"Particularly, it is very important because of what happens and especially being in Cruz Azul. There is a lot of pressure and you have to know how to handle it in a positive way. You have your family and a lot of people around you who consume your energy, and it is essential to have a coach who gives you tools to balance the pressure and use it to your advantage," he added.
On the other hand, Baca, who has been with the team since 2014, affirmed that they are the ones who bear the most pressure, although he did not hesitate to say that if they do not win a title in the future, he has no problem raising his hand and leaving the team.
"That's the reality and you have to accept that when you have been here for many years, the criticism will be directed towards those who have been here the longest. You have to accept the challenge. I came here with the hope of being a champion. We have been close, we did it against América and now we were close again. If I am one of the most criticized, I am willing to raise my hand and step aside without any problem."
Finally, he believes that they need to convince the fans with results and good performances, as words are unnecessary and worthless when they have matches like the second leg of the semifinals where they let a four-goal advantage slip away against Pumas.
"I think words are unnecessary. Now the priority is to regain confidence with them, and the only way to do that is by showing it on the field. That's how we will regain the trust of our fans because we let them down, it's the truth. I think without even looking at social media, we know what we did or didn't do. We let the fans down and there's no need to go on social media to know that we failed and lost their trust," he concluded.