Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre said he is happy with the signings made by the club's management and hopes that with this squad Santos Laguna will return to their usual prominence.
"It's not easy because we will be playing against Tigres, they have a great squad and are in great form, there are many circumstances that make it difficult, but that's part of the competition and we want to do well."
That's what the Albiverde strategist expressed after the morning practice on Monday at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR) in Mexico City, where Santos is conducting the second stage of their preseason in preparation for the upcoming Clausura 2017 tournament in Liga Mx.
"We are happy with the people who arrived, with the signings that were made, we knew perfectly well that two of our reinforcements would not be here until they completed their activity with America."
"Coming to Mexico was good for us, we had an initial adaptation stage in Torreon and now we are taking advantage of the facilities provided at the CAR," said "Chepo" in the team's first practice.
He has already included 3 of his 5 reinforcements, goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco, midfielder Jorge "Chaton" Enriquez and Argentine forward Julio Furch.
Osvaldo Martinez and Ventura Alvarado will join Santos after finishing their participation with America in the Club World Cup and the Mexican Final.
The "Chepo's" goal is simple but complicated, to bring Santos Laguna back to their usual place in the top.
"We always have to support what we build and that's only possible with results, which the team has always shown, seeking to qualify and go for the title, that's something that is always kept in mind and is part of the institution's objectives."
In the first game of the upcoming tournament, the Santos team will face Tigres, a challenging challenge for the Laguna team.
"That's why we plan, to arrive as well prepared as possible at the start, of course we hope to start on the right foot."
"It's not easy because we will be playing against Tigres, they have a great squad and are in great form, there are many circumstances that make it difficult, but that's part of the competition and we want to do well," he said.
With the departure of Marchesin, they had to have someone with proven quality in goal. "Orozco is a great goalkeeper and these are situations that arose and we had to support the goalkeeper due to the team's circumstances and he fulfills everything, he is very calm working like everyone else and happy to be at Santos."
"As with all important players in teams, it affects all aspects, but another player who has great ability also arrives and has shown it throughout his career, in that aspect the team is calm, the goal is well protected, in addition to what we already have in the back just in case," he commented.
Regarding the possibility of postponing the Tigres vs. Santos game from the first round of the upcoming tournament, De la Torre said:
"As far as I know, there is nothing concrete, I don't see why the game could be postponed, these are situations that arise and have been planned for a long time and everyone has to adapt to the circumstances that arise."
He added, "All teams would like to be in Tigres' situation, having little time for the next season, so it sounds absurd to want to postpone the game," he asserted.
He completely ruled out the arrival of "Maza" Rodriguez to Santos. "Maza Rodriguez is not part of the plans, based on what we have discussed with the management, it's not that the possibility of more signings is closed, but for now we don't have any more incorporations or departures."
He emphasized the communication and collaborative work between the management and coaching staff. "We always seek to complement the squad, reinforce where we believe we need it, in terms of points."
"I know that the management has set an interesting goal, it's an interesting challenge, in those situations we come to an agreement and set those objectives, I always do it with the group in all aspects, offense, defense, discipline, many situations and the points that serve us in terms of percentage, we have a squad capable of achieving it."
"We are happy with the people who arrived, with the signings that were made, we knew perfectly well that two of our reinforcements would not be here until they completed their activity with America."
They are already waiting for Osvaldo Martinez and Ventura. "The ideal thing is to have them from the beginning, we knew that the circumstances were like this, we accept them because we trust in their ability to adapt to any circumstances, as they have shown in the teams they have been in."
"They are quality players who will have no problem adapting and we will have the opportunity to evaluate them when they arrive and decide what is best for the group."
"In terms of percentage, the team is 14 or 15 points away from the bottom and very close to three or four teams, we will keep moving further away and stabilizing the situation," he concluded.
Santos Laguna will continue in Mexico City and will have friendly matches against Real Zamora from the Liga de Ascenso on December 15, against Tampico on the 18th, and against Pumas UNAM on the 23rd.
JFR