The Return of Alfonso Sosa

The last barrier after that Clausura 2014 was Estudiantes Tecos, and after that, Alfonso Sosa would not only achieve a personal goal, but also an institutional one with historical implications in Mexican soccer, because Leones Negros had a history in the First Division.

The score ended in a 1-1 draw, but in the penalty shootouts, the black lions won 4-3. With that, they were back in the top category. The episodes that followed were not entirely positive, and although the board kept Poncho Sosa at the helm, despite the lack of results, with 18 points in 17 matchdays, and in sixteenth place in the competition, they returned to the Ascenso MX.

But football had a quick rematch in store for him, this time with Necaxa, and the opponent was the brave ones from Juarez. Sosa, with the Rayos, won the first leg with a 1-0 and then the decisive second leg with a resounding 2-0. He returned to the elite.

With that first experience with Leones Negros, the coach acknowledged that the path has been different. First of all, the budget he manages at Necaxa is bigger, so much so that it was enough for players like the Chilean international Edson Puch. They also brought in Manuel Iturra, formerly of Rayo Vallecano. The defense was also an area of focus, which is why he requested Severo Meza and Fernando Meza. Marcelo Barovero, formerly of River Plate, arrived to take control of the goal. In addition, they acquired the services of Jesus Chavez from Xolos and Alejandro Diaz from America.

"Here there was a bigger budget than we had at UdeG, it is a reality. We were able to bring in high-level players, some even selected from their country. That helped us, there is an important core of players who were in the promotion last season, and they are considered 100% reliable players," Sosa told La Aficion.

He also explained that there are aspects that he learned from the past and that he tries to avoid with Necaxa. Of course, he also constantly talks about the subject with his players because he wants to stay away from the Ascenso MX:

"There are similarities, but there are also differences at the same time. At least for now, in terms of points, we are in a better position, in better conditions than we were in that occasion living with UdeG. Each squad is different, and the experiences we have gained, we have tried to carry out things that we stopped doing with UdeG and that have now helped us," he added.

Of course, it is difficult to relieve the pressure on the players, it is inherent when fighting for survival, but what Poncho tries to do is to control it inside the club.

"What we try to do is always go match by match, the pressure will always exist when you are in a situation like ours. We have to earn three points in each match, that way the pressure can start to diminish. But as long as we don't win, as long as we don't make progress with victories, there is the discomfort of pressure. But in some way, we have known how to handle it, both me and the players understand that we have to play the full 90 minutes and in those 90 minutes give it our all. That's what we have done in the tournament," he said.

He added that he tries to work on specific points with his players: "Starting from the physical preparations we had in the preseason, the tactical work, how to handle the pressure, that experience that was new for us at that time, but now we help the players in some way to control it, to know how to handle what they have in front of them, what to do to keep adding points, and all this is what we have modified and it has helped us," he said.

For now, Necaxa has 13 points in 12 matchdays, putting them in the third-to-last position in the relegation table with an average of 1.2000, above Veracruz and Morelia.

"We are doing well, we would like to do better. We have moved out of the last relegation position, but we are not far away either. It is very difficult, but we need to play very intelligent matches, with a lot of concentration and thinking that the team doesn't have anything to spare. We need to run a lot, give it our all on the field because of our situation," he concluded.