The coach José Manuel de la Torre admitted that he has struggled a lot in this process with Santos Laguna, but he does not regret it, because he believes that he will succeed in this project.
"We have four matches left, we have to get results, the time will come to evaluate and decide who can stay and who cannot".
"It's normal, we have struggled a lot, we expected different results, but things have been like this, we have adapted to all these circumstances, without regrets, on the contrary, we have always been looking for a way to overcome this".
"We are taking it step by step, unfortunately some situations, that we have not been able to capitalize on in the matches, have left us without favorable results," said the strategist at the end of Friday's practice at the Estadio Corona.
Prior to their match against Atlas, 'Chepo' assured that the fight continues, as there are 4 matches left to play, so they continue with the mission of getting as many points as they can.
When asked what needs to be done to make things work better for the team, the strategist commented:
"We need to get results, we have worked on many aspects, insisted on the most basic to start with a solid foundation, so that everything does not collapse, that's what we are thinking to get the most points at the end of the tournament".
This does not mean that he will sacrifice the style in order to get the three points, because "the style is always important, but there are ways to get results without sacrificing the style, there are many ways to do it".
"We are always aiming high, it's our purpose, we do it in that way even if there are circumstances, that happens in many teams, it's our way of seeing things, we are taking it slowly. For now, we are focused on our next match more than anything else," he explained.
With 10 goals for and 17 against, De la Torre is finding difficulties in finding balance: "It has been very difficult for us, we have struggled in defense, we have made a lot of mistakes in that area, but it's not just that, my first defense is the forward and my first forward is the goalkeeper. It's a team matter".
The strategist mentioned that he has a contract until the next tournament and wants to fulfill his commitment.
"My contract is stipulated for this tournament and the next one, for now, we are here, we will see about the next one, I mean fulfilling the commitment we have with Santos".
For now, he is focused on the match against the Rojinegros and although they had a practice match on Thursday, he did not reveal the changes he will make in the lineup.
"No one is confirmed until we announce the lineup before the match, it's normal as we are used to, I mean because we always wait until the end, wait to see how everyone is, what are the best options, but Caicedo is suspended, so there will be a change there," he said.
About the Guadalajara team, he mentioned that he expects them as they have shown, as they have good players and have found a certain form.
"I expect Atlas with important people supporting them, it makes them a challenging team, we know they are close to us in the relegation table, but each one fights for their own objectives and if we pull them further in that fight, it's part of all this".
He rejected the idea that they are thinking about the end of the tournament, as there are valuable points in dispute, which can position them better in the percentage table.
"We have four matches left, we have to get results, the time will come to evaluate and decide who can and who cannot".
For the next tournament, he hopes to have good players, that's it, whoever they may be, young or veteran, national or foreign.
"We are taking it step by step, unfortunately some situations, that we have not been able to capitalize on in the matches, have left us without favorable results".
This regarding the criticisms that some of his players receive, like Bryan Rabello, José Manuel commented that when a player is singled out, it is not pleasant, because it is a team.
"He doesn't play alone, it's Santos and it's about being a team, complementing each other to get good results, if things haven't gone well for him or for us, the responsibility is on everyone," he said.
And regarding the decision to send some first-team players to play in the U20 team, he clarified:
"We want them to have activity, when they are not in the starting 11 or on the bench, for the balance we want to give to the bench due to a need, we use them that way, it helps us, they know it and they do it in the best way".
JFR