Faithful to his style, direct, punctilious, without trying to please anyone, other than with his football philosophy, the Argentine technical director Ricardo La Volpe, in a telephone conversation with The opinionput America as a favorite in the grand final of the Clausura 2024 tournament due to the greater quality of his individualities, but he did not rule out that the great work of his compatriot Martín Anselmi could give the Águilas a surprise.
“Due to the individualities, América is the favorite, the doubt is that they do not have the same performance as the last tournament who were champions. I think last year’s America was clearer and deeper, because the individualities were much more creative. Diego Valdés was more effective, but I know they have the quality of players.
So if Valdés gets back on track, having that brilliance and Fidalgo with greater easeAmerica has a 15 or 20 percent greater chance of being crowned because of those individualities, I think they have more punch than Cruz Azul. I think Cruz Azul has a good system, it worked well for them, but I think and see more inferior to Cruz Azul,” he said.
However, he did not completely rule out the Machine that could cause a surprise in Sunday’s game and even valued the work of his compatriot Martín Anselmi, who he said did a great job of leading a team who was in 15th place in the table in the previous tournament to a grand final.
“Martín Anselmi’s work is clear, but if you tell me that he did not win the final, well, the work is there. I think there are 90 minutes left, there is no clarity as to whether this one has already won, or the other has already won. It is true that on Sunday there may be a larger América crowd at the Azteca Stadium than there was the other day at the Azul Stadium, but I tell my players, People don’t play, we continue playing 11 against 11, the dimensions of the court are the same, and there is no excuse for height either..
That can’t hurt you either, there is no advantage for either of you, In addition, there may be changes in the lineups, especially in Cruz Azul, because I believe and am sure that América will take the field with the same eleven men and Cruz Azul may send the Uruguayan Camilo Cándido and Carlos Rotondi will appear later, as Also let Ángel Sepúlveda play forward with Uriel Antuna.”
La Volpe does not share an opinion with the press
In turn, Ricardo La Volpe did not share the opinions circulating on social networks and in various media outlets that if Cruz Azul were defeated on Sunday, It would be a real shame to add three lost finals with América.
“The press has one way of thinking and I have a different one. For me, Martín Anselmi did a spectacular job reaching the final, with a team that last season was far behind, in 15th place in the table. I think that the work is demonstrated, I think that both the technicians and the other have reached a final It is already a success and not a failure, as some say if they lose. I think that the criticism is to sell, that to do a well-done analysis, I think that every team that reaches a grand final had a great season,” he specified.
To conclude, La Volpe explained that another point in favor of América It is the depth of their squad, of high-quality players, both on the field and on the bench, and that makes a difference when fighting for a result.
“We know that America is more about the individualism of its players, they have Álvaro Fidalgo who breaks forward, they have Jonathan Dos Santos behind them and they go forward with Diego Valdés, with Julián Quiñones, with Alejandro Zendejas and with Henry Martín. Without a doubt, a team with a lot of quality players, they have more bench and in a match When Carlos Rotondi gets tired after 60 minutes, there is no one to replace him, so the América bench gives them an advantage,” he concluded.
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– Henry Martín warns fans of the Machine that on Sunday América will be champions