“If you're going to push a piece of machinery to the limit and expect it to hold together, you have to have some sense of where that limit is”.
- Ken Miles (Ford v Ferrari)
The vast majority of professional athletes have had to deal with setbacks or situations during their sporting careers that have caused their level of sporting performance to decline. One of those situations is the appearance of stress, anxiety during the competitive period. In these cases, overcoming these setbacks is vital for the achievement of sports goals.
Just signing for Chivas is a stress magnet. Not just anybody has the ‘arrestos’ to tighten their belt and let loose the dogs of war. IMO stress has been the greatest obstacle faced by the last 3 DT’s to have managed El Rebaño Sagrado. Not only the DT’s, the players who have come dress the beautiful Red and White have also fallen to the pressure of what it is to be a part of Guadalajara. After all, it isn’t easy to come make your mark at a club which is basically a National Institution.
When Victor Manuel Vucetich was introduced as the coach for Guadalajara, the most popular club in Mexican soccer, he understood the challenge of returning Chivas to the top of league standings and ultimately achieving the title of champion.
"Without a doubt this is one of the most important challenges because of all that Chivas stands for, it is a very high commitment, we are going to do our part, which is to look for the titles. In this team the immediate objectives and demands are to seek results and aspire to be champions”, was one of the first statements made by Vucetich after his presentation.
A huge commitment if we take into account that El Rebaño Sagrado has not been champion since the Clausura 2017 Tournament. Vucetich is heading into his third month as leader of Chivas and we can finally start seeing tactical changes and slowly the changes in attitude in many of the players. That’s stress releasing. Changes in attitude which are directly reflected in their stance and game play. The team at times seems to glide on the pitch. A well oiled machine.
"There is little that needs to be corrected, we must work a lot on intensity, confidence and self-esteem, but the capacity that the players have comes to the fore. They have all the conditions to overcome any kind of obstacle”, said Vucetich.
The Vucetich Crew have become mountain climbers in this aspect. What seemed like unsurpassable obstacles are now molehills. ‘Vuce’ is finding the ideal eleven. Not for all games but for each game, depending on the rival. A big difference from the other DT’s, married to the same starting eleven. Sending out a message to the opposite team. Telegraphing our strengths and weaknesses. Like a great pitcher, ‘Vuce’ throws a curve, then a breaking ball and suddenly flashes a fast ball by you. By the time the other coach realizes what’s going on the count is 3 and 0. Sorry, had to throw that baseball lingo by you. Pa’ ver si están poniendo atención, pues.
One thing that had been lacking was that combo of youth and experience. Watching ‘Gallito’ Vazquez organizing Chivas’ midfield last Saturday reminded me of a younger, more dynamic player, now more dangerous, experienced. ‘Colmilludo’.
His other ‘long fangs’, Mier, ‘Chapito’, Molina (out for this game), ‘Conejo’ give a sense of tranquility to the starting eleven, adding the pause and direction. The only thing we need is that our attackers begin sinking balls into the back of the net. Need to bring that stress factor down to close to zero.
No Pressure for our strikers. They are just playing for Chivas, the Most Glorious Team in Mexico. Being a part of Guadalajara is not for the faint of heart. As soon as you don the red and white you become a part of history. No es pa’ todos. Es pa’ valientes.
