SOCCER
Ricardo La Volpe on Diego Cocca: “They chose the fashionable manager”
La Volpe assured that he was not surprised by Cocca’s appointment as coach of Mexico.
Diego Cocca is the new coach of the Mexican National Team for the 2026 World Cup. The appointment of the Argentine brought with it criticism from the world of Mexican soccer and one of the loudest voices was Ricardo Antonio La Volpe, who believes that Guillermo Almada would have offered more than the Argentine.
In an interview for TUDN, La Volpe said that he is not surprised by the appointment of Diego Cocca as coach of Mexico since Mexican football has always been run in the same way. “I am not surprised that they have chosen Cocca, if we are to take all the coaches they have chosen in recent years, except when foreign coaches are brought in from abroad, they were always champion coaches, from Meza, Chepo and myself, to Herrera. I say that they often choose a fashionable manager, that’s what I would call it: a manager who has been doing things well. I think that Almada maybe had been doing better, but they chose Cocca” he said.
Cocca, a defensive coach
True to his style, La Volpe analyzed the game system used by Diego Cocca, and although he did not detract from what he had achieved with Atlas, he did ensure that sometimes coaches who prioritise defending find it difficult to go out and be the protagonists.
“He is a coach who relies more on defence, on balance, he used and knew how to exploit players like Furch and Quiñones. There are managers who have achieved great results, I don’t dispute that, but many of those managers have a hard time coming out to be the protagonist in the game, to win.” he assured.
For La Volpe, Almada is a more modern football man
Another of the candidates to take on the Mexican National Team was Guillermo Almada. The Uruguayan has delivered good results with both Santos and Pachuca and for La Volpe he identifies with modern football more than Cocca.
“For me, Guillermo Almada is different to Cocca, a more modern football man with a more dynamic style, to generate triangles, but Cocca with the players he will have can demonstrate other things that perhaps he could not do in Atlas. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see him for longer with a great team like Tigres, with ideal players to play, propose and be protagonists” he said.