Diego Cocca’s wife actually stepped in front of all of the Liga MX reporters trying to get a jump on the story that he was going to become the next manager at Tigres by congratulating him on her social media. The family is headed to Monterrey with high hopes, but is this the best decision that Cocca could’ve made for his career?
Diego Cocca Is A Good Fit At Tigres
Before we get into talking about why Diego Cocca’s career in Liga MX could be in trouble due to this move let’s state the obvious. In a soccer sense the move is great. This Tigres team was successful under Tuca Ferreti prioritizing good defense, and a lot of times relying on the talent that they had up front to find one or two goals a game to come out on top. We could write the exact same sentence about Diego Cocca’s Atlas teams, and it would be 100% accurate as well. They were teams that were sound defensively, and just kicked the ball up to Quiñones and Furch which virtually by themselves provided goals for the squad.
The current issue at Tigres is that the offensive pieces that could provide offense with individual sparks of brilliance are getting older. Andre Pierre Gignac is still a force to be reckoned with in Liga MX. He’s perhaps the most feared striker in the league still. You have to think though that his production is going to drop off sooner rather than later. It’s just a question of how much juice is left on this Tigres roster. Which is exactly what Miguel Herrera was questioning, and that got him fired!
What’s This About His Career Being In Jeopardy
Why would his career in LigaMX be in jeopardy if he recently won back to back championships with Atlas? The thing is, there’s no clarity on what his relationship with his former employers might be. Cocca left Atlas because he was going to take over the Spanish second tier team Sporting Guijon that is part of the Orlegui Sports ownership group. This is the same company that owns Atlas, and Santos Laguna. In the last few years this ownership group has been highly criticized for their involvement in controversial decisions.
First off it was rumored that they paid off some teams in the second division to vote for an end to relegation from Liga MX. This was done in an effort to ensure that Atlas, a team who they had just bought wouldn’t be relegated. From there the controversies just haven’t stopped. The 2 Atlas championships were filled with flagrant referee errors. Orlegui even had the time to block Club Irapuato from having a team in the Expansion division after they won their promotion on the field being champions of Segunda Division. If Cocca didn’t end things on good terms with them, which he may not have judging from his tenure in Spain he may want to watch his back!
What This Move Means For LigaMX Managerial Positions
With the Tigres job off the market this means that the Puebla spot is still open, and there could be moves made in places like Queretaro, and Tijuana. Tijuana may be the most appealing job that’s seemingly still up for grabs, and it wouldn’t be odd to see Miguel Herrera eventually make a return to the border town. He doesn’t necessarily have a lot of options after leaving Tigres. Of course, there’s the Pachuca job which could be vacated after the World Cup if Memo Almada takes over for Tata Martino as the Mexico National team head coach!
