SOCCER
Cruz Azul have fuelled optimism among their fans with a pre-season in which they remained undefeated and were crowned Copa Sky champions, beating Chivas in the final. La Máquina are aiming high in the Clausura 2023 tournament – but goalkeeper Jesús Corona believes the team still needs to shore up some positions, so he expects more signings to arrive in January.
In an interview with TUDN, the experienced goalkeeper spoke about the good squad that Cruz Azul has, but admitted that they are still short of being a complete team. “We’ve built a good side, we have very good players, a good squad,” he said. “That said, we need to strengthen in some positions. I think it’s always important that people come in to add more to the side and help us get results. If we can make signings in some positions, I think the team will be able to fight for the top spots.”
Asked what the key to Cruz Azul’s good pre-season results is, Corona pointed to the defensive solidity that head coach Raúl Gutiérrez has instilled, as the nine-time Mexican champions look to bounce back from an Apertura 2022 tournament in which they finished down in seventh in the regular season, before being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the playoffs.
“I think our defending was something that had been hurting us a lot,” Corona said. “I think that’s the foundation you build a strong team on. That’s started why [Gutiérrez] starting working on that and has looked to build from the back, in addition to concentrating on focal points in the team and making sure our attacking play is where it needs to be.”
In the 2022 Apertura, Cruz Azul suffered their worst defeat in Liga MX history, going down 7-0 to regular-season champions Club América. This result led to the dismissal of Diego Aguirre, with Gutiérrez arriving in his place as interim boss. He oversaw an improvement in the team and earned the job on a full-time basis.
Looking back on Cruz Azul’s heavy defeat to América, Corona conceded that it was a difficult moment to overcome: “We know of the rivalry we have with America. Without a doubt, even though I was on the bench, it hurt a lot. It was a really bitter pill to swallow for all of us. I think it was also a turning point […]. We knew that we had to get ourselves back on track.”
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