In an interview with the famous Argentine magazine El Gráfico in 2019, Diego Cocca spoke of the influence of Ricardo La Volpe And how do you define the Mexican soccer player?
In an interview conducted by journalist Diego Borinsky, Cocca said that he began to be interested in being a coach when he was part of Atlas under the command of La Volpe.
I started taking notes in the Atlas with La Volpe, because the guy was throwing you a battery of information that wasn’t easy to digest just like that. I was 28 years old and I found something new and I wanted to interpret it, to look for the why and for what, and I began not only to take notes, but to move chips on the little courts. That’s where I found the taste.”
But not because he is a fan of La Volpe, he treats the players the same as him: “Everyone has their own way of being. One has many technicians in the race and those who leave you real things are few, and La Volpe left me things. I wish I might leave such a mark on the players he manages ”.
He doesn’t hesitate to say that the ‘Bigotón’ is one of the best coaches he’s ever had, “La Volpe showed me tactical things I didn’t know and lit the fire for me to be DT”.
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But the Argentine DT that he likes the most is: “(Gerard) Martin. I had the opportunity to go to chat with him at the AFA a few months ago and he has very clear ideas”.
Cocca claims to be a fierce defender of Mexican soccer. “At a tactical level, Mexican soccer is very interesting. They know that they don’t have the different player, unlike the Argentine, that he does know that he has it and that’s why he simplifies by giving it to the different one, because he’s going to invent something for you. The Mexican does not have it and he must take advantage in another way, seeking numerical superiority, attacking on one side more than the other, analyzing the rival more and that’s how I began to understand a little more regarding tactics ”.
He says that he listens to his player: “I am always open to listen. I have evaluated some suggestions and realized that they might add up. And others, no. I am an open coach, as long as I find myself with a team that knows what the limits are”.
On some occasion they asked him: “Mark in the zone because they felt more comfortable and safe, instead of making a man. We practiced it, I liked it, and we changed. We always give the space so that if there is something they don’t like, they can say it. Now, explain to me why and what for. And then I see.”
His basic precepts as a coach are: “Aggressiveness. I like a team that when they don’t have the ball is aggressive to get it back, that doesn’t wait for the opponent to lose it. And that when he has it, he finds the space to hurt, not that he has it for having it ”.
He thinks that the main attributes of a good coach should be: “First, have a clear idea of what you want. Then, be transparent, have love for this sport and think regarding what’s best for the team, and not individually.”
Tactical talks with Diego Cocca They will be short: “They don’t last more than 10 or 15 minutes because if they don’t, the player loses concentration. The day before I show images of the rival, how to neutralize it, how to hurt it, then we work on it, and on the day of the game, before leaving for the field, we review a bit with images, and I make a final reflection”.
And what he likes least regarding the profession is: “Ehhh, journalism, which is complicated, hard, tries to find the mess, and that forces me to be on the defensive all the time, and I don’t like to be like that , But I have no other option left. I give him as little ball as possible. I tell my collaborators that if they talk regarding some very big nonsense, tell me, that way I’ll nip it in the bud.”
He is usually seen quite calm on the bench: “Because I am calm and we talk a lot with the coaching staff: if we understand that something is happening, we have to try to find out why and change it, not blame and stay calm with that”.
And yes, he likes to go neat and tidy to matches: “I was always like that, it’s not that I act, eh. If you want to be something that you are not, they realize it right away.”