"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat”.
- Theodore Roosevelt
We were witness to just such a defensive ‘episode’ last Sunday against Santos. Don’t get me wrong, los Laguneros deserve all the credit for their win. They were decisive, daring and dangerous. Adjectives all Chiva aficionados expect to use when describing their team.
Instead we watched an uninspired starting eleven struggle to string a set of passes together let alone find the marco contrario. It wasn’t until birthday boy, Dieter Villalpando, stepped on the pitch in the second half that Chivas began to show how dangerous they are in reality. Dieter and Calderon found each other and Santos began to worry. Too late.
When el Profe Tena has allowed his starting eleven to spread their wings they have found the road to success. It’s obvious that the team is affected by the players in the Covid List, but as Tena mentioned in his post-game press conference, all those on the field are expected to perform at the highest standards.
When hard times come knocking, los abuelos would say “las palabras salen sobrando”. As I have pointed out many times before, the time for action has come. If our players do not truly believe that the objective they traced for themselves on day one of the preseason is doable, then this dream, which we are indirectly a part of, will never materialize.
Tena has created the cohesion, now it’s up to the boys, rookies or vets, to bring their hard work to fruition. They and we fans deserve a convincing victory. They need to believe. They need to dare mighty things. “Cosas Chingonas” as Javier Hernandez might say. They need to remember que son el Alma de Guadalajara.
