James Rodríguez "will enjoy his football", promises new León boss | OneFootball

With the intention of becoming champion alongside Colombian star James Rodríguez, Mexican coach Ignacio Ambriz took over as head coach of León, a position left vacant in the current Apertura 2025 Tournament of Mexican football after the resignation of Argentine Eduardo Berizzo.

“James surprised me. I saw him well, I saw him calm, and I told him he is going to enjoy playing football,” said Ambriz this Monday during his presentation as the new coach of La Fiera, after leading his first training session.

Confidence in James Rodríguez

“There was talk about whether I would be able to handle him, but that’s not what this is about. The first thing is to know that James is a human being,” said Ambriz, 60. “He has dreams, he wants to be champion and it’s about all of us understanding that.”

In the current tournament, James played in eight of the 11 matches, with two goals and one assist. In the other three games, he was not called up due to injuries.

Ambriz’s second stint at the club

After Berizzo’s departure on Saturday, following a 2-0 defeat to Juárez, Ambriz took over León for the second time in his career. His first stint was between September 2018 and May 2021.

During that period, he led the club to the Clausura 2019 final and won the title in the Guardianes 2020 (Apertura 2020).

León’s current situation

Ambriz took over the team with 12 points out of a possible 33, sitting in 11th place and outside the play-in zone.

“We were hired to deliver results and I feel we have a good team, but I don’t have a magic wand to guarantee that tomorrow it will be 100%. It’s going to take a bit of work,” admitted the coach.

Debut against champion Toluca

Ambriz’s debut in this new phase will be next Saturday, at the Nou Camp stadium, when León will face Toluca, the current champion, coached by Argentine Antonio Mohamed.

“There is pressure at every club, pressure will always exist and we cannot be afraid,” said Ambriz. “As long as I see commitment and attitude from the players, they will absorb what I intend.”

Ambriz’s last experience

Ambriz’s last project as a coach was in 2024 with Santos Laguna, from which he left after the team finished in last place in the Apertura.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.