How 38-year-old head coach Nicolas Larcamón has guided Club León to the brink of continental glory – scout report

Club León are a side steeped in history in Mexico. Their eight league titles are the fifth-most in the Liga MX with only Club América, Guadalajara, Toluca and Cruz Azul boasting more. 

However, León were also the first side in Mexico to win both the Apertura and the Clausura back-to-back on two separate occasions, once in 1948 and 1949 and again in 2013 and 2014. The last time León lifted a championship crown was back in 2020 when they beat UNAM in the final under the guidance of Atlético Madrid’s former assistant manager Ignacio Ambríz.

Unfortunately, the wait for another championship will go on, though, as Los Panzas Verdes bowed out of the Clausura this past week following a 3-1 home defeat to Atlético de San Luis. 

However, the season isn’t over just yet for Nicolás Larcamón’s men. After defeating fellow Mexican side Tigres over two legs in the semi-finals, León have progressed to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League where they will meet the current holders LAFC from MLS.

León reached the CCL final just once prior in history, although the competition’s format was quite different. Sadly, despite finishing level on points with Deportivo Saprissa, the Costa Rican club had a higher goal difference and so claimed the crown. 30 years on, these León have a chance to seek redemption for those who paved the way before them. 

Under the guidance of the exciting 38-year-old tactician Larcamón, anything is possible.

In this tactical analysis piece, we will analyse the Mexican giant’s tactics under the Argentine head coach which could see the club earn continental glory for the first time ever. 

Going long from goal-kicks 

It’s quite rare nowadays to see a team be so successful without playing out from the back. Building up on the deck from goal-kicks has been commonplace with a lot of top sides in the modern game, from Manchester City to Real Madrid. León go against the grain in this respect.

Now, we’re not saying that Larcamón is a younger Big Sam, emphasising percentages and winning second balls in higher areas of the pitch to prevent the risk of losing it closer to their own goal. However, León do take quite a cautious approach from goal-kicks and when they have the ball in their own third. 

It would be incorrect to label the Champions League finalists as a possession-based side. León have averaged 52.6 percent of the ball per game under their vibrant head coach, attempting 392 passes per match. 11 percent of these passes are long balls. 

Through an analysis of the pizza chart provided, León’s style of play is quite telling. The Mexican team rank above the league median for possession, final third entries per 90, key passes per 90 and passes per 90 but this is to be expected given that León are one of the best sides in the country. Nevertheless, their ranking in these metrics doesn’t scream ‘possession-based, because they aren’t.

Its also important to make note of León’s choice of formation this season before dissecting their principles on the ball. For the most part, Larcamón has deployed a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-