Liga MX countdown day #4: Chivas seeks return to glory!
Since the departure of Matias Almeyda at the end of the 2018 Clausura, things have not been the same for Las Chivas Rayadas de Guadalajara. Chivas had already finished second to last that season, but the Argentine head coach had already led Chivas to titles in Copa MX and Liga MX in 2017 and the CONCACAF Champions League in 2018. Despite efforts to keep him, the team was unable to reach an agreement, and he departed from the club in June of that same year.
The team from La Perla Tapatia’s record the following season improved under new head coach, Jose Saturnino Cardozo but failed to make the playoffs. Cardozo remained in charge at the beginning of the 2019 Clausura, and it appeared as though the team was on its way up after a promising start. Guadalajara won its first three games of that season, but only two the rest of it. Cardozo was ousted this past March and replaced by Alberto Coyote as interim and ultimately by Tomas Boy as the permanent head coach. Chivas finished the season in the 14th spot and failed to make the playoffs once again.
A new season, a fresh start
The 2019 Apertura will offer Chivas a fresh start. The new team additions have gotten the attention of the press and fans, but it will be interesting to see how Tomas Boy can make them work together. The biggest splash that Guadalajara made this off-season was probably the signing of Oribe Peralta, though Peralta may be in the twilight of his career, it doesn’t mean that the former Club America striker can’t still hold his own.
Chivas also made modifications to their defense by letting go of Jair Pereira to Queretaro but brought two European based players, Oswaldo Alanis from Spain and Antonio El Pollo Briseño from Portugal. Alanis makes his return to Chivas after spending one season in Spain with Real Oviedo, and Briseño makes his way via Portugal after having spent the last two seasons with Feirense.
The Liga MX schedule this season for Chivas doesn’t start on a kind note as they travel to Torreon and play against Santos Laguna, a team that has given them problems for quite some time. The following week they host defending champs Tigres which will be another difficult match to get Liga MX started. In between their Liga MX commitments, Tomas Boy’s squad will also be partaking in the International Champions Cup (ICC) tournament where they will face stiff European competition against teams such as Fiorentina, Benfica, and Atletico Madrid.
If Chivas is able to start out the tournament and get a couple of positive results in the ICC, that could set the precedence for what’s to come this season. El Rebaño Sagrado needs to get off to a fast start at least in Liga MX if they want to steer away from the relegation zone, which is also something that is lurking and has recently been in the back of the mind of many Chivas fans.
Now that Amaury Vergara has made the commitment to the team, it will be up the players to step up and get Chivas back to where they belong; at the top of Mexican fútbol.
