Last night Chivas’ win over Puebla allowed the team to pick up its 4th win in 5 games. The team has actually only won 5 games in total the entire tournament. That’s currently good enough for the 7th spot on the table with 22 points. At this point it would seem that Chivas are a lock to be part of the 12 team playoff. Even though they are going to get in the playoffs, and therefore have a shot at the title can they really be considered title contenders?
The Season In General Hasn’t Been Great, But They’re Getting Hot At The Right Time
The season hasn’t been great for Chivas as a whole. When you take a deep dive into the stat line though you’ll realize that Chivas has only lost 2 games all year. They lost to San Luis in the second week of the season when they were still having to play preseason games against top European teams in the US. Then they lost to Mazatlán, from there they haven’t dropped a single game. Getting hot late is a lot of times preferred in Liga MX rather than being consistent throughout the whole tournament.
Chivas has had some trouble scoring goals. They brought in Santiago Ormeno to help solve that issue, and he hasn’t really helped out all that much. The team is quite solid in the back though, and in the last few games Roberto Alvarado, and Alexis Vega have been able to find the back of the net more consistently, and that’s a big reason why they’ve won 4 out of their last 5. If Ricardo Cadena had to pick whether to get hot at the end or at the beginning of the tournament he would clearly pick to be efficient at the end. If any Chivas player is able to find the back of the net consistently the team may just have a shot. We’ve mentioned that they are solid in the back.
Their main strength though is that they have a lot of guys that can play in the midfield. Beltran, Brizuela, the previously mentioned Alvarado, and Vega, Chicote Calderon. The team has players that know how to handle the ball, and this allows Chivas to keep possession for long stretches of time. It’s really just about finding a consistent striker.
What Challenges Will Chivas Face To End The Season?
One of the things that people point to, in an effort to discredit Chivas’ good form are the teams that they’ve played throughout their most recent stretch of games. The team has to face Club America, Tigres, and Cruz Azul to end the season. That means that they’ll get a chance to test themselves out against tougher competition right before the playoffs. If the squad can stay healthy these can be interesting tests to really see what Chivas is going to be able to do in the playoffs. With that in mind these upcoming challenges are ones that Chivas should welcome. After all, with their 22 points they’re basically in the tournament. Of course, if they’re able to climb on the table before it’s all set and done that’s great. At this point though, since you know that you’re going to be in the tournament these could be good challenges for the Guadalajara squad.
Can They Be Considered Title Favorites Or Not?
Maybe favorites is a bit of a stretch. However, they are going to be contenders. They are Chivas at the end of the day, and the jersey scares quite a few teams around the league. Their success is going to be predicated on the consistency that they find or lack upfront. Vega, and Alvarado need to step up because we just don’t see Zaldivar or Ormeno being the answer.
