In one of the most bizarre games of the weekend Cruz Azul was tied by Juarez on a last minute penalty despite being up 2-0 and playing virtually the entire game against a Juarez side that was down to 10 men. On the side of Juarez the game showed that the team has a lot more fight in them than they ever did last season under Tuca Ferreti. Although tactically speaking Hernan Cristante’s side played to a draw thanks to grit, and bad decisions from key figures in Cruz Azul rather than a master game plan.
The team from the Mexican capital was on the brink of earning 6 points in two games under new boss Raul Gutierrez, after the embarrassing 7-0 defeat to Club America. If fans, and members of the club were being honest they would’ve signed on the dotted line if they were guaranteed 4 points in the next two games after the America debacle. The way things played out in Juarez though, means the media scrutiny that continuously surrounds the team will continue to linger at least for the next couple of weeks. Has the team hit rock bottom?
Key Figures Keep Making Mistakes
One of the main issues that Cruz Azul has had to go through over the last few weeks revolves around key members of the squad making juvenile mistakes. Julio “Cata” Dominguez has been singled out by fans for his poor performances. In the game against Juarez FC, Dominguez once again fails to compete for the ball on a simple cross.
Pero mira nada más al Cata Domínguez.
— Miguel Delucio (@miguel_delucio) September 3, 2022
Raya en lo ridículo. No brinca, no estorba y lo peor de todo voltea a ver si le marcan a favor. pic.twitter.com/jEC8EOZ7Fm
Things go from bad to worse when Jesus Corona makes a massive blunder missing the ball completely as he tries to cut that same cross. In the last play of the game it’s Dominguez again who lets a long ball bounce right in front of Cruz Azul’s box, and left back Jaiber Jimenez commits a foul in the box while trying to make a bicycle kick clearance. Fans want Dominguez benched, but with Ramiro Funes Mori, and Luis Abraham both sidelined by injuries there’s not much that Raul Gutierrez can do at this point. When it comes to captain Jesus Corona, he’s finding out that playing with a shaky defense is hard to do. It’s unlikely that Gutierrez will decide to come back Sebastian Jurado to play in goal though.
Esta es la jugada del penal antes de que Jaiber haga la falta pic.twitter.com/kyd0G5yn16
— Uli (@unknowprofi) September 3, 2022
Playing & Coaching Out of Fear
The big problem with Cruz Azul is that the current coach Gutierrez is trying his best to not have a repeat of the Club America game under any circumstances. Friday night in Juarez he made no actual tactical substitutions he just subbed out any player with a yellow card. This obviously meant young players found themselves playing out of position because they were subbed on in an effort to remove players with a yellow card on the pitch. At the end of the game even though Gutierrez sort of stuck to his 4-3-3 formation different players had to step into roles that they didn’t seem entirely comfortable in.
There’s A Chance Things Get Worse Before They Get Better
If Gutierrez once again starts coaching in fear this week things can go from bad to worse rather quickly, particularly since Cruz Azul has to face Rayados on Tuesday. The Monterrey team is one of the top squads in the league. With teams that have shown to not be stable in the back line they’ve had a field day. Just ask Club Leon what that feels like. It’s entirely possible that Cruz Azul comes out with 5 in the back to face Monterrey in their next game. The problem with just bunching people in the back line is that if you don’t train shifts correctly you could be leaving gaping holes for the Monterrey front line to find open spaces in the box. This can lead to a new low point for Cruz Azul.
