Cruz Azul has only picked up one point through the first two weeks of the season. They played a decent second half against Tijuana, and had some good moments in the second game against Rayados. Ultimately though the team’s in a bit of a hole at this point. Potro Gutierrez is pushing hard to see if he can’t get another number 9 on the roster. Would that be enough though to allow this team to compete?
Why Cruz Azul Got Into This Hole In The First Place
It’s a two game lull after winning the pre-season tournament. So it’s not like Cruz Azul is in the worst spot it could ever be in. That being said, the atmosphere around the team doesn’t seem to be optimal. Particularly after the Antuna situation and how that unfolded. When he scored against Rayados though he was celebrating with the fans and seemingly happy to be there. That speaks volumes about Potro Gutierrez’s managerial skills. It seems like Antuna was lost after the failed transfer.
Another “reality” is that Rayados is a good team and Tijuana looks like a squad who is finally going to be able to compete this year. Potro Gutierrez has actually only ever lost to Rayados as Cruz Azul’s manager. He may have hung Rodrigo Huescas out to dry a bit as a right back in a back 4. We have to remember that he was an offensive weapon in his early career. Now he’s playing right back in a back 4. That’s not easy to say the least.
The Carneiro Situation Is Odd – The Estrada One Is Even More So
Apparently Gonzalo Carneiro had some type of injury that kept him from the game against Rayados. That’s life in football those things happen. The club though was not necessarily forthcoming with the news about his injury. That sparked a lot of speculation regarding his standing with the club. We have to remember that he’s on loan and perhaps the team don’t want to pay the hefty transfer fee to buy him out right. Estrada is in the same exact situation, and for some reason he gets more playing time.
The game against Monterrey was arguably Estrada’s lowest point as a member of Cruz Azul. He got sent off on a double yellow card. That also hampered the team’s chances of coming back into that game against Rayados. Ivan Morales, who was supposed to be off the team even came off the bench at the end of the game to try and even the score. At the end of the game though, Potro Gutierrez literally said that he needs another number 9 to help him out. There are literally 3 on the roster and he only plays with one! That’s a clear indication that he doesn’t like any of the options that he has available to him. In the case of Estrada and Morales it seems perfectly clear why he feels this way. Carniero, though, has shown some promise. By the way, Morales could start this week!
The Calendar Will Help Them A Bit
It’s not time for Cruz Azul to panic. They get to play Necaxa this week which is one of the weakest sides in Liga MX this season. Then they are set to have a game against Queretaro. There’s still no venue for that, but we may no more as the date approaches. This very well could be a game that gets postponed. That would make things interesting for Cruz Azul because they would not play next week and then get Tigres. So if they don’t win at Necaxa they could be in some trouble! Ultimately though we do expect them to bounce back.
