The Fernando Hierro effect has taken hold at Chivas! It’s certainly thanks to Hierro that the club was able to secure some pretty interesting preseason matches with different Spanish clubs. In their first game of the preseason Chivas came out with a 1-0 win over LaLiga side Getafe.
Right out of the gate fans on social media were not too fond of the starting 11 that new head coach Paunovic sent out to the pitch of the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. What people mentioned is that the starting 11 was not much different than what we had seen from Chivas in the Cadena days. Alexis Vega and Roberto were absent due to their participation with Mexico at the World Cup. Through all of this negativity though the team looked about as good as you could hope it would.
🇲🇽 Este es el 11 que mandará @VPaunovic a la cancha del Coliseum. ¡DALE, REBAÑO! 🔥#ChivasDeHierro 🛡⚔️ https://t.co/L5v65ZunWH pic.twitter.com/F4Cx64Fo0i
— CHIVAS (@Chivas) December 8, 2022
Patience Could Be The Key To Chivas’ Success
As previously stated fans essentially protested the starting 11 that new head coach Paunovic put on the field. At this point in time though, that’s what he’s got to work with. That’s why we believe patience is going to be the key to the success at Chivas. The team looked rather bland on the offensive end. That’s not going to change much if Saldivar remains on the field, and especially if Alexis Vega finds a home in another team. The reality is that the current Chivas team is not overly talented across the board.
With that in mind, today’s showing was decent. The team was able to compete, there was no clear difference on the field between a LigaMX side and a bottom tier La Liga side. Yes, Getafe also played with some subs and things like that, but when it comes to the intensity of the game Chivas took things real seriously. Which is really one of the only things that you can hope for from these types of games.
These Types of Preseasons Can Really Help Mexican Teams
If phones are not ringing in Verde Valle to ask about Alexis Vega, then he needs to play in the next preseason game against Athletic Bilbao. Athletic is a decent squad and if Alexis or any other Chivas player for that matter, would pull off a good performance that could mean a ton for their careers. Even if these are just preseason matchups they can serve as great showcases for Mexican talent. Without a doubt we have to take our hats off to Fernando Hierro for setting something like this up. Hopefully it can become the norm at Chivas instead of going to training camp on a Mexican beach and playing Expansion teams.
When it comes to Chivas as a team it can help expose them to a different type of competition. Again, it’s understood that the level of intensity of a La Liga match won’t be there. Seeing different styles of play though can help managers implement different things into their tactics that could surprise a few people in Liga MX.
What Do We Expect To See From Chivas This Tournament?
The main reason why we preach patience with Chivas is because it’s hard to believe that a couple of games in Spain are going to give this team a completely different look. Years of games in Spain that can give you an entirely new perspective. If Amaury Vergara is serious about the Hierro-Paunovic project then he has to sort of give them this tournament as a trial run. Have them try things out to see which players will work in their system and what they need to improve on for the next full year. This year is probably going to be a transition year and that would be the best thing that can happen to Chivas.
