The wildcard weekend in Liga MX is going to truly get wild, particularly if we get a couple of upsets. Who are the managers that are going to be under the most pressure this weekend? Some jobs can certainly be on the line. In fact, there’s a chance that certain managers will just leave their posts regardless of what happens over the weekend. There’s a very special case in that Chivas vs Puebla matchup. Rumors indicate that Ricardo Cadena is going to be out at Chivas regardless of what happens, and his opponent this week Nicolas Larcamon is going to replace him.
Larcamon recently wrote an article in which he talked about Puebla being a place that he’s grateful for, and will always love to return to. Why would you be taking the place you’re in as somewhere you want to return to, if you’re not planning on leaving? The good thing for him was that those comments flew under the radar because Chivas players decided to have a night on the town days before the game. That whole dynamic with those 2 squads is a weird one, and definitely a narrative that we’ll be keeping an eye on heading into the off season. In this case it’s Cadena certainly who could lose his job Larcamon would be leaving it, which is a different scenario. Besides those two there are the managers that are on the hot seat this weekend!
Nacho Ambriz At Toluca
We talked about this today in our best picks article. This team was supposed to be a title contender, they were the preseason champion. The team actually got out to a great start that’s why they were able to make the Wild Card round in the first place. Something happened during the season though, the team just wasn’t dynamic enough offensively, and defensively they just fell apart.
If Thiago Volpi isn’t on his game between the sticks this is a team that could get blown out on any given day. Ambriz is coming off a dreadful season which ended with the team having to pay one of the fines that Liga MX dishes out to the bottom 3 teams in the relegation table. If he can’t win this Wild Card game against Juarez he’s likely out.
Miguel Herrera At Tigres
This is a situation that we’ve been on for a while now. Herrera has not been able to win anything with this Tigres team that was used to playing for titles under Tuca Ferreti. It’s true that they’ve had trouble rejuvenating the roster, they are still relying heavily on veteran players. One and done in the wild card is not what’s expected from this squad. Even if he’s not fired it may be in Herrera’s best interest to resign if he loses. The pressure he’d be on next season would be huge!
Are The Rest Really Safe?
Hernán Cristante at Juarez seemed to be on the chopping block all season long just like Renato Paiva in Leon. The wild card berth gives them some breathing room. Also, these are two teams that are probably looking for continuity at this point, so they’re probably ok. Jaime Lozano is safe at Necaxa, he’s in a spot similar to Larcamon where they could be the ones to choose to leave their position if they get offered the chance to coach better teams. In fact, if Tigres or Toluca lose their manager those are two spots that would be very appealing to someone like Lozano or Larcamon.
Raul Gutierrez at Cruz Azul for his part probably gets a chance to start the next season at the helm. His issue is the internal bickering at the ownership level with the team. He’s made a strong enough case to get a full time role with the squad, but stranger things have happened.
