LIGA MX
Crosas criticizes lack of continuity and vision at both Cruz Azul and Chivas
The former player and current TUDN Liga MX expert analysed the situation at both El Rebaño and La Máquina lamenting a lack of continuity and long-term projection.
Cruz Azul are going through a tricky phase after ‘La Maquina’ recently fired Raúl Gutiérrez as head coach with the team yet to record a victory in the 2023 Clausura. Both ‘La Máquina’ and Chivas are no stranger to constant change on the bench with both teams involved in the highest turnover of head coaches amongst the bigger teams in the domestic Mexican game. Speaking on the Línea de 4 programme on TUDN, the 35-year-old Crosas highlighted the issues at the two clubs.
In 21 years, 24 Cruz Azul coaches have sat on the bench (which includes four temporary appointments). In that time, the club have won one Liga MX title, two Copa MX titles and one Concacaf Champions League title. The same timeframe has seen Chivas hire 26 coaches along with four included interims which yielded two Liga MX, two Copa MX and one Concacaf Champions League championships.
Crosas critical
Former Barcelona, Celtic and Cruz Azul player Marc Crosas, who now works as a Liga MX analyst for TUDN went one step further when being questioned about the high turnover of managers at each club. Crosas added that the stats failed to include the equally high turnover of sporting directors at both Cruz Azul and Chivas with the sports director generally the individual behind the selection process in bringing in new players.
“How many sports directors have these teams also had? It’s a constant project change. If we go to the specific analysis, I think that the coach who has endured the longest is two years, two and a half years, three maximum, there is the key. Both these teams have had 15 sporting directors maybe but in this period. It’s constant change. If you don’t define a clear project and direction from the start, then someone new comes along with new ideas and changes things totally so you find yourself depending on just the result from the last game”, he declared.