Pep Guardiola criticizes the relegation rules in Liga MX

When Dorados de Sinaloa in 2006 appointed Juan Manuel Lillo as head coach, the Spaniard was able to recruit Pep Guardiola to Liga MX. After a successful stint in Europe, the former Barcelona product arrived in Mexico’s top tier and played for six months making ten appearances and scoring one goal.

Guardiola saw a limited amount of minutes because he suffered a string of injuries that prevented him from being a regular starter and decided to retire after one tournament in Mexico. During an interview with Paramount+, the 52-year-old talked about his time in Liga MX under manager Juanma Lillo and what should be done to improve the league.

Guardiola on the Liga MX format

“Lillo is one of the best managers I had. I was treated very well in Sinaloa and I loved the stadium because it was welcoming. We understood the passion and the love the people from Mexico have for the sport and how well they play it,” said Guardiola in the beginning of the interview.

“Then because of the format of the league in that country [Mexico] that what you did last tournament affects the outcome of another tournament is something that I will never understand. I believe that it only matters what a team does in the current tournament, not in the past. I don’t understand why they [Liga MX] keep protecting the big clubs,” said Pep.