Pikolin Palacios: “Pumas should never have appointed Lillini as coach”

Pumas are going through one of the most complicated moments in club history - a 3-1 defeat Chivas leaves them with one of the worst records in Apertura 2022. Former UNAM player Marco Antonio Palacios has criticized coach Andrés Lillini for not being able to lift the team.

“Andrés Lillini should never have been appointed Pumas coach. I don’t know who gave him the job. How long do we have to wait for them to fire him? Who is protecting him? You have to question who brought Dani Alves - he is 39 years old! Someone should have thought of that. Dani is not going to solve anything; at Pumas there is a philosophy where we all have to run,” the former defender said in an interview for W Deportes.

“Nothing surprises me anymore, the bad results don’t surprise me, it’s a shame what’s happening with Pumas. Myself and all the fans are very upset about what is going on”, Pikolín explained .

Palacios also lamented Pumas’ dismal performance against Barcelona earlier this month in the Joan Gamper Trophy. The Mexicans were thrashed 6-0 at Camp Nou - a far cry from they were last invited to Spain for a summer tournament. In 2004, Pumas scored an historic 1-0 win over a Real Madrid side that featured Beckham, Figo, Zidane and Michael Owen in the Trofeo Bernabéu. “Against Real Madrid, the Galácticos, the plan was to play responsibly which is what they did. The way the team played against Barcelona was a disgrace. Pumas’ youth team is still very inexperienced and the reinforcements they have made are even worse. Somebody needs to question who was responsible for bringing these players in,” he said.

At the moment, Pumas are 17th in the table with just nine points from 11 games. They also have the second worst defensive figures along with Cruz Azul. The university team must get back on track if they are to enter the playoff places. Their next games will be against: Atlas, Querétaro, Toluca, Cruz Azul, Puebla and Bravos de Juárez.