The role of the Liga MX coach is a precarious one. With three managers already fired in the first two months of the 2017 Clausura, we asked our experts Tom Marshall, Nayib Moran, Cesar Hernandez and Eric Gomez who's next in line.
Anyone but Jemez: He's instilling identity in La Maquina
If you read the Mexican press right now, it very much seems to be a toss-up between Cruz Azul's Paco Jemez and America's Ricardo La Volpe. And the showdown to decide will be Saturday night at Estadio Azteca.
But the situations the clubs are living are somewhat different. Cruz Azul hasn't made the playoffs in the past five seasons, while America has taken part in 10 straight Liguillas. Forget talk of winning a title, La Maquina needs to get the foundations of its house in order. That begins with installing some kind of identity and Jemez is starting to do that. Cruz Azul has had more possession than any team in the 2017 Clausura. It has created the third most chances and produced the most shots off target.
The goals and victories will surely come and the Cruz Azul ownership must stick with a manager who has only been in the country for 82 days. If they don't, why was he hired in the first place?
La Volpe's situation is more precarious. Injuries to Cecilio Dominguez, Bruno Valdez and Paul Aguilar have not helped and although he did take Las Aguilas to the 2016 Apertura final, there just doesn't seem to be a comfortable relationship between the manager and the club.
In the end, neither Mexico City institution should be basing its decision off the back of Saturday's Clasico Joven and instead, both need to think about whether the coach they have right now is one who can succeed at the respective club over the medium to long term. -- Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup)
La Volpe: His America has absolutely no chemistry
Accurately assessing America's 2016 Apertura is a difficult task. There are many ways to explain how Las Aguilas were able to reach last season's final. One of them is that there was added pressure to do something special during the club's centennial year, which caused many of the more experienced players to pull off gratifying and important performances, like Paolo Goltz, Moises Munoz, Oribe Peralta and William da Silva.
But this has not translated to success in the 2017 Clausura, where America's football has not impressed under La Volpe. Instead, it has actually been painful to watch. Goltz, Peralta and William have been below their usual standards and the team showcases a notable deficiency in the attack, coupled with a brittle defense.
Nothing is going right. It's almost as if there was an inner confrontation between players and coach. There's no chemistry and if America wants to save its season, it must end La Volpe's time with the club, which only has one real positive -- the discovery of 19-year-old Edson Alvarez. -- Nayib Moran (@nayibmoran)
Jemez: He deserves more, but his team can't score
Whether it's fair or not, Jemez is the current leading candidate to be fired from his managerial position.
After only one win in Jemez's first seven matches in charge, his Cruz Azul has plummeted all the way down to 16th place in the standings. Despite the manager's tactical ability to maintain possession and create attacking opportunities, the Mexico City club has collected a modest tally of just six goals in the current tournament.
Although the 46-year-old Spanish manager deserves more time, it wouldn't be surprising to see his club look at alternative coaches to take over -- especially after this weekend.
On Saturday night, the Clasico Joven against America is set to be a major factor, if not the factor, for Jemez's future. A win over La Maquina's crosstown rival could prove to be a major boost for the coach who has earned more doubters than devotees in recent weeks. On the other hand, a loss or draw could mean an end to his short career with Cruz Azul.
Once again, Jemez deserves more time. A manager with European experience like his should be allowed at least one full season in charge of Los Cementeros. That said, there seems to be no indication that he will last much longer in Mexico's fickle and impatient first division. -- Cesar Hernandez (@cesarhfutbol)
La Volpe: This was not a story of redemption
Club America's football has not impressed under Ricardo La Volpe. If the club wants to save its season, he must go. When La Volpe led a struggling, unspectacular team away from a disappointing tenure by Ignacio Ambriz and into the Liga MX final on an impressive unbeaten run, it seemed like this was a story of redemption. In a 34-year career, La Volpe has one official Liga MX title and none in the past 24 years. For years, decades even, critics have gleefully pointed this out, but the manager has been in charge of some of the most memorable teams in the league's history.
However, Jesus Duenas and Nahuel Guzman combined to deny La Volpe and America on Christmas Day, and the coach signed off on a roster overhaul that essentially left him with a world-class goalkeeper in Agustin Marchesin, a promising young star in Dominguez and frankly not much else. Teams have noticed that America has no defensive midfield and can only generate offense on the wings. Oribe Peralta, now 33, is forced to play with his back to goal for most of the match and injuries have taken away key contributors at crucial times.
In Mexico, the villagers often gather up their pitchforks and go after the manager when these things go wrong, though this time the team's failures are a combination of luck, the team president and yes, La Volpe himself. After losing el Clasico Nacional, a second loss against a struggling Cruz Azul would indeed be the final nail in the coffin. And thanks to his insane ejection against Chivas, his fate will be decided while he watches it all from the stands. -- Eric Gomez (@EricGomez86)