‘Relegation’ plot thickens as CL2022 hits halfway point

The breakneck pace of the Liga MX season continues with Friday’s twinbill that kicks off Matchday 9 just two days after Matchday 8 provided a change at the top of the table.

Toluca visits Necaxa and FC Juárez hosts León to whet the appetite for some big-time contests over the weekend.

The weekend calendar officially marks the beginning of the second half of the Clausura 2022 and will allow us to draw some initial conclusions and make a few confident projections.

Look for that on Tuesday along with the first Liga MX Power Rankings of the season.

Fighting to avoid Liga MX “Relegation” penalties

In lieu of demotion/promotion, Liga MX rules stipulate that the three teams at the bottom of the annual “Relegation Standings” must pay a hefty fine. To be specific, the team in last place at the end of the Clausura 2022 pays 80 million pesos, second-last pays 47 million and third-last is billed 33 million. Nobody wants to do that.

As it stands right now, FC Juárez is in last place, Tijuana in 17th and Atlético de San Luis in 16th.

Just above the penalty zone is Necaxa while Toluca is in 12th place but only a mere 3 points above the Rayos. So the game at Estadio Victoria in Aguascalientes has importance beyond the Clausura 2022 table.

As far as the table goes, Toluca (8th) would be in the Liga MX playoffs while Necaxa (13th) would be on the outside looking in thanks to a –4 goal differential.

The host Rayos are still learning new coach Jaime Lozano’s style but at least are playing stronger defense. “Los Electricistas” have conceded 3 goals in the four games since “Jimmy” took over and the 43-year-old manager’s next task is to find out if he has a dependable striker on his roster. So far, the answer is “No.”

Toluca arrives on a three-game winless streak and is dealing with some internal strife. Star playmaker Leo Fernández was benched for Tuesday’s home loss to Tijuana after initiating a fight at practice.

It remains to be seen if there will be additional fall-out, especially as there are reports that Fernández has been acting the prima donna since returning to the club with whom he burst onto the Liga MX scene. During the Clausura 2020, little Leo was second in scoring (8 goals in 10 games) and tied for fourth in assists with 3.

Even before this in-house turmoil reared up, coach Ignacio Ambriz had his work cut out for him. The Diablos defense is suspect (–5 goal differential) and the offense has been inconsistent. We knew it would take some time to implement the tactical schemes that were so wildly successful at León but internal strife could break this team apart.

Up at the border, the Bravos will try to replicate Tuesday’s solid showing at Puebla when they held the league leaders to a 1-1 draw, a result that knocked the Camoteros into second place.

“Tuca” Ferretti has his team playing boring, I mean conservative, football. The grizzled coach knows his FC Juárez side lacks talent and his pragmatic approach gives the squad its best chance to earn the points it needs to avoid big “Relegation” fines.

Against León, the Bravos will try to reduce space at the back and shut down the Esmeraldas’ passing lanes while hoping that Darío Lezcano and Diego Rolán can produce some offensive magic.

For its part, León must fine-tune its finishing as “La Fiera” has been profligate in front of goal. Last time out against Monterrey on Tuesday, “The Green Machine” held 60% possession and fired off 15 shots, but only 3 were on target, and none got past Esteban Andrada.

Though that was the first time this season that the Esmeraldas have been blanked, Ariel Holan’s side has scored just 1 goal four times. And while the defense remains among the league’s best, León can’t hope to return to the Liga MX final unless it puts the ball in the net with more regularity.