In their final five fixtures without Gimenez and Corona, Cruz Azul play Atlas, at Pachuca, Atlante, at Jaguares, and Tijuana. Their situation is actually the exact opposite, because they're going to need to win most of their next five games. This could be due to a preference based on form and talent, but it's more likely that they were left out as a tactical move by Meza, who wanted to get his best defensive team on the pitch.Ĭonventional wisdom says that Cruz Azul will need to minimize the damage suffered while Gimenez and Corona are out, then pick up the pace when they get back into the team, but their schedule reveals something completely different. The team had very little creativity, and the players who are best equipped to replace the attacking output that Gimenez provides - Javier Orozco and Cesar Villaluz - were left on the bench. Though Cruz Azul can count a draw away to Tigres as a positive result, they seriously missed Gimenez. Cruz Azul got a goal of their own on the counter, and the match ended 1-1. That was all they would get, despite dominating the match. Tigres kept the ball and looked like they could score at any time, but their goal only came when Gerardo Torrado made an awful giveaway, putting a goal on a silver platter for Hector Mancilla. The Blue Machine packed 10 men behind the ball and only ventured forward on the counter-attack, as expected. In front of a packed Estadio Universitario, Cruz Azul executed their gameplan to perfection while being completely out-classed. Obviously knowing the tough task that was ahead of him - trying to get a positive result against UANL Tigres on the road - Enrique Meza put out an extremely conservative team. Against UANL Tigres in the Round 1 of the Apertura, that was incredibly obvious. 1 goalkeeper and their best playmaker, but Cruz Azul rely on Chaco more than almost any elite team in the Americas relies on one player.
Due to their actions in the Liguilla of the 2011 Clausura, Christian 'Chaco' Gimenez and Jose de Jesus Corona are sitting out Cruz Azul's opening six games in the 2011 Apertura.
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