MÉXICO -- The Apertura 2008 is not in full flight yet, but it is remarkable the fact that teams who were at the top of the charts in Clausura 2008 are going quietly into the night today. We are talking about the champs Santos, about former superleaders Chivas, and Jaguares, who earned the sixth-place in the past tournament.
Neither Santos nor Chivas nor Jaguares are protagonists at this moment. The guys from the Lagoon do not know how it feels to win yet, having a defeat to their credit and only two points to show, same as Chivas. Jaguares hasn't even points at all. Three straight defeats is the record held by Sergio Almaguer, who is now walking the tightrope if we are to take into account the well-known impatience of Mexican soccer GMs.
ON STEADY FEET
San Luis keeps coming on strong. They come from a fourth place and are the superleaders now, undefeated with 10 points. Tecos had a temporary high of two straight victories, as it was foreseen by José Luis Trejo, even though the pupils of Raúl Arias are a game ahead from the rest of the teams.
In any case, the gladiators are in charge. Somehow they carry the same punch they had in their good past tournament, although now they follow the lead of Israel Jagger Martínez, who scored two in their triumph over Jaguares. Will they continue missing Alfredo Moreno?
THERE IS "CHAMPIONITIS" IN THE AIR
Coach Daniel Guzmán swears that his players are not carrying the championitis of the team that has just won a tournament.
When seen through the negative side, it is often said that championitis often means "resting on the laurels". If we see the positive side and even if we are realistic we could say that Santos indeed suffers from championitis, translated into mental fatigue and even to a certain degree a soccer fatigue from a tournament that demanded a lot of concentration, pressure, effort and lots of adrenaline.
Legs and head are not coordinated, no matter how high is the desire and the effort on the field. That finesse that they displayed in their shots is not there anymore. And if we add the fact that they are missing Hachita Ludueña and Ecuador's Cristian Benítez, then Santos is not, regrettably, the powerhouse it once was.
In the 0-0 they got at Puebla they lacked offensive strength and determination. Most importantly, everything is a matter of time. The players are the same, and we are sure they will react soon.
LET US UNIFY CRITERIA
We are witnessing the fact that criteria among referees is not even throughout the union, especially in reference to the new rules regarding the technical box used by coaches.
While new referee Román Rafael Medina had no patience for Tuca Ferretti at the Olímpico Universitario, the experienced Hugo León Guajardo was all over José Luis Sánchez Sola at Puebla.
In their game against Toluca, the coach of Pumas mockec Medina's admonitions, to the point of not complying with the rule of going back to the bench after giving pointers from the sidelines. And at the Cuauhtémoc, against Santos, Chelís looked happy prancing aroung the technical area, with a few mocks thrown in, and never was he even warned verbally.
The Commission of Referees presided by Aaron Padilla has to stop this nonsense somehow.
RIGOROUS REPETITION?
It's still early and we are already hearing that the referees are handing out hometown decisions to big teams. At Chivas-Monterrey (1-1), referee Ricardo Arellano deemed it fit for Ramon Morales to kick a penalty shot again, after the first one was stopped by Jonathan Orozco. Orozco had simply taken a step forward, when this is merely common practice among goalkeepers when facing a penalty situation. And in the second shot, the ball went in.
In the end, Chivas took 30 minutes to even the score, and they are still undefeated with 5 points.
A unification of criteria is required in this case too, because there will be many plays like this one during league play.
TIGRES BELIEVES IN NO ONE
Few people, if any, would have bet on an undefeated Tigres, overwhelming and with seven points after their third game. But anything can happen in soccer. When the need is high and relegation is a possibility, we see teams that can handle games and hit the gas just at the right time.
Coach Manuel Lapuente believe in no one, and that's what they showed when they pummeled Atlas, a team that looks hybrid and undefined once again. The felines took only a second to dispatch their rivals, with scores by Panama's Blas Perez, Kikin Fonseca (the call to be a part of the national team shook him up) and Pedro Benitez.
THE WEAK AND THE STRONG
Luck is not always on the weak's side. Indios keeps loosing, and this time they did it before a highly capable rival such as Necaxa, run by a coach that took them right after being unable to save Queretaro from relegation.
Salvador Reyes is a very thorough coach in what he wants: score points, although almost always with a safe (rather than spectacular) grand of soccer.
The one who is still finding it difficult is Sergio Orduña, currently making his First Division debut. The Rays were always ahead in the board, in spite of losing their offensive leader in Pablo Quatrocchi at the 25th minute. At 81' they broke the 2-2 tie, and that was the end of it (2-3).