Miguel Herrera's frustration with América

Miguel Herrera's expression in the press room of the Azteca Stadium last Saturday was revealing; every gesture showed the coach's annoyance. His speech, after the 1-1 draw between his team and Puebla, was self-critical, but he also pointed to the squad that he did not recognize on the field because they were unrecognizable against Puebla.

In the final stretch of the 2017 Apertura, it was expected that the Águilas would take a step forward, but instead they went backwards. After the victory against Chivas, it was said that the team would not fall into a state of euphoria; however, in the recent games, they have failed to maintain their momentum, something that was already noticed during the game against Chivas, where Herrera himself recognized that his team did not play well, but that they were able to win thanks to their attacking prowess.

However, in the last few games, they have also not shown that condition. The team looks vulnerable in defense and their strikers have lost their scoring touch. The flow of the game is poor and they get stuck before reaching the promised land. The team's reaction is lacking, as they have now gone three games without a victory in the league, and have only scored one goal in 270 minutes. This situation is becoming alarming because it was previously only attributed to a lack of accuracy, but now it has been directly pointed out by the coaching staff that the team's behavior, the automatism, and the lack of collective effort are the main concerns – in summary, the team does not look like a team.

In addition, América is making things difficult for themselves. The team had the qualification to the Liguilla within reach for a couple of weeks, but they couldn't achieve it directly; instead, they secured it due to Necaxa's defeat against Tigres. Despite this, it is the first objective fulfilled for the Americanistas who still have plenty of room for improvement. Miguel Herrera knows that finding a remedy for his team is in his hands and the hands of his group.

MISTAKES IN DEFENSE AND OFFENSE

América has lost solidity in both defense and offense. When opponents attack, there has been a lack of concentration to fend off danger, as was the case against Necaxa and Monterrey, where there were defensive lapses that resulted in goals. Their rivals have managed to find their vulnerabilities and, to make matters worse, América's own mistakes have given their opponents opportunities to hurt them.

In attack, the story is no different. The level of play has decreased, and the team is not generating the expected amount of chances. The team's associations are not up to par, there is no good support, and there is a lack of width on the wings because the midfielders do not bring that element of imbalance, and the full-backs do not reach the endline. The offensive game is limited to a moment of inspiration from Darwin, as the rest of the attackers have been very erratic.

INJURIES

América has also been unable to count on William da Silva and Renato Ibarra. The Brazilian midfielder injured his left knee in Round 11 against León and has not returned due to tendinitis. At the time, he was responsible for midfield recovery and generating offensive play and had even scored two goals. Now, it is expected that he will return to full fitness for the Liguilla.

Renato Ibarra has missed the last two games due to a muscle overload. He got injured at a time when he was displaying the speed and imbalance that is expected of him. So far, a suitable replacement on the right wing for the Ecuadorian has not been found. Darwin has been tried, but he performs better behind the center forward, and Mateus Uribe is not an interior midfielder, and the best conditions for the Colombian midfielder have been seen when he plays in the center.

UNDERPERFORMING PLAYERS

The decline in form of players like Cecilio Domínguez is evident. The Paraguayan has not regained the level of competitiveness that would make him a starter. He had a good start to the tournament but faded away and has not recovered his sensations to the point that Diego Lainez has overtaken him in the race for a starting spot. Even when he has come on as a substitute, he has not been able to be the game-changer that is expected of him.

Guido Rodríguez has also failed to impose his authority. The Argentine midfielder has received a couple of red cards and the rotation due to the 9/9 rule has not allowed him to have the desired continuity, resulting in inconsistency in the team's midfield. But Cecilio and Guido are not the only players performing poorly; Paul Aguilar, Bruno Valdez, Silvio Romero, and Miguel Samudio are also moving in the same direction. The substitutes are experiencing the same difficulties.