América aims to heal wounds after the national Classic failure
Having accepted the failure in the national Classic, América has set out to heal wounds. Since Monday, the team has acknowledged that they have a pending debt with themselves and their fans.
On that day, it was made clear that the team did not live up to the commitment in the match against Chivas. It was not a top-class team and offered the worst performance in recent years. However, in all levels, it has been requested to turn the page, learn from that disaster, and each member of the squad has been urged to change that image.
The next match is against Cruz Azul, another classic, another crucial encounter, because Ignacio Ambriz's team is obligated to win and show football evolution at the Azul stadium. This is especially important because the performance of the entire team against Rebaño Sagrado was very poor.
Last Saturday, there were eleven players on the field, not a team. There was no cohesion. Rubens Sambueza acknowledged that nothing worked against Chivas. It's true, the team was broken in every line and couldn't find a way to recover.
Nacho Ambriz will have ten days to strengthen the team. It started on Monday, and there will be two more sessions on Thursday and Friday to fine-tune the machinery. Saturday and Sunday will be rest days, and the following week, the players will have to push themselves to show the coach that they are ready for the assault on the Azul stadium. Ambriz is missing four players who have attended national team call-ups: Michael Arroyo and Renato Ibarra with Ecuador, and Pablo Aguilar and Bruno Valdez with Paraguay.
The Paraguayan defenders are undisputed starters, while Arroyo is just recovering from an injury and has only played a few minutes. Ibarra's presence has been mixed between starting and being on the bench, without establishing himself in the starting lineup.
Oribe Peralta is already training with the team, and it is certain that Cepillo will arrive in good form for the duel with Cruz Azul. Paul Aguilar is recovering from his joint effusion, and there are no expected issues for him to play against the celestials, the same goes for Miguel Samudio, who had knee problems.
Ambriz is working with this scenario, but without using unforeseen circumstances as an excuse, because the result against La Máquina is imperative regardless of the circumstances. What América needs to evolve in is clear concepts and fundamentals, from the most basic to the articulation and definition of the pieces that make the team function as a whole.