The Resurgence of Cruz Azul
After the defeat against the Red Devils of Toluca in Matchday 10, Tomás Boy's project seemed to be heading towards failure very early on. The team was in a downward spiral and La Máquina was drowning at the bottom of the table.
The voices calling for Boy's departure were growing louder and it seemed inevitable that the board would make a decision, an immediate action. Then came the away match against Tigres UANL -the league leaders at the time- who seemed to be the executioner that could put an end to this project that had suddenly plummeted due to a lack of results and confidence.
However, a day before the match, when the team was heading to Monterrey, Guillermo Álvarez Cuevas, president of Cruz Azul, appeared on the scene, expressing himself like he rarely has. He coincided with his team at the Mexico City International Airport, a fortunate coincidence that changed the course of the team; Billy reaffirmed his coach's position, but demanded a "stronger" lineup.
A scathing critique and a clear message was what Billy Álvarez sent to his coach Tomás Boy through the press. Boy complied, as he expressed upon arriving in Monterrey, "From the start, the lineup has to be the strongest, both physically and mentally. From the start, it should be the strongest lineup, not waiting to bring in players later as substitutes," said the president at the time. He also suggested the inclusion of Chaco Giménez in the starting eleven, saying, "There are players that need to start. We know that beyond lasting 60 or 70 minutes, they need to be there from the first minute, having the best squad."
Well, Jefe Boy fell in line with his president and made three important adjustments, with Chaco Giménez's inclusion as the standout change, resulting in a draw against Tigres and a victory against Veracruz.
THE ADJUSTMENTS
CHACO IN THE STARTING ELEVEN
The first move that Tomás Boy made -at Billy's public suggestion- was to include Christian Giménez. Until the match against Tigres UANL, in the first 10 matchdays, Chaco had only started two games; he was more of a substitute and impact player, as Álvarez Cuevas had said. In these two matches, he has played 169 minutes out of a total of 430 this season.
Coach Tomás Boy has placed him as one of his wingers (in this case, on the left), a position that never had a consistent player before, with Guerrón, Cristaldo, and academy player Víctor Zúñiga all tried there. Chaco Giménez is one of the team's top goal scorers with four goals.
A NEW GUERRÓN
The next move Tomás Boy made was one of the most delicate: putting Joffre Guerrón as the center forward instead of Jorge Benítez. It's true that the Paraguayan has not had a good season (only two goals); however, it seemed unlikely that the coach would bench the Jefe, especially for Joffre, who had only played four games in the first ten matchdays.
In fact, he was absent due to injury or technical decision for some matchdays, which fueled rumors of a strained relationship between the player nicknamed "Dinamita" and Jefe Boy. The relationship is still not the best (Tomás criticized Joffre on Saturday for being obsessed with scoring), but it's a bet from the coach to strengthen his attack.
LA MARCA MENDOZA
The last move, and perhaps the most overlooked, is the return of Omar Mendoza to the starting lineup. The academy player, who played the first two matches of the season, was sacrificed when Tomás Boy had all his defensive reinforcements available.
The coach gave preference to Roco and Velázquez in central defense, Aldrete as the left-back, and in order to keep Julio César Domínguez on the field, he moved him to right-back, his proper position. As a result, Mendoza was on the bench for the next eight matches without getting any minutes. After Billy Álvarez's complaint, Mendoza returned to the starting eleven, but now on the left instead of Aldrete.
Against Tigres, he shut down Ismael Sosa, which earned him another start against Veracruz.