Liga MX: Tigres Takeaways
The 2022 Liga MX Apertura has finally kicked off, and we got a first look at a Tigres team that was called disappointing due to their star power and lack of results. Tigres was defeated by Cruz Azul in their home opener after conceding a penalty late in the game. After a hard loss, there are many things Miguel Herrera's side will have to adjust to get on track to a championship.
In last week’s game against Cruz Azul, the defense struggled. Igor Lichnovsky and Diego Reyes lined up in the middle, Jesus Angulo and Javier Aquino to the left and right. This defense is weak in the eyes of many. Angulo is not a natural left-back as well as Javier Aquino, who has played more of an attacking role. His lack of defensive experience showed as he committed the foul that would cost Tigres the game in the late stages of the match. Tigres either have to fix this by signing new defensive players or having these current players adjust.
On the offensive side, Tigres struggled but found success through one player. Their two goals came from a good performance from Sebastian Cordova, who assisted and scored. Cordova has won a starting spot after spending time last season on the bench. A hopeful sign for Tigres, who require an attacking mid that can run for 80+ minutes at a high level. As for Tigres’ all-time goalscorer Andre Pierre Gignac, he had a quiet night and failed to perform the way we are so used to seeing from him.
Tigres also started a youngster in their first match, Raymundo Fulgencio, due to a Herrera discipline action taken on Luis Quinones, who was benched for not traveling with the team to their preseason matches in Texas last month. He did this as a protest to the team over his current salary and contract. Quinones is not the first player in the Miguel Herrera coaching era to lash out and show a lack of discipline. Unfortunately, it has become a pattern with the team as many players are unhappy with the manager while reports of locker room drama are becoming frequent.
I think the main concern coming into this season was that Tigres did not sign any new players, specifically defenders, but instead let go of players like Jesus Duenas. Duenas was a key player in Tigres’ success in the past years. From scoring the gaming-tying goal in the 2016 final to being a versatile player that could play as a back, center mid, or a wing. With Duenas’ departure and no new defensive signings, the future of this defense is in trouble. Their current defense lacks true wingbacks and a solid center-back. Herrera is known to be a very offensive coach, but he needs to fix something as the season progresses, or else Tigres will have to get used to receiving goals multiple times a game. As the manager, he has to get his team under control.