Javier Aguirre was fired by Monterrey just over a year after taking the reins of the perennial Liga MX title contender. (Photo by Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images)
Another coach bites the dust … who’ll be next?
Atlético de San Luis players celebrate after taking a 2-0 lead over Monterrey. The Tuneros’ victory was the first for coach André Jardine who took over the Liga MX minnows three weeks ago. (Photo by Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images)
There’s hardly time to assess the carnage of Matchday 7 before Matchday 8 kicks off. So we’ll try to be brief.
Monterrey fired coach Javier Aguirre hours after Saturday’s stunning 2-0 home loss to Liga MX giant-killer Atlético de San Luis (the Tuneros shocked América in Estadio Azteca on Matchday 4).
Aguirre – a two-time manager of El Tri – returned to Liga MX sidelines in January 2021 after 19 years coaching abroad, but has not been the savior Rayados fans hoped for. Monterrey is in 16th place with a 1-2-2 record and, worse, is winless at home (0-2-1).
Aguirre joins Marcelo Méndez (Atlético de San Luis), Pablo Guede (Necaxa), Leo Ramos (Querétaro) and Pedro Caixinha (Santos) as out-of-work coaches.
Liga MX coaching carousel has not stopped spinning
Another big-name coach running out of time is Santiago Solari. The former Real Madrid boss moved to Liga MX the same time as Aguirre but has looked lost in the playoffs.
América had by far the best regular-season Liga MX record in the 2021 calendar year, but Solari and the Aguilas bowed out in the quarterfinals twice, last season as the No. 1 seed.
Solari had reportedly been given an ultimatum heading into this past weekend’s “Clásico Capitalino” – beat UNAM or go home. América looked impotent in stumbling to a scoreless draw, but ownership did not pull the trigger, no doubt worried about the crunch of games coming up. The Aguilas – tied for last place with a 1-2-4 record – host Querétaro on Tuesday then travel to Monterrey to take on the Rayados on Saturday.
If the unsatisfactory results continue this week, Solari will join the five coaches mentioned above in the unemployment line.
Another coach on an increasingly hot seat is Guadalajara’s Marcelo Michel Leaño, but his job security is linked to the fact that the Chivas are so financially strapped that “The Most
Popular Club in Liga MX” can’t afford to pay a severance package AND hire a new manager.
The Chivas are in 10th place after a mid-game meltdown on Saturday saw them waste a 2-0 first-half advantage at home before falling to league-leading Puebla 3-2. The result leaves them at 2-1-4 with matches this week at Atlético de San Luis (can the Tuneros take down another giant?) and at home against Santos Laguna.
