Liga MX: Santos Laguna misses Vazquez; draws Veracruz
Facing one of the worst teams in Liga MX, Santos Laguna was only able to manage a draw at home.
After an impressive victory against Leon last week, Santos Laguna and it’s fans were confident going into a matchup against a Veracruz team that sits near the bottom of the Liga MX table. The worst didn’t happen, but disappointment certainly did.
In the lead-up to the match, we discussed the potential for a trap game since Veracruz has shown the ability to sneak up on teams a bit. The talk seemed to indicate Los Guerreros weren’t taking the match lightly, but before the match, it was learned Jose Vazquez wouldn’t be available. His absence changed the outlook of the match just enough to cause issues.
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Vazquez served as the central midfielder in the 4-3-3 that Santos used against Leon. His steady defensive play provided strength in the middle of the pitch for Los Guerreros. Without him in the lineup, manager Salvador Reyes went back to a 4-4-2, sticking Ulises Rivas and Osvaldo Martinez in the CM roles. The balance the squad had against Leon was gone. With the Rivas and Martinez splitting the role, even playing well, there were gaps in the formation. Rivas played mostly in a defensive role while Martinez was scattered around the pitch in his 72′ of play. The result was space to work for Veracruz and less bite in the attack from Santos.
The 1st half ended scoreless, with both teams seeing some chances, but neither team finding the back of the net. Santos threw a number of crosses into the box that connected with no one, while Veracruz seemed to have the more threatening chances.
Just after halftime, Brian Lozano provided and inch-perfect pass from left to right across the box, where Jona Rodriguez was able to beautifully slot the ball past the Veracruz goaltender, Perdo Gallese. The goal moved Rodriguez into a 4-way tie for 2nd in Liga MX for goals scored.
It was mostly Veracruz from there, at one point having three grade-A chances in succession. Jonathan Orozco was up to the task, though, making save after save and thwarting Los Tiburones at nearly every turn.
In the 71st minute, though, Veracruz finally broke through. Cristian Menendez received a Jefferson Murillo pass and, in one smooth motion, back-heeled it past the Santos keeper. It was a beautiful goal that Veracruz deserved to score.
Santos would have a couple more chances to steal a win at home, but ultimately came up short. A disastrous loss avoided, Santos should be extremely disappointed despite the excellent performances from Orozco and Lozano. No one played terribly for the home-side, but they certainly lacked the flow and intensity that they had against Leon.
I’m attributing it to the absence of Jose Vazquez in the middle. Had he been able to go, and had Reyes put out the 4-3-3 from the week prior, I believe Los Guerreros would have opened up the Veracruz defense by spreading them out and opening up holes for build-up, rather than cross after cross into the box. Defensively, he made things simpler by controlling the midfield on his own and thus keeping the defensive shape more organized.
Santos now prepares to travel to Estadio Victoria to take on Necaxa, who fell to Toluca 2-3 despite a valiant effort. Veracruz returns home to do battle with Leon, who embarrassingly lost on their home pitch to lowly Lobos BUAP, 0-1.