We made it into Week 5 of the Apertura 2019 before the first two Liga MX coaches were canned.
The Apertura 2019 season will continue without Jose Luis Sanchez Sola and Javier Torrente, the two Liga MX coaches who were fired after poor starts for Puebla and Morelia, respectively.
It was no surprise that Sanchez Sola would be sent packing after the Camoteros’ brutal 4-0 loss to Pachuca on Friday night. The result leaves Puebla in 18th position in the table, one of three winless Liga MX team. The team is 0-1-3 with a -9 goal differential, slightly better than last place Veracruz and their -10 goal differential.
Sanchez Sola, better known as “Chelis,” simply could not inspire a mediocre Puebla roster to greater things during this, his third stint with the Camoteros. This time around, “Chelis” lasted 16 games, taking over in Week 7 of the Clausura 2019. His motivational tactics briefly lifted Puebla into the playoff picture, but they fell short, finishing in 10th place.
In addition to this season’s poor start, Puebla has not won a home game since March when Puebla defeated the Pumas 1-0.
“Chelis” first took over in Puebla in 2006 while the team was in Ascenso MX and he led the team to promotion that first year. He guided the Camoteros in Liga MX for the next three years (2007-2010), but could not get the team over the hump and into the Liguilla.
Sanchez Sola returned for a brief relief appearance with Puebla in 2014, but then returned to television where he found success as a commentator. But when Puebla came calling after firing Enrique “Ojitos” Meza last season, he agreed to return to the sideline.
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Puebla is said to be recruiting former national team coach Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre and Robert Siboldi, who led Santos to the Clausura 2018 championship.
Adios Torrente
Morelia visited Estadio Azteca on Saturday to face the powerful Aguilas of America, just one week after a painful loss to Monterrey when the Monarcas played the entire second half a man down only to lose when Miguel Layun scored in minute 90+6.
Against America, the Monarcas struggled to generate any offense but held the potent Aguilas offense in check for most of the game despite ceding possession to America (61%). In minute 80, America midfielder Nicolas Benedetti ran onto a lose ball and slotted home from inside the box, sealing the fate of coach Javier Torrente and his staff.
Torrente took over the struggling Monarcas ahead of the club’s Week 10 match last season and led the modest team to a 1-5-2 mark and a 16th place finish. This season, Morelia is only 1-0-4 and in 15th place.
El Universal reported that Morelia is considering Pablo Guede, an Argentine manager who most recently coached Al-Ahly in Saudi Arabia, but there has been no confirmation yet. Guede had success as coach of Chile’s Colo Colo with whom he won a league title, a league cup and two Chilean Super Cups.