Most Liga MX fans figured that “El Jefe” would have to beat America in the Super Clasico to retain his job, but Guadalajara management made the move now.
After Tuesday’s home loss to Pachuca, it was apparent that coach Tomas Boy was in trouble. The Chivas have sunk to 15th in the table with only 11 points (3-2-5), but with a big match against their bitter rivals looming on the weekend, most figured any move would be made after the Super Clasico.
Instead, Guadalajara ownership decided the time to act was now. Boy was dismissed on Thursday and Luis Fernando Tena was announced as the new Chivas coach.
The Chivas have not been in the playoffs since winning the Clausura 2017 title and they’ve failed to find their ideal coach since letting go of Matias Almeyda in the summer of 2018. First came Jose Cardozo who took over on June 2018. He failed to reach the Liguilla in the Apertura 2018 and was fired in March 2019. Alberto Coyote was brought in on an interim basis until Boy was given the job in April 2019, coaching the Chivas for the final four games of the Clausura 2019.
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Boy coached Guadalajara for five months and his numbers were poor. He leaves with a 4-2-9 record, earning only 14 of a possible 45 points. To make matters worse for the Chivas, they have serious problems in the relegation standings. They currently sit in the penultimate spot, saved only by the fact that the historically bad Veracruz Tiburones are in the same league.
“El Flaco” Tena will take the reins now. He played three seasons for the Chivas in the 1980s before getting into coaching in 1994. He led Mexico to a Gold Medal in the 2012 London Olympics and won Liga MX titles with Cruz Azul (1997) and Morelia (2000). Tena also guided Cruz Azul to a Concacaf Champions League title in 2014.