Week 7 of the Liga MX Clausura 2017 had its fair share of shocking results that made an impact on the power rankings. Among the standout results were big victories by Monterrey, Queretaro and Toluca. Here are the power rankings for week seven of the competition.
1. Liga MX Week 7 Power Rankings Teams #18-9
18.Puebla
Jose Cardozo is making an immediate impact on ‘la franja’, as the team is undefeated since his arrival, getting five out of nine possible points. Puebla has also improved massively defensively as the ‘camoteros’ have only allowed one goal under Cardozo. This would include two consecutive shutouts against Club America (0-0) and this week against Chiapas (3-0). Puebla is slowly steering away from relegation and improving.
17.Necaxa
The ‘rayos’ proved this week that their defense is simply not good enough to play Alfonso Sosa’s style of play, as the team lost 4-1 to Queretaro at the Estadio Victoria. In its week 6 match, Necaxa could have also lost by a similar score, had Club Tijuana taken advantage of all its opportunities. With how competitive the Liga MX is this tournament, it is looking unlikely that the Aguascalientes club will make playoffs.
16.Leon
The only thing keeping Leon fans with hope at this point is Javier Torrente’s floral shirt. The ‘esmeraldas’ are struggling heavily this tournament and need a momentum shift within the club. Torrente looks like he will keep his post as the head coach for now, but who knows how long he will last. The 2-2 draw to Santos Laguna this week is a step in the right direction as well as Mauro Boselli finally getting on the score sheet this Clausura.
15.Monarcas Morelia
‘La Monarquia’ look like the front-runners destined for relegation in this Clausura 2017 tournament, unable to get the favorable results. In its latest game, Morelia lost 2-1 to Toluca at home, the team has not looked great and getting points at home is important for a team fighting relegation. Monarcas has only achieved one win at home in this tournament.
14. Club America
Club America is in full crisis mode now, with its latest 1-0 defeat to arch-rivals, Chivas at the Estadio Chivas. Ricardo La Volpe’s style of play is not holding up in this tournament and he seems to be losing his mind, with his antics at the ‘clasico nacional’. The ‘aguilas’ have another crucial game in week 8 as they will go up against Cruz Azul, and La Volpe looks to be on the way out.
13. Cruz Azul
Cruz Azul is the other member of the ‘big four’ who is struggling in this Clausura 2017. The team has just not been clinical, first Jorge Benitez was not the answer and now Martin Cauteruccio has not been any improvement either. The chances are being created, and the style of play is great, but the strikers have been letting the team down. The team has taken full blame for its performances as it represented Paco Jemez at the post-game press conference in its 1-0 defeat against Atlas.
12.Chiapas
The ‘jaguares’ looked terrible in its latest 3-0 defeat to Puebla at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc. Sergio Bueno’s up-beat passing style of play stood no chance against the high-pressure that Puebla provided in the game. Chiapas has lost all its direct relegation games this tournament against Veracruz, Morelia and Puebla, which could mean trouble going forward in this Clausura.
11.Veracruz
Veracruz suffered its first home loss of the tournament, falling 3-0 this week to Tigres UANL. Carlos Reinoso’s pragmatic style of play will not always hold up, but if the team continues its home success, it should be able to evade relegation.
10.Atlas
The ‘rojinegros’ got a big away win this week at the Estadio Azul, beating ‘la maquina’ by a score of 1-0. Fidel Martinez was the goal-scorer for Atlas, scoring his second goal of the tournament. The Ecuadorian winger has had his moments in the Clausura, if he continues his form, it can lead to victories for Jose Cruz. The ‘zorros’ should have another win in week 8 as they will face Leon at the Estadio Jalisco.
9.Queretaro
Jaime Lozano has surprisingly made a huge impact on the ‘gallos blancos’ obtaining seven out of nine possible points since his takeover. Queretaro has changed the pragmatic style of play it had under Vucetich and has found attacking options, most recently beating Necaxa 4-1 at the Estadio Victoria.
