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.
2 Liga MX Week 7 Power Rankings Teams #8-1
8.Pachuca
Pachuca has only achieved one win in its last five encounters and in that run, has only scored two goals. Diego Alonso’s men have had a real problem scoring as after their week 1 game, they have only scored three goals, this could present a problem for the team going forward in the competition.
7.Tigres UANL
Slowly but surely Tigres UANL is regaining its Apertura 2016 form, its latest result was a big 3-0 away win at Veracruz. Andre-Pierre Gignac has also finally, scored his first goal of the tournament. Ricardo Ferretti has one of the best teams in the continent, it would be a crime if the team does not playoffs.
6.Santos Laguna
The ‘guerreros’ are still undefeated in this tournament, but have struggled to win, drawing five games and winning two. Jose Manuel De La Torre is on the right track with the team and looks to have set Santos Laguna as playoff contenders.
5.Pumas UNAM
The ‘universitarios’ scored three goals in a span of 10 minutes to come back from a 3-0 score line and achieve a 3-3 draw against Club Tijuana at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario. The team is still very strong, but did showcase some defensive miscues against the Xolos, most notably by Dario Veron. Nicolas Castillo scored a goal and was the main player that influenced the own goal by Juan Carlos Valenzuela. This Pumas team is well built and should be able to go far in this competition.
4.Chivas
Chivas is coming off two huge wins, first a 2-1 win against Atlas in the ‘clasico tapatio’ in week 6 and then 1-0 in the ‘super clasico’ against America in week 7. Matias Almeyda has been excelling as the manager of the club, leading the team forward. The standout component of the team is the midfield with Rodolfo Pizarro and Orbelin Pineda. Chivas is a contender for the title and it will be interesting to see how they do going forward.
3.Club Tijuana
The Xolos of Tijuana had a meltdown in their last game as they ended up drawing 3-3 against Pumas UNAM. Miguel Herrera’s side were winning 3-0 in the 65th minute and by the 82nd minute it was all square at ‘ciudad universitaria’. Tijuana is one of most well-balanced teams in the league, however and should be able to compete for the title in this Clausura.
2.Monterrey
The ‘rayados’ have one of the strongest rosters in the continent and are achieving the results to go with it. Monterrey is still undefeated in 2017 and has been looking great recently, getting two consecutive victories against strong sides in Pumas UNAM (2-0) and Pachuca (1-0). Antonio Mohamed also has the top goal-scorer in the league in Dorlan Pabon who has five on the Clausura. This Monterrey team has skill, pace, youth and depth, truly a force going forward in the competition.
1.Toluca
Toluca is undefeated in its last four games, getting victories in its last three matches, most recently a 2-1 away win against Monarcas Morelia. Hernan Cristante’s defense has been key only allowing one goal in that run of four games. The ‘diablos’ have potential to take the title this Clausura with the midfield paving the way for success. Rubens Sambueza and Pablo Barrientos have been some of the most influential players on this team, controlling the midfield and getting three goals combined.
