Game 6: Pachuca home

PUMAS v Pachuca
4th September 2006
CU

Video Highlights

This was the week in which Pumas season fell apart. A controlled and disciplined performance v Toluca, disappointing away at Santos, and woeful at home to Pachuca; make no mistake about it this was the worst Pumas showing for some time… I hope Frank took his booing boots, they deserved it. So we pick up only 2 points in three games this week, meanwhile all around us pick up plenty.

PUMAS v Pachuca
Last seasons champions have had a terrible start, getting their first point of the season on Wednesday v struggling Queretaro at home. Leandro was still out, no idea when he will be back, but he was, in a way, man of this match, his absence a brooding presence.

Tuca realised his mistake at Santos, and correctly started with 4-4-2, Morales getting a start on the left, Toledo in for Leandro, and Scocco and Gonzalez starting up front.

This game can be summed up in one word: - errors. Pachuca, to me, looked pretty poor, and we looked worse. Very many very silly errors throughout the game. All their goals came from our errors, when we had the ball without pressure. After 15 minutes Veron inexplicably tripped over the ball (not the only Pumas player to do this today), under no pressure, giving the ball away just in front of the goal, Pikolin charged across but they still got a shot in. Just when it looked like we were going to make it to half time, for an old fashioned bollocking, after some real let-offs, Pikolin, on the edge of the box, in a regulation situation, attempted to fancily take the ball past a lone striker, messed it up royally, they pounced, 1-0 down at half time. The 40,000 crowd rightly booed them off.

One change at the break, Diego on for the anonymous Toledo, it made little difference. Passing going astray, lack of ideas, very poor crossing, nothing went well today. There second goal was an error of the referee’s, as Mosquera received the ball in an offside position, controlled it with his arm, stuck it passed Bernal. To be fair, we deserved to be two down (at least), and seemed determined to lose, but Pachuca needed help from us and the ref to kill us off.

The second changes brought on Reinaldo and Iñiguez for the ineffectual Scocco and Morales, who had looked lively, but whose crossing was pitiful all day long. This change seems to galvanise the team for a period, and they finally looked interested. A series of errors, bad passes, worse crosses, useless clearances and the ball finally dropped to Parejita, who pushed it past a defender with his first touch, and then rocketed it home. We now looked favourites to at least get a draw. Bernal had to pull of a triple save, but his defence was all over the place all day, and when Cacho got through to dink it over the out-rushing stopper, it was all over…. 3-1 loss and richly deserved.

PUMAS
Bernal – 7 – couldn’t really be faulted for the goals, and pulled off some good saves

Velarde – 5 – occasionally out of position
Veron – 5 – not what we are used to, gave away some silly balls.
Pikolin – 5 – actually had a better game than Veron, but his mistake gifted them the first goal
Castro – 5 – not effective going forward, or at the back:-
The defence as a whole was all over the place today – not just the back four, but throughout the team.

Morales – 6 – disappointed with his performance, crossing shocking, but Record gave him man of the match for pumas but I don’t agree (subbed off 65 mins)
Sancho – 6 – solidish, but he needs to lead from the front more, and be more positive throughout the entire game, not just the last 15
Toledo – 4 – did he play? (subbed halftime)
Parejita – 7 – MOM – the only Pumas player showing his huevos today, all over the park, the goal was well taken, and he was leading the brief charge we had.

Gonzalez – 7 – not much support, not many chances, but ran all day, had a few good moves
Scocco – 5 – again lack of support, but looked uninterested, maybe had the ball once. He gave the ball away for the second goal, by waiting for it, just stolen off him nice and easy. (subbed off 65 mins)

SUBS
Diego - (half time) – 6 – looked more positive today
Iñiguez – (65 mins) – 6 – usual Iñiguez display
Reinaldo – (65 mins) – 6 – nothing really

DT
Tuca Ferretti
4-4-2 was right, changes unconvincing, and didn’t seem to be able to galvanise the team into action when desperately needed. He says he doesn’t like to explain what went wrong, as it sounds like excuses, “it’s time to shut up, and take the criticism that this week will bring.” He hopes that Leandro will be fit for the tricky Cruz Azul away fixture. So do I….

GOALS
0-1 – 42 mins – Alverez enjoyed a gift from Pikolin, and stuck passed Bernal to his right.
0-2 – 54 mins – Alex Diego attempted pass to Scocco went astray (both payers to blame), and then Mosquera controlled with his arm, before finishing it.
1-2 – 67 mins – Parejita took control on the right, after some pinball around the box, fired it lethally into the onion bag.
1-3 – 77 mins – Parejita lost the ball, Cacho went past Pikolin like he wasn’t there, and chipped it nicely over Bernal

CARDS
7 mins – Toledo – don’t know why
13 mins – Sancho – tackle from behind, but harsh card.

Elswhere in Mexico:-
The Mexican league has got to be the most unpredictable in the world. Newly promoted and struggling Queretaro beat Cruz Azul, the best team in the league 2-1. Chelito Delgado was in London with the Argentinean squad, and this shows how much influence a player of his calibre has here. San Luis, also struggling, beat Veracruz 4-0, Jaguares lost to Morelia, the only really good news for us was Santos losing. On thing is certain in the Mexican league, however, and that is biased referring in the Azteca. After Marioni scored a beauty inside 5 mins (man, does he love to score at the Azteca), Toluca seemed to be cruising, soaking up pressure as they can. Twenty minutes into the 2nd half, Cuauhtemoc Blanco ran into the box, fell over and went down clearly expecting the penalty, which the ref duly gave… one of the tragedies for America is that they are currently so poor that they really don’t do very much, despite this help. Finished America 1 Toluca 1.

All these results spell complete disaster for us, as we are rooted now to the bottom of the descenso table. Tricky says it is a marathon, not a sprint, but if we keep playing like this we are going down…

Bottom 5 in descenso:-
1.2500 – San Luis – 50 from 40
1.2297 – Veracruz – 91 from 74
1.1757 – Santos – 87 from 74
1.1667 – Queretaro – 7 from 6
1.1216 – PUMAS – 83 from 74

Next Up:-
Saturday 9th September 5pm Cruz Azul at the Estadio Azul, hope I can get tickets…