Tijuana will have little time to celebrate last week’s 2-0 victory against Santos Laguna. Four days after the win, which was Xolos’ first of the regul
Tijuana will have little time to celebrate last week’s 2-0 victory against Santos Laguna. Four days after the win, which was Xolos’ first of the regular season, the squad will take part in a midweek match against Queretaro on Tuesday night.
Although Los Gallos Blancos currently have a four point lead over Tijuana, their noteworthy inconsistency should be able to provide Xolos with another chance for a victory. Queretaro has struggled to be dominant in the attack and has at times relied on big performances from Tiago Volpi in net.
During Week 2, it’s also worth noting that Los Gallos Blancos were taken apart by Lobos BUAP in the 4-0 loss at home. With a high-pressing 3-4-3/3-5-2 formation from the opposition, Queretaro failed to contain the onslaught of threatening runs and shots. Interestingly enough, that same formation from Lobos BUAP is somewhat similar to the one that Xolos used last week…
Either way, Tijuana has a good opportunity to earn another win this Tuesday against an average Liga MX side. Following last week’s victory over Santos, Xolos manager Eduardo “Chacho” Coudet should be able continue making gradual progress with his roster.
Key to success for Xolos — Utilize the 5-3-2 once again
If there’s one thing that Coudet must carry over from last week, it needs to be the high-pressing 5-3-2 setup. With plenty of runs down the wings from his fullbacks, the formation is probably best represented as a dynamic 3-5-2 that put plenty of emphasis on the attack.
After an awful start to the Apertura, it was a revelation to see Xolos move quickly and efficiently through Santos’ half of the field. Under-performing names such as Gustavo Bou, Damian Musto and Matias Aguirregaray appeared emboldened with the formation that helped them thrive.
However, assuming that Queretaro runs with a typical 4-2-3-1, this means that Musto needs to be near-perfect on Tuesday. Despite the fact that the central midfielder was one of Xolos’ most impressive against Santos, the Argentine has also proven to be sluggish in a couple of previous matches.
Xolos player to watch — Ignacio Malcorra
The simple answer here should be Bou, but I’ll go with Malcorra. The winger, who was flashy and brilliant last week, has recently emerged as Tijuana’s most important player. Without Aviles Hurtado or Paul Arriola, Malcorra has taken it upon himself to lead a number of attacking plays going forward.
It’s no wonder that only two other players in the entire league have covered more ground than the 30-year-old. Malcorra never runs out of energy, and even if it means that a handful of bad passes or crosses are created, he will tirelessly do his best to push forward.
Predicted Xolos starting XI
Coudet is close to finding his ideal starters, but he might want to test out another player or two this week. This is what I think we will see. Like usual, I’ll be sure to update the post if there is a confirmed starting XI announced beforehand.
Predicted score — Queretaro 1-3 Tijuana
I’m thinking that Xolos will build upon their momentum from the recent win. It’s going to be exciting to see if the new formation will work once again.
Sidenote: For those who haven’t heard, Xolos recently announced on Monday that Juan Iturbe has signed with the club. The 24-year-old winger is an excellent addition and one that should be able to easily replace Paul Arriola’s role with the team.
.@Juan_iturbe93 is a Xoloitzcuintle. Check out some details about @Albirroja striker. https://t.co/7b3TEqy80h #WelcomeToTijuana #GoXolos pic.twitter.com/ygByq389UV
— @Xolos_En (@xolos_en) August 21, 2017
