While trying to save his job, Santiago Solari erased Alejandro Zendejas from Club América

On Saturday night, Pumas UNAM and Club América protagonized one of the most closed games of Clausura 2022 so far, as neither of them had any clear plays that could have changed the result of the match that finished in a scoreless draw.

Club América arrived as the victim to their match against Pumas, given that they currently stand 17 on Clausura 2022 and a combination of results could place them as the last team in Liga MX table, if Santos Laguna wins their game by two or more goals after Las Águilas didn't manage to win in Ciudad Universitaria.

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But that isn’t the only thing that was at stage in the match of the round 7 of Clausura 2022, as Santiago Solari’s future with Las Águilas was hanging by a thread if Club América didn’t improve their performance significantly from what they’ve shown in the most recent games, Solari was going to start looking for a new job.

Although Pumas is having a better season than Las Águilas, given that the clubs know each other very well, as the Clásico Capitalino is one of the most fierceful games in Liga MX, the match was stuck in the midfield for most of the 90 minutes, as neither Andrés Lillini nor Santiago Solari wanted to risk the result and thus their position in Liga MX table.

But one of the most prejudiced players of the approach Solari had in his eagerness of saving his job was Alejandro Zendejas, who was erased by the Argentine coach, even though he was one of the most profitable players in Liga MX before his arrival in El Nido.

Why did Solari decided to bench Zendejas?

Since Zendejas arrived in Club América out of Club Necaxa, he’s seen his playing time diminished, as he was a starter for the first game he was part of Las Águilas and played the whole game. Since then, he hasn’t played more than 45 minutes, and against Pumas he had to watch the game from the bench, as he only played the added time.

On the few minutes that Zendejas had on the pitch, he showed why, at 24, he's one of the best Mexican players in Liga MX and why he should be consider to start over Navedo, Sánchez and Juan Ferney Otero, as he looked more dangerous and had more plays than Otero, who played 90 minutes.

Instead of Zendejas, Solari has started Santiago Naveda and Richard Sánchez, although they haven’t helped Las Águilas to get a positive result. Although rumors suggest that Solari has refused to given him minutes as he feels that Zendejas was imposed on his roster, as he was not part of the players he asked for.

If Solari leaves, who will replace him?

Santiago Baños knows that changing coaches during the season is a hard thing to do in a Club as big as Club América, which is why the most likely to take over the position is Diego Ramírez, Club América’s Sporting Director, who will become an interim coach, as he knows the structure and the culture inside Las Águilas camp.

Club América will wait until the end of the season to name a definitive coach, something that will give them time to define the best person for the job. Some of the names that are on Las Águilas radar are Alfredo Tena, Robert Dante Siboldi, Nicolás Larcamón and Guillermo Almada.

How have Las Águilas performed with Solari?

Since arriving in Club América over a year ago, Santiago Solari has struggled to achieve the goals established for Las Águilas, as he hasn’t been able to reach the semifinals of Liga MX and lost the CONCACAF Champions League final against Monterrey.

His biggest achievement in América’s dugout was earning 35 points on his second tournament, when Las Águilas were leaders. Although his numbers are good overall, it’s true that the team has seen their performances diminished on recent months, when they’ve won just one game in over 130 days.

Prior to Las Águilas visit to Ciudad Universitaria, Santiago Solari has coached Club América for 48 games, winning 26 of them. He’s also tied 10 games and lost the remainder 12, which gives him an effectivity percentage of 61.11%, although this number drops dramatically if are only considered the 6 games of Clausura 2022, where he has one victory, one draw and four defeats.

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