Juan Reynoso insists on benching Santiago Giménez in Cruz Azul

On Saturday night, Chivas surprised everyone on Estadio Azteca by beating 1-0 Cruz Azul, as El Rebaño Sagrado arrived at the game amidst a crisis both inside and outside the pitch. But one goal, scored by Cristian “Chicote” Calderón was enough for them to upset La Máquina.

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Cruz Azul started the season as one of the top contenders of Liga MX as they had the roster as well as the motivation to be a protagonist in both Clausura 2022 and CONCACAF Champions League, but now, it seems like they will have a tough time in Liguilla if they even make it past Repechaje.

La Máquina was fighting to finish the season on the top 4, as those are the teams that will make it to Liguilla avoiding playing Repechaje, but the bad results, added to the good streak that Monterrey and Atlas are having, have send Los Cementeros to the sixth place.

What’s more surprising is that Juan Reynoso doesn’t seem to trust Santiago Giménez, even if the 20-year-old is Cruz Azul’s forward with most goals scored in the season, something he’s managed to do in the few minutes that the Peruvian coach gives him.

His opportunity didn’t come with Angulo’s departure

The sudden departure of the 26-year-old Ecuadorian forward Brayan Angulo, who rescinded his contract with Cruz Azul a couple of weeks ago to join Brazilian side Santos FC given that he was looking for a fresh start, opened the door for Giménez to finally establish as a regular in La Máquina’s lineup.

But instead of him Reynoso has inclined to give Iván Morales more playing time, as the 22-year-old Chilean forward has been the starter forward in the past three games, although he has yet to score his first goal for Cruz Azul.

There’s not a logical explanation for the lack of trust that Reynoso has in the Mexico international, especially since he’s helped Cruz Azul to earn at least seven points, as his goals and assistances have directly influenced the score sheet.

Will he end up leaving?

It’s clear that Giménez won’t have more playing time in Cruz Azul for as long as Reynoso remains as their coach, which is why he’s considering leaving La Máquina for the next season. His desire could become true thanks to the interest that RCD Espanyol has showed recently.

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