Liga MX week 6 recap: Piojo returns, Cruz Azul loses again | OneFootball

We're six weeks into the 2023 Liga MX Clausura, and things are heating up.

The weekend saw several coaching changes, inspiring chaotic results. Tigres triumphed 4-2 over Pumas UNAM with a new interim head coach, while Cruz Azul continues to fall down the rabbit hole with a fourth consecutive defeat.

Here's everything you missed...

1. Piojo appointed Xolos head coach

Miguel Herrera stands as the new Xolos head coach. / Hector Vivas/GettyImages

Club Tijuana has appointed Miguel ‘Piojo’ Herrera as the new head coach amid the 2023 Liga MX Clausura. He replaces former manager Ricardo Valiño, who parted ways with Tijuana on February 5 after a string of negative results. At the time, the Xoloitzcuintles tallied a total of four draws and one loss to land in 14th place on the table with just four points.Piojo now returns for a second spell with the team, after first leading Club Tijuana from 2015 to 2017. During his initial stint, Piojo carried Xolos to top-of-the-table finishes in the 2016 Apertura and 2017 Clausura regular seasons.

2. Marco 'Chima' Ruiz celebrates first win with Tigres

Marco 'Chima' Ruiz celebrates Tigres' victory over Pumas. / Jam Media/GettyImages

Tigres interim head coach Marco Antonio 'Chima' Ruiz celebrated his first victory with the team since inheriting the managerial position on February 10, inspiring a 4-2 triumph over Pumas UNAM on Saturday. Chima replaced Diego Cocca, who was fired by Tigres to become the head coach of the  Mexican national team."I am excited and happy, because people do not know how hard it has been for me to get to this moment,” he said after the match. “I have been a technical director for 14 years and I have been through many situations. I have broken stones everywhere. I have almost 100 international matches leading the Mexican national team youth levels, two World Cups, Central Americans, a runner-up, I'm not impromptu."Tigres currently sit in second place of the Liga MX table after a strong start to the tournament with 14 points in six games and a record of 4W-0L-2D. The victory against Pumas on Saturday propelled the team past reigning champions Pachuca, cementing their place among the top four almost halfway through the tournament.The team returns to the field on Tuesday when hosting FC Juarez at Estadio Universitario.

3. Cruz Azul remain winless

Raul Gutiérrez comments on his place in Cruz Azul after another defeat. / Manuel Velasquez/GettyImages

Head coach Raul 'Potro' Gutierrez is hanging on by a thread after Cruz Azul lost once again, this time 3-1 to Toluca. The team has yet to win in the 2023 Liga MX Clausura, falling to 17th place on the table with one point in five games and a record of 0W-4L-1D. It's the team's worst start to a tournament in 18 years. "The right person should be asked, about my continuity or not... Until they say thank you, this continues. In this sense, we have spoken with the board and they have shown that confidence. We understand that this inertia that we have today we thought to break it and it was not, but until an official message is given to me, I could not comment on it," Gutierrez said in a post-match press conference over his potential departure."We are calm in the sense that the game plan we made gave results in many phases of the game but obviously we are not crowning it with a goal, which is what makes the difference like today... But this theme has been repeated: you're welcome It's good to play good games if you don't win them," he added.

4. Club America finally win

Club America finally win, / Jam Media/GettyImages

Club America finally won again, after four draws in six games.The Mexico City team triumphed 2-1 over Necaxa, as goals from Diego Valdes and Henry Martin sealed the three points. The victory propelled Club America to fourth place on the table with 10 points and a record of 2W-0L-4D, after initially falling behind at the start of the 2023 Clausura."Feelings that we could suffer a little less, we wasted many situations; it was won. Sometimes keeping zero is part of. I really liked the second half, we generated more chances; many inaccuracies throughout the game. It's not an excuse but the pitch I wasn't in good condition, but the important thing is that the team prevails above all else," said head coach Fernando Ortiz after the game.