A tumultuous Liga MX Apertura 2024 season for Chivas came to an end after bitter city rivals, Atlas, came into the Estadio Akron and scored two goals in the dying minutes of the game to advance to the final Play-In game and end Chivas's season.
What Went Wrong With Chivas in 2024?
2024 will be a year to forget for the Liga MX giant and there's plenty of blame to go around for the club's failures. Yes, Chivas was favored to advance over Atlas; however, for those paying close attention, the loss wasn't all that surprising given what's transpired at Chivas recently. This year, the team made a habit of losing knockout games against its biggest rivals.
Twice eliminated by historical arch nemesis, Club América in both the 2024 Concacaf Champions League and Liga MX Clausura 2024 season plus the season-ending defeat at home against Atlas are only the tip of the iceberg. Atlas had already defeated Chivas at home a little over a month ago, a date that will live in infamy for Chivas fans, as it was the last game managed by its former coach: Fernando Gago.
Gago left Chivas high and dry in the thick of the playoff race with only six games remaining in the regular season. Gago led Chivas to a the Clausura 2024 semifinal in his first season as manager and fans were hopeful that a well-structured sporting project was in its infancy with the Argentine at the helm. Results weren't spectacular in Gago's second season, but the team had an identity and played some of the best soccer in Mexico
Chivas was in the Play-In positions even before Gago left, but there was a feeling results would eventually end up going its way if it continued to play like it did during the first half of the season. Then, in a matter of days, Boca Juniors seduced Gago out of Chivas in a saga that ended up being as drama-filled as a classic telenovela. Gago left on short notice, emulating the man that originally hired him at Chivas: Fernando Hierro.
The legendary Real Madrid player served as Chivas's sporting director and hired Gago at the start of the year. In late May, Hierro left his position with Los Rojiblancos to become Al Nassr's new sporting director in the Saudi Pro League. Instead of bringing in someone new, Chivas elected to leave two men who Hierro brought with him to the club as the new directors. The plan backfired, they were ill-prepared for the role as was demonstrated by their inability to find a new coach after Gago left.
It's also true that even with Gago, it's unlikely that Chivas would've ended 2024 with a trophy. Yes, the constant and abrupt exits by directors and manager damaged the team, but there's another major problem: The roster isn't as good as others in the league.
Chivas is known for having a squad made up exclusively by players with a Mexican passport. It's a feature the club is proud of, constantly referring to itself as the "Most Mexican" club in Mexico. For decades it prided itself on having the best Mexican talents in its ranks. However, those days are long gone, other teams in Liga MX have usurped Chivas' domain over the best Mexican players. In the latest international break, only two Chivas players were selected to represent Mexico.
All in all, failures and deficiencies from the top down at Chivas ended up costing dearly. It's a year that will undoubtedly be considered as a failure, not necessarily for the lack of trophies, but for the manner in which the eliminations came to fruition.
What Comes Next for Chivas?
A big rebuild is expected for 2025. Chivas have been without a permanent manager since mid October and surely plenty of high-profile candidates have already began lining up for one of the most coveted jobs in Mexican soccer.
Perhaps Chivas will opt to wait until there's a decision on who will be the club's sporting director so that whoever assumes that role can have a say on the manager appointment. In any case, decisions must be taken quickly so that the new project can begin to work on squad reinforcements that are badly needed before the start of the Clausura 2025 season in early January.
There are players that surely played their last minutes for Chivas in the loss vs. Atlas, and new quality players must come in to raise the ceiling of a limited roster.
These will be pivotal weeks for owner Amaury Vergara, how he handles the transition and selection of the new sporting project at the club will have significant ramifications in its future.
One of if not the most historic club in Mexico is now the laughing stock of soccer fans across the country. Drastic changes are definitely coming within the club to try and rescue a sinking ship. Chivas can't have 2025 be a repeat of 2024, its history demands it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as A Painful 2024 Comes to an End for Chivas: What Happened to the Liga MX Giant?.
