Monarcas Morelia Vs. Pumas UNAM, 2011 Liguilla Final: Preview

In a league well noted for it’s incredible unpredictability, the Mexican Primera has been surprisingly devoid of surprises - as far as the match results go at least - in the 2011 Clausura’s Liguilla. Sure, the brawl at the end of Cruz Azul and Monarcas Morelia’s tie was surprising, but Morelia’s narrow win in a game where Cruz Azul’s defense collapsed certainly was not. Pumas UNAM were the favorites going into Liguilla and they have reached the final, as expected. Will the major upset finally come?

And no, Chivas de Guadalajara defeating UANL Tigres doesn’t count. That was just the continuation of the Superlider Curse, and Chivas were obviously much more talented than the average No. 8 seed. The media seems to have reached a general consensus that this will be an excellent final, but that Pumas will pull it out. Once again, no major upset.

However, everything that Morelia has done up to this point has been an upset, really. They were thought to have good shots at defeating Club America and Cruz Azul simply because of their regular season results. Coming into this season, they were thought of as a fringe Liguilla team. Personally, I didn’t see them getting in. In the Apertura 2010, they were poor. They made Liguilla in the previous tournament, but they had 10 goals dropped on them by Santos Laguna. They were very underwhelming in their last appearance in Copa Libertadores. Last season, if Miguel Sabah couldn’t score, no one could score. Their attack was entirely anemic.

Then, others upped their games. Sabah hasn’t been great in this tournament (and will be suspended for the final anyway), but Elias Hernandez has been stunning, has have Joao Rojas and Rafael Marquez Lugo. The Morelia attack has finally come alive, seemingly out of nowhere. In this tournament, including playoffs, Lugo has 13 goals. In the last tournament, he scored two.

Pumas are not without a great attack of their own, though. The beauty of what they do is that it is very much about the chemistry between the players and who is hot and/or left unmarked by the defense at any given moment. Juan Cacho, Martin Bravo, Dante Lopez, and Paco Palencia are all great players, and depending on the situation, any three of them can be on the field at one time. Javier Cortes, an attack-minded midfielder, also helps with the goal scoring duties. They are truly a group that is bigger than the team.

Both midfields and defenses are solid, but the Pumas back line is where they really have an edge on Morelia. Pumas can play with a back three or a back four, and their three mainstay defenders are stellar players. Marco Antonio Palacios, an imposing figure, mans the middle. Dario Veron has the size, athletic ability, and technical skills to play either central defense or right fullback, making him a perfect fit to play as a right central defender in a fluid three man back line. Efrain Velarde is much more of a left back than a left sided central defender, but he has proven competent in the role when Pumas plays a back three.

The teams are fairly even in attack and midfield, but the difference in this tie should be the versatility and talent that Pumas has in defense. Morelia start the tie with the home leg, and they will have to win outright to avoid feeling like they have already played themselves out of the tie.

For coverage of the 2011 Clausura’s Liguilla final and content on all things Mexican football, head over to SB Nation’s Mexican football blog, FMF State Of Mind.