Thanks to Ivan Pineda & Dylan Jimenez from The Eagle Eye Podcast for answering some questions ahead of what is probably the biggest match in Mexico this weekend, the Club América v Monterrey match this Saturday night.
The two of them run one of the few English language Club-America specific podcasts, and are worth a listen, even if you’re not an Américanista.
EP32
— The Eagle Eye Podcast©️ (@EagleEyePod) August 8, 2018
NEW POD: Listen as we break down @ClubAmerica 3-1 over Pachuca & Laínez brace ⚽️ Plus we Preview the upcoming game vs @Rayados at the @EstadioAzteca and GIVEAWAY details✅ OUT NOW!!#LigaMXEng#AguilasEng https://t.co/pKBQtz5TrT
Check them out for anything and everything related to Las Águilas in English.
Pete Schlenker: Is Diego Lainez the real deal, and why didn’t Piojo play him in the Clausura?
Ivan Pineda: Since the moment he’s stepped out on the pitch for Club America, Diego Laínez has appeared to be the real deal and with time he’s shown us he’s capable of even more. There’s this on going conspiracy theory that Miguel Herrera didn’t play him last season out of spite to Ricardo La Volpe, so that’s as good of a guess as possible really because there really isn’t any other viable reason for him not to start Laínez.
Dylan Jimenez: Diego Lainez is special. We can all agree we have a gem on our hands and we have seen that countless of times but game against Pachuca is one to remember. I don’t think Piojo played him much in the Clausura because I don’t see him starting over Ibarra, Ibargüen, Menez, Cecilio, then Darwin Quintero but as injuries hit we see him get minutes under Piojo, also I think he was with the youth team for sometime.
PS: Have América missed Menez to the degree that was feared?
IP: It’s to early to tell in the season. With only 3 games under the belt it’s hard to assess the absence from the Frenchman, but the teams starting to look well even with out him, so I would say no the teams coped very well with this injury.
DJ: To an extent. Menez did bring very good things to the team such as holding the ball, he slowed play down and dictated the tempo in the midfield and was passing the ball great. Obviously this team has not looked it best over 3 games but they have gotten better. We see a 442 without Menez but when Menez returns we could see a shift back to a 4231
PS: Which player will surprise against Monterrey this weekend?
IP: Roger Martinez, I think the Colombian striker is starting to find his footing in the league and it’s a matter of time before he gets into the leagues rhythm and this game could be exactly that.
DJ: Lainez is a player to watch out for. A good showing against a strong MTY team will be a positive for him. I think we can remember last time he played against MTY as they struggled to contain him and eventually frustrated Jesus Molina early in the game and Molina seeing red. Lainez is gonna be a stand out player for me.
PS: Who do Rayados fans need look out for?
IP: The obvious answer would be Diego Laínez, but I’m going with Renato Ibarra. Arguably our best player last season, the Ecuadorian will bring pace and trickery to the right hand side of the pitch for us. Not only is he fast, but he’s also strong on the ball being able to lead the attack very well.
DJ: I think you can take my answer from number 3 lol
PS: Predict the score.
IP: 4-0 America, just like it was stated on the pod!
DJ: 2-2 will be the final scoreline