Chivas de Guadalajara, like everything else Liga MX, begins 2021 with illusions about the continental plane; well looking for South America. It is that currently exists, in a concrete way, the hope that Mexican football can once again be the protagonist of the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, Conmebol tournaments, after almost half a decade.
Club Deportivo Guadalajara, along with its eternal rival, Club América, was the first two Mexican teams to compete in these emblematic South American-level club competitions in 1998, and that lasted for almost two decades until 2015, after Tigres UANL’s final against River Plate, which finally devoted. A period when the rojiblancos lagged behind the Libertadores runner-up in 2010 and reached the semifinals in 2005 and 2006. However, the question being asked is whether Chivas would have the level to fight for both trophies again in the event of the Liga MX re-establishment.
For all Conmebol tournaments in which Mexico had participated throughout history, Chivas played 92 games, 36 wins, 23 draws and 33 defeats. These statistics are already an important piece of information in analyzing what could be a hypothetical return to these leagues. The ones from Guadalajara have always been tough rivals and so they would stay that way if they played against the Libertadores as well as the South American.
What must be taken into account and brought into the balance, is when the rivals that Chivas would face are equal, weaker, or stronger than those the Holy Flock faced in their last appearances and if they are additionally compared to those who play the Concacaf Champions League.
And as for these questions the answer in both cases is undoubtedly yes. Today in South America there are more tough and more difficult teams to beat than at the beginning of this century, when they were few and very strong. Appointcan you talk about Carlos Bianchi’s Boca Juniors that he dominated Argentine football for years and was unstoppable on a continental level. Today the situation is different, with more heterogeneous and complete schools, without distinguishing between names or history. Although sometimes you can also see a hegemony of certain cadres, such as River Plate, exactly a rival of Xeneize, led by Marcelo Gallardo.
To this must be added the trips. The expansion of quota by Conmebol, allowing more teams to participate in the competitions, also allowed greater diversification in the locations where these gatherings take place. In this sense, Mexico has always played at a disadvantage to Concacaf leagues, as it has to make long and exhausting journeys every time it leaves the country. This is something Liga MX must weigh when evaluating a possible return to Conmebol.
But if the question needs to be answered, analyze if Chivas de Guadalajara has the level, The answer is yes and no. Yes because It is one of the most important teams in Mexico and the continentHence, it would be a very hard-to-beat rival, a serious contender to reach the decisive stages. And not because Mexico has never in its history been characterized as a serious competitor in this field; League MX teams, including Chivas, have even made it to the tournament’s grand finals, but always fall for the – it must be admitted – supremacy of South America. After this, today Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay are flat, equal to or superior to domestic football.
Nevertheless, the return to both the Copa Libertadores and the South American of the Liga MX teams would be great news for all Mexican football, which would once again take his place in a continental competition that has always had Chivas and the rest of the clubs as protagonists; in addition to the meaning generated by the inclusion of the great protagonists of South American and world football, such as Boca Juniors, River Plate, Flamengo, Palmeiras, Santos, Lanús, Vélez Sarsfield, among others. It will be necessary to see what happens in 2021.
Repeat as semi-finals, minimum