Cruz Azul's goal-scoring wing-backs

Data from Fotmob and Wyscout. Photo from TV Azteca.

Thought: Attacking full-backs/wing backs aren’t just capable of being creative outlets, but can also arrive into dangerous positions inside the box to score goals.

Since 2024, when Martín Anselmi arrived, four full-backs/wing-backs have generated more than 0.1 xG per game, and all four have played for Cruz Azul. Nacho Rivero, Rodrigo Huescas, Carlos Rotondi and Jorge Sánchez.

For Cruz Azul, their wing-backs aren’t just used to create width and superiorities whilst trying to create chances, or to cross from wide, they also can arrive in the box and score.

The dark blue zones on the heat maps show where they’ve had more touches. Analysis from Clausura 2025.

La Máquina’s wing-backs generate xG by getting into dangerous positions to shoot from, especially those that have played on the right side.

Analysis since 2024, dark blue zones are where they’ve shot from more often.

There’s a perfect example of their strategy in-action against Santos Laguna yesterday. Cruz Azul attack with five players, wing-backs Rotondi and Rivero (circled) occupy width on the last line with Alexis Gutiérrez, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Mateusz Bogusz in central positions.

Santos have to adjust to match-up the Cruz Azul attackers (they only have a back-four), and Ramiro Sordo, their left-winger, drops backs to cover Rivero.

La Máquina circulate the ball towards the left-side, and Rotondi wins a 1vs1 against José Abella, creating a crossing opportunity. Santos’ back-four shift across to the right-side, with left-back Bruno Amione marking Bogusz. Santos’ problem comes from Sordo, who doesn’t mark Rivero well, and he arrives unmarked to score the only goal of the match.

This was the second time in two matches against Santos that their wing-backs have combined to score, as Jorge Sánchez finished off a Rotondi cross last season.

In total, following Anselmi’s arrival, a Cruz Azul wing-back has set-up another wing-back to shoot 15 times, the highest number in the league.

Amount of key passes from one full-back/wing-back to another

Furthermore, this metric only takes into account the direct shot assists, and therefore doesn’t include second balls after a wing-back’s cross.

Rivero’s goal in the quarter-final second-leg versus Tijuana in one example that won’t have counted in the metric. Once again, with Rotondi well-positioned to cross, Rivero attacks the box.

And as in the game against Santos, the Uruguayan can exploit poor marking from a more attacking player (in this example, Raúl Zúñiga), getting in-behind him to score from close range. One strength of using a wing-back to attack the box is that they may be marked by a player that isn’t naturally a defender and will likely be less effective at marking in the area. Cruz Azul have made the most of these situations.

Nacho Rivero has been very effective in the box this season, showing intelligent movement and good finishing, and he hasn’t just scored after Rotondi crosses.

One of his nine goals during 2024-25 came in the final against América, after a ball into the box from Gonzalo Piovi. Nacho is aware of the space that Piovi has, and that with his precise chipped/high passes, this is a great opportunity to make a run in-behind the América defense. Cristian Borja is caught ball-watching, and therefore doesn’t follow Rivero’s run.

With Borja losing his man, an error in an attempt to head the ball away, and Luis Malagón staying close to his line, Nacho has time to control the ball and score.

On their left-side, the shooting heat map shows that Rotondi doesn’t arrive into the box as frequently to attack passes or cross into the area, and therefore his xG per shot is lower (perhaps he should shoot less from difficult positions). The Argentine is more of a creator of chances in this Cruz Azul side, but can also move inside at times to generate his own shots.

For example, Rotondi can be the free man if La Máquina build-up on the right and switch play towards the left. These screenshots come before his goal against Necaxa last season. Rotondi is free whilst the ball is on the right-side, and the Necaxa defender nearest to the Argentine signals that he’s unmarked, but cover doesn’t arrive.

Cruz Azul move the ball towards the left, ending in a 2vs1 situation, and Rotondi has time to finish into the far corner.

There’s been criticism surrounding Vicente Sánchez’s coaching in his first six matches as Cruz Azul interim coach, and La Máquina haven’t controlled many of their games to the same extent that we saw during Anselmi’s time in charge.

However, Sánchez have maintained many concepts that worked well in 2024. They’re still playing with a back three/five with attacking wing-backs, and the attacking output of those wing-backs continues to be a strength of this Cruz Azul team.

Adjusting effectively out-of-possession and preventing the wing-backs from arriving in space is an important factor for any team as they prepare to face La Máquina. Teams such as Atlas, Juárez and Puebla did this rather well at the start of Clausura 2025, defending with a back-five, and preventing Cruz Azul from creating much threat via crosses into the box.

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