Madelón on the brink: decline sets alarm bells ringing at Unión | OneFootball

Unión’s present situation has put Leonardo Madelón in the spotlight. Despite the credit he earned upon his return in 2025, the poor start to the current competition and the successive eliminations have eroded support for the coach. The numbers from his current spell are telling: 48 matches managed with an average of 1.27 points per game, a figure insufficient to secure survival in the First Division and contend for international cups.

A tournament start deep in the red

The start of the 2026 Clausura exposed Tatengue’s footballing crisis. From five matches played, the team collected only four points, the result of one win, one draw, and three defeats, with five goals scored and eight conceded. The campaign began with a 2-2 draw against Platense and continued with its only victory, a 2-1 win over Lanús. Then came three straight losses: 2-0 against Gimnasia de Mendoza, 2-1 at home to Central Córdoba, and the recent 1-0 defeat to San Lorenzo at the Nuevo Gasómetro.

Trouble across every table

This run leaves Unión second from bottom in Zone A, just one point above Talleres, a team that still has the chance to overtake it. However, the urgency goes beyond this short tournament.

In the overall standings, Tatengue sits 21st, with a meager 25 points from 21 matches played. In the relegation average table, it stands 16th with a coefficient of 1.319, which keeps it out of the danger zone but leaves no room for complacency.

The contrast with the second half of 2025

The current outlook blurs the strong finish to last year. In that half of the season, Madelón managed to steady the team, secured survival, and advanced to the league round of 16, where it lost 2-1 to Gimnasia at the 15 de Abril Stadium.

Despite that domestic achievement, the definitive wear and tear of the cycle began to take shape with setbacks in that same year’s knockout competitions: elimination in the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana and a 4-3 loss to River in the round of 16 of the Copa Argentina.

The 2026 eliminations and a margin for error that has run out

The current year has not brought the expected results in knockout matchups either. Although Unión reached the quarterfinals of the Torneo Apertura, it was eliminated after a 2-0 loss to Belgrano in Córdoba. Shortly afterward, it suffered another blow in the Copa Argentina, where Independiente beat it 2-0 in Rosario in the round of 32.

After the latest defeat to San Lorenzo, Madelón left a remark that reflects the urgency of the moment: “If things need to change, I will change.” The head coach said he is considering structural changes in training and in the tactical system. Tweaking details is no longer enough for him; he needs to restore quality of play, sharpness, and results before patience runs out completely.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.