Despite Chivas’ miserable start to 2025 Apertura, Milito defiant and has no intentions of standing down

With just one win in six games, Chivas languish in 16th position in the 2025 Liga MX Apertura table. Ironically, despite this poor showing, the team are being praised for their playing style and just this weekend, Cruz Azul boss Nicolás Larcamón claimed he faced and defeated the best Guadalajara he’s seen since arriving in Mexico. This is one of the reasons why, after the 2-1 defeat, the Chivas coach, Gabi Milito, reiterated his “unwavering” confidence in his players and declared that he doesn’t intend to resign “for anything in the world.”

“Sorry to interrupt your question. If that was the intention, I learned from those mistakes. I wouldn’t quit for anything in the world because I’ll only quit the day I feel the team needs to hear another song. But I feel like the team or the song they listen to. No, that’s why I fully understood where the question was going. Sorry to interrupt, but I’ll spare you the words by answering you. I’ve already learned from their mistakes. I’ve already learned from their mistakes,” he said Saturday night at Akron Stadium.

“I don’t think Cruz Azul has better players than us, otherwise we wouldn’t have played the game we did. We have very good players. It’s a lie that Chivas needs to change its policy and this whole questioning just fielding Mexican players as our Mexicans are very good. I know the ones I work with every day are very good. Of course, after losing and finding it hard to talk about processes, it’s difficult. It’s true that results matter. But there’s also a much deeper analysis of the club, and on my part, to say, ‘Up to here, it’s fine,’ or ‘We move on,’” he asserted.

“I see room for improvement in the team and that they’re living up to my expectations. The results are bad, very bad, and I’m responsible. What do I have to do? Work... work twice as hard if necessary. I have a clear conscience that the club supports this and that the project won’t be over in a year. If not, look back at the great teams in history and see how they started, although there are always exceptions. Guardiola debuted and won six titles, and I was there. Most of the time, putting a team together isn’t done in two months. You want immediate results; how can we be calm after six games and four defeats? But, now I also see positive things,” concluded Gabriel Milito.

He then expressed confidence in overcoming the tough patch in terms of results. “Football constantly tests you. When you’re doing well, it sees how you’re doing, and when you’re not doing well, it tests you to see how you’re doing. I’m clear that crises can be overcome, and that requires strength. In that sense, we’re not going to give up, until the very end, neither I nor the players. Especially considering the team’s performance. The results are undeniable, clearly unexpected, undeserved, but real. We accept it. We’ll endure what we have to endure. We know what Chivas generates, whether it’s winning or losing, but internally, we’re clear about things and we’ll continue to seek that result we were talking about,” he explained.

And finally, he reiterated his intention to remain at the head of the team. “Internally, we are very strong and united. We have had six matches in which we had unexpected results, where the team dominated in almost every match. And in some cases, we have lost with the opponent doing much less. The result is what it is. As for us, we have no doubt that this is the path and we must continue. It is very easy to change players and coaches, but that rarely yields results in football. Here at Chivas, it has been proven. The day I feel that the team is not competing, that they are not giving their best, that is the end of the cycle. As long as I don’t see that, I will be with the players until the end, no matter what the cost. The team is alive and competitive. It beats its opponents, I believe so. At some point, that ball that is going to be the goal will go wide; Hormiga’s header will be a goal. We have to change this dynamic and how it is changed, by trusting. We know that there can be a thousand opinions because we are exposed to that. Internally, we correct mistakes, but I value the team’s successes. Even in the defeat, the team goes and is great,” concluded Gabriel Milito.

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