LIGA MX
Fernando Ortiz takes the blame for Monterrey defeat to Cruz Azul
Los Rayados returned to Liga MX action with a home defeat. The Monterrey head coach took responsibility for the loss.
Fernando Ortiz was unwilling to make excuses after his Monterrey side were beaten by Cruz Azul on Sunday evening.
Speaking after the game ‘Tano’ took full responsibility for the 2-1 loss as his team’s poor run of form continued. Monterrey ended the Clausura 2023 with the most points in Liga MX but they were beaten in the play-off semi-final. They now find themselves eighth in the table after four games.
Ortiz joined the team in May and has got off to a promising start with Monterrey. But in the aftermath of Sunday’s defeat the 45-year-old admitted that he was not happy with the performance at Estadio BBVA.
“The quick analysis, honestly, is that I didn’t like how we played,” he said. “I’m responsible, we had chances to tie. I didn’t like it.”
“When I do a quick analysis I do it generally; in general I didn’t like it. At times we were able to play well, we played open with the full-backs... [But] it wasn’t as clear as we thought we had been playing.”
He continued: “I was expecting this Cruz Azul team to counterattack, to have chances in specific plays in which they were effective. We did not. We lost, you have to accept defeat "
Ortiz refuses to blame Andrada for early blunder
Monterrey are now on a three-game losing streak after a promising beginning to the new season. They got off to the worst possible start against Cruz Azul when goalkeeper Esteban Andrada let a weak shot through his legs within the opening ten minutes.
The 32-year-old allowed Diber Cambindo to open the scoring and the Rayados keeper could have done better to stop Moisés grabbing the winner in the second half. However Ortiz insisted that Andada’s mistake was not what cost his team the game.
“I am not one to talk about personal errors, if the error was not Andrada’s it would have been another,” he said.
“The error was a result of many things. It was notable, yes, but it was part of a wider problem.”
“I don’t like to make excuses, when the team plays well it’s the players’ merit and when it plays badly I’m responsible,” Ortiz said.
Despite the poor recent form, Ortiz made clear that he will not be changing the way his team plays. Los Rayados are back in action on Wednesday, 30 August with a trip to Toluca, who have won just one of their opening five fixtures.