Tata Martino explains Lionel Messi’s absence after Inter Miami loss to Monterrey

All of the talk around Inter Miami is when they will have Lionel Messi back in order to better compete in a season full of challenges. So his absence in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2024 was a significant setback in their campaign.

However, despite the 1-2 home loss to Monterrey, manager Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino was satisfied with the level shown by his players against Monterrey.

The South American manager made his position clear regarding the absence of Messi in what was a hugely demanding match: “It’s one match at a time. We understood that this was not the match for him to be in, he was not ready. That’s how it will be against Colorado (Rapids), that’s how it will be with the return leg in Monterrey, but he’s feeling better every day, it’s just that today we were taking too big a risk”.

‘We competed very well and that is what I think is important’

Following this, Martino opened up on his view of the game as a whole: “Given the circumstances surrounding the opponent we faced, thinking that Monterrey had a fit squad and that we had important absences, the truth is that I liked the way we competed. We did really well, if I review the match, we didn’t have any dangerous defensive moments.

“The set piece for the 1-1 is an unfortunate action of ours and the 2-1 is a goal from long range, which was simply a product of the talent that the rival has. The truth is that we competed very well and that is what I think is important and attractive about the team, because when you get to these stages with the best teams in the continent it is also a learning experience”, Martino concluded on the game which saw yet another Liga MX team get one over on their MLS rivals.

Pressure from Monterrey ‘was difficult for us to endure’

When asked by AS USA about what he had to do when he was left with 10 men due to David Ruiz’s red card, he replied: “Playing against a rival like Monterrey demands a significant physical strain and when you have to face the last twenty minutes with one less player we had to set up a line of five because they had already put Berterame and had two players on the inside”.

“It was logical that we were going to have moments where they dominated”, he said, “I thought we were going to suffer more, but we didn’t suffer so much. It took such a lot of wear and tear that when you have to play the final twenty minutes with one less player, it was difficult for us to endure it”.

Finally, to give a boost to the Honduran midfielder due to his red card, Martino made things clear: “Everything is a learning process, David (Ruiz) is a very young player. He probably needs a lot more experience, but he has a lot of enthusiasm to play. He has a great desire to continue learning. He has to face this game as a starter, but while he was on the field he did very well. Surely it’s one of those mistakes that you make when you’re young and they serve for the rest of your career.”

Inter Miami will now aim to turn the aggregate score around in the second leg when the teams meet at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, México next Wednesday, April 10 at 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT. You can follow that game live with AS USA.