“We risked too much with Messi”

Gerardo Martinotechnician Inter Miamihe explained after the defeat against the striped 1-2 without an injured player in this match leo messi despite training the previous day, and did not want to give a specific date for his return to the team.

“It goes game by game, we understand that it’s not the game. That’s how it’s going to be Colorado and upon entry Monterrey. He is feeling better but today we took a risk,” the Argentine coach said at a press conference.

Doubt until the last minute, Messiwho has been suffering from a muscle injury since mid-March, was finally left out of the squad for the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals, where Monterrey won 1-2 against an Inter Miami that suffered the dismissal of David. Ruíz in the second half.

It’s not just about the genius of Rosary beads: There were many casualties due to the injury that the team had Inter Miami and Martino He pointed out the preparation and the many journeys that were made.

“What we do not have, unfortunately, is the complete ‘roster’, between 20 and 22 players. Having any reduction in the team is not appropriate. I do not know whether to attribute it exclusively to the breakdown of preseason trips,” he said.

About the first leg match Monterey, The coach knows how to draw positive conclusions.

“We did well, in the first half we were even able to convert the second. When you have such a high-ranking team in front of you, with players from the Chilean team, the Mexican team… you have to be very solid, no mistakes. Unfortunately we didn’t do them in the game but in a bad action,” he argued.

At this point, Martin He indicated that physical appearance was a factor that influenced performance at the end of the crash.

“We lacked the legs to play the last twenty minutes in the same way as the rest of the game. Monterey It demands a lot from you and playing with one less person forced us to rearrange the line of five. It was logical that we were going to have dominated moments, it seems to me that we will suffer even more and it’s not that big. But it requires us that playing in the last minutes with fewer players is more noticeable,” he explained.

Regarding favoritism in this tournament, the Argentine coach is clearly the Inter Miami He is not among the main candidates.

“I think these kinds of competitions, if we have the possibility to continue Montereycoming Tigers or the champion of MLSand maybe after Americawhich is the big favorite,” he said.

Fernando Ortiz wants Messi back

The technician Rayados, Fernando Ortizdid not hide his admiration Messi and their desire to see him again on the field, even against them in the rematch.

“I’m impressed Leo, I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, I continue to observe it and I continue to admire it. I would have liked to face him but I was interested in my team winning. We expect him to play today, he is the best player in the world of all time. I hope I can come back and enjoy it,” he said.

Favoritism also affects becoming a champion in some ways striped but it does not put pressure on those of Monterrey.

“These are judgments that journalists make. Behind closed doors we know the responsibility of wearing this shirt and what it represents to our country. Nothing has been decided yet to continue to the next round. It is depends on us, but being the favorite, with this shirt and the institution we are in, is something normal,” he responded emphatically.

The most unique thing about the Argentine coach is the ability of his players to react and return the result.

“I think we did reach desperation at times, we lost the axis of the game. I told them at halftime, I want them to return to what we are as a team and they understand it perfectly. In the changes I am fortunate to have a squad with a lot of hierarchy: those who came in made a difference, they understood where the game was going. Their intelligence carried out the result,” he indicated.

For the return duel next week, Ortiz He admits that there may be changes in strategy but does not want relaxations: “By having a positive result the forms can change a little, but if we think that the stage is over we will make a huge mistake.”