Chivas once again relied on its relentless competitive mentality to come from behind and draw a Clásico Tapatío in which the team definitely deserved more. The Rojiblanco side continued to earn points in the Apertura 2026, with the help of some new faces who brought fresh energy to its game.
Following the action at Estadio Jalisco, Gabriel Milito praised his team’s attitude, broke down his approach to the match against the Nextipac-based side, and looked ahead to Guadalajara’s final stretch of the tournament, considering what lies ahead as the team sets its sights on the Liguilla.
Gabriel Milito’s words at the press conference
Good feelings, for several reasons. Because of the injuries we’ve had this tournament, we haven’t had the entire squad available, but we’ve adapted to that. We have a squad capable of dealing with these situations. Hopefully, the players recover and we can count on them.
I really liked Leonel Calderón’s and Carlos Hernández’s performances; these were their first minutes in the first division. It’s always good to turn to the academy and have the young players ready to help us.
In the first half, we were able to control the game, building well from the back with our back three. Atlas usually positions its defenders at different heights, so our buildup was very important.In the second half, the intention was to maintain that approach, but the game was much more evenly contested. Time will help, and Carlos is helping us at a time when we have several defenders sidelined.
We decided to play with two No. 9s, plus Piojo with the freedom to occupy their center backs, so we could maintain the control we had in the first half and play both short and long. We chose to start that way and then finish with a different setup, bringing on Hugo and Sando. We found ourselves behind after a ball was played in behind our defense. We need to review that situation so we can improve in that area.
The good thing was that we never gave up; we didn’t let our heads drop. We had the composure to go after the equalizer and then the ambition to go for the win.It was a game with a lot of control and intensity, as Clásicos usually are.
We always have the ambition to win. On every pitch we visit, our mentality is always to go out and win. The way matches unfold doesn’t always go as you want, but the opponent plays a part too.
You must never give up when things get difficult; you have to keep moving forward. The team tries to play the way we always do, and that mentality is what allowed us to equalize. At this club, giving up is forbidden, regardless of the score. Looking at our last few matches, each of the six games we have left will be a final.
Our challenge is to evolve, improve, find different approaches, and have alternatives. All of that takes time and work, but I have very good players at my disposal to make it happen. I think the team is competing well and that we still have room to grow, especially during this final stretch when everything is decided. For that to help us, we need the entire squad available because that is what makes us stronger.
