The Rebaño Sagrado is determined to go all the way, Nación Rojiblanca! Gabriel Milito sees a Guadalajara side that is growing increasingly mature, with a clear playing style and the tools needed to face any challenge that comes its way on the pitch. Following their emphatic victory over Atlante, the Rojiblanco manager highlighted his team’s progress and the confidence he has in his players heading into the Apertura 2026 Liguilla.
After the match, the Head Coach also praised the talent of players such as Efraín Álvarez and Santiago Sandoval, emphasized the importance of having players return from injury, and discussed the support from Amaury Vergara and the Sporting Department in building the squad.
Gabriel Milito’s top quotes
On Chivas’ maturity and ability to compete
We play with a clear idea, regardless of who is on the pitch: neutralizing our opponents and finding ways to overcome them, as we have discussed in previous press conferences. Some teams present different challenges, but this team is prepared to win even when it has to suffer. We have everything we need to handle the different scenarios that can arise during a match. The team is reaching a level of maturity, and that is something we like and that I value very highly.
This is a time to recognize our strengths rather than focus on the negative. We created many scoring opportunities, and I choose to focus on reinforcing the things we can do better. Overall, the team performed very well, and we are very happy to have players returning after their injuries.”
On the battle for the top spot and the final stretch of the tournament
You have to do many things well; that is football. But we always take the field with the same clear objective: to win. We are especially aware that we are entering the final stretch of the tournament, and the team is showing great maturity and composure, not allowing opponents to dominate us. Hopefully, we can finish strong and reach first place, but what matters most is what lies ahead in the Liguilla, where everything is ultimately decided. We have a lot of confidence and are certain about what we want and what we are going to do.
On Santiago Sandoval and Efraín Álvarez
Santi Sandoval is a player who reads attacking situations very well and gives us many different options. He has played as a winger on many occasions and has also played as an attacking midfielder. We need his freshness and his desire to play football; those are generally very positive qualities.
I am very happy with Efra’s goal and his performance. He had a very, very good match, and he is an incredibly talented player. In addition to providing assists like the one he delivered, he also scores goals. Efra has been working very hard. I think the goal he scored was beautiful, but it was something he had been looking for and needed. As his coach, that made me very happy. His talent and ability to provide assists make him a much more complete player, and that is the Efra we need.
On Luis Romo
Regarding Luis (Romo), he is an extremely important player for us. One mistake does not make me question his work or his quality. All we do is embrace him even more and stand by him because we know everything he brings to this team, and he shows it to us match after match. He is a player of great quality, and to me, that is unquestionable.
On Omar Govea and his importance to the team
Omar is a very important player for the team. He is a player with a great scoring instinct, who knows how to control the tempo and when to make the safe pass. He understands the game the way we want him to, and that is fundamental for us.
