Monterrey: a complete collapse

Hopefully Rayados management will begin to realize this club, with all its talent and quality players, is lacking discipline and embarrassing itself on the pitch with an unprofessional approach. How and why this has occurred is a debatable point. For myself it started in the pre-season where training alternated from a beach to a country club setting, followed up with a peculiar tour of friendlies that did little in preparing for the campaign. However that aside, action is needed now before situation deepens.

Monterrey was humiliated 4-1 by the Tigres in the Clásico Regiomontano in a very winnable match. With Monterrey up 1-0 and only fifteen minutes to play, they completely collapsed, further exposing discipline problems and allowed four unanswered goals to lose 4-1 in front of their loyal home fans.

The match was scoreless till the seventy-four minute when Humberto Suazo fed Carlos Ochoa a stunning pass to put the Rayados in-front 1-0. With the home fans cheering-on, disaster struck and Monterrey unraveled and exposed a very unprofessional side. Four minutes later José Arturo Rivas leveled the match and in a flurry of poor tackling and discipline, Monterrey was handed two yellow cards and one red for Carlos Ochoa in a span of roughly five minutes. Gabriel Choy González was adjudged to pulling down Francisco Acuña in the area and the spot was pointed resulting in Lucas Lobos penalty goal only three minutes after the equalizer. In complete disarray and not exhibiting the mettle of a professional, Monterrey dropped its heads and after Carlos Ochoa's poor challenge and resulting red-card, Lucas Lobos struck for the third goal in six minutes. As regulation time winded down insult was added to injury as Francisco Acuña scored to make it 4-1.

There is little else to be said of the match or for that matter the present state of affairs in Monterrey. Ricardo Lavolpe in all his tactical genius, needs to gain control of this club and I dare say it will not be easy. Where the disease of malaise and lack of discipline lays is an internal matter of the club but it is quite visible and it has successfully destroyed the season. Ricardo Lavolpe, who himself was sent to the stands midway of the first half, needs to consider this situation wisely as this problem is not about "tactics", instead it is about the heart and soul of a player. Unfortunately right now, that is not being addressed and the Rayados are nearing the bottom of La Primera División.

Monterrey returns to action next week against San Luis.