Reflections from Benfica's coach

Pedro Caixinha described the draw his team had with León as a disappointment; he also clarified why he was seen desperate shouting at his players, a facet that is rarely seen from him.

"Of course I am upset and that's why I showed it during the match, because when you are in a club like Cruz Azul, the mission is to win. But I am objective and realistic and I have to use the words of some excellent coaches from Benfica who used to say 'When you don't win or you can't win, you don't lose', because that's the reality. We have five points, we would like to have more and have better first halves, but with this reality we are building the future," said the Portuguese coach.

The fact that they registered their second goalless draw at home doesn't concern Caixinha, as he indicated that there are many things to work on: "There are many more things that worry me; in this long week we will have time to work more on that aspect of accuracy and our dynamics."

In the scheme that the Portuguese displayed against León, Rafael Baca could be seen as an attacking element accompanying Felipe Mora; however, Pedro acknowledged that it didn't work out.

"Yesterday or the day before we lost Martín Rodríguez, so we had to make modifications. The initial idea was for Baca to be a little further forward accompanying Mora, because he is a player who has the ability to press the opponent and also attack spaces from deep. Now, since we didn't have anyone who could be on the left flank, we left Montoya there so that the game would come centrally, where León normally looks for spaces. I wanted Baca and Salas to have total freedom, for Fierro to go on the right, but as things progressed, we had to switch to a 4-3-3."

GULLIT AND WALTER AS PRIORITY

The performance of Carlos Peña and Walter Montoya has left much to be desired. Yesterday, when Cruz Azul's '10' left the field, the crowd booed him; while with Gullit, every mistake he made was pointed out by the public.

This type of thing is one of Pedro Caixinha's main weekly missions, who assured that he will work personally with both players.

"Montoya is an Argentine like any other, who always gives everything and wants more. I will have a more private and personal concentration with Walter and Gullit so that they can return to the level that characterizes them."

As for Ángel Mena, who has gradually faded compared to previous tournaments, the Portuguese coach was firm about the attitude Mena showed at the end of the match, a little downcast and upset.

"There is a very clear commitment: work, sacrifice, performance, and attitude. These are the principles that I handle in the team and they know it; they must have that to play."

Regarding the boos from the fans at the end of the match, Caixinha said, "I have a lot of respect for the fans and we must continue in that line regardless of the criticism they may have. We must reach the stands, not the other way around."