Guillermo Almada blasts reporter for writing off Pachuca before defeat to Rayados

Pachuca head coach Guillermo Almada called out a reporter for not giving his team a chance prior to their 3-2 defeat to CF Monterrey Saturday night.

Leading up to the clash with Rayados, Pachuca were top of the table over their opponents and Liga MX. But that changed after the primetime clash at the Estadio BBVA, as the hosts struck twice in the first half and early on in the second half to take a commanding 3-0 lead into the final stages of the match.

Almada's side managed to pull two goals back, but it was too little too late. It was Pacucha's second defeat of the season, which now leaves them in fifth place in the Clausura standings with 12 points. However, Almada was unhappy with how his team were portrayed in the media, explaining that the focus of the upcoming match was on Monterrey and essentially how Pachuca had no chance of winning.

"Well, I'm going to give it to you, let's see if you have easy rivals in this league," Alamda said. "It seems that he is not very immersed in the reality of Mexican soccer . Because none of them are easy. And nobody gave us anything to be in first position. No questionable play in any game. I completely disagree with you.

"Yeah, you didn't say it was easy. No, no, you said it was easy. If not, give the trophy to Rayados, according to your opinion. They never do it, they do their thing."

Before the game, the only defeat Pachuca had suffered in the current season was to Pumas. Pachuca toppled Cruz Azul before that humbling loss, and after the clash with Pumas, Almada's team pulled off close wins against Atlas, Tijauana and Club Leon -- which he made sure everyone knew that they were anything but easy.

"Yes, I misunderstood because you said the previous four games were easy. They were not easy," he continued. Cruz Azul is not easy. Xolos was not easy. Leon is not easy. One of the most expensive templates. Cougars. If that seems easy to you, that's fine. Give him all the credit you want to give him and take it from others. That's easy.

"But those of us who come there to play here, we win on the field. No one gave us anything with a gift that obviously has many merits."

Almada acknowledge that errors and starting off slow doomed his side from the beginning of the game while also giving credit to Fernando 'Tano' Ortiz's Rayados.

"What we did was a terrible first half. And there is the reality. In the second half we know the quality that Rayados has. And undoubtedly sometimes the youth betrayed us in managing the timing of the game a little. Well, the rebellion, the desire to get closer to the scoreboard. We made a childish mistake again, starting the second half," he said.

Almada will look to right the ship when Pachuca take on another Liga MX giant in Club America on February 17 at the Estadio Hidalgo.