It's all about your outlook.
The start of Chivas' 2016 Clausura can be framed in two ways. The first, that the Guadalajara side is still undefeated after three matches. Second, that Chivas have had a lead in all three matches and won none of them.
Sunday's 2-2 draw with Tigres can be seen in the same light, and how you view it probably depends on your view of the season to this point. Chivas manager Matias Almeyda takes the view that his side will get three points soon enough.
Chivas jumped out to a lead thanks to an Orbelin Pineda goal in the 27th minute. The 19-year-old arrived from Queretaro during the offseason to help fill the hole left by Marco Fabian's departure to Eintracht Frankfurt. The early results are very positive. Both Pineda, who has two goals, and fellow January addition Carlos "Gullit" Pena have played their parts well. The midfield is more dynamic than it was in the previous tournament - even with less to work with up top. None of Chivas' five goals so far this season have come from a forward, with club legend Omar Bravo beginning to show his age.
But after Pineda's opener, Tigres hit back quickly. The flag should have gone up against Fernando Fernandez, who put a beautiful back-heel finish past Chivas goalkeeper "Tono" Rodriguez in the 56th minute. But the flag stayed down. Even if the call had gone the hosts' way, there was no excuse for Tigres' second goal, which came just two minutes later. Rafael Sobis punished Chivas' defenders pushed up too high. The Brazilian forward raced in on Rodriguez unmarked and rolled his shot in for the go-ahead goal.
Tigres are the reigning champions and still boasts an impressive and deep lineup (though French striker Andre-Pierre Giganc missed out on Sunday's contest with a stomach bug). Holding them to a draw could be seen as a positive result for Chivas. But after giving up the lead they held against 10-man Veracruz in week one and to Cruz Azul in the second round, they have to figure out a way to play a full 90 minutes if they're going to get back to the Liguilla.
It's not that Chivas are giving up in these matches. Carlos Cisneros, older than Pineda at 22 but another young player forcing his way into the rotation, hit a heads-up equalizer Sunday. The young stars need to keep carrying Chivas. This is a side with talent on the back line, but very little depth. That will continually come into play this season, and there will need to be goals for Chivas to win games.
You could also put the deficiencies down to poor coaching. Almeyda definitely has Chivas looking better than they have for some time, but fading late hints at either a lack of mental sharpness or poor fitness. The Argentine agreed that there are two ways to look at how the tournament is going. The manager sees the start more as undefeated than winless, saying those victories that have eluded the club to this point will come shortly.
"When you analyze a team, you have to do it deeply," he said in his news conference after the match. "I watch the matches three or four times. When I talk with you (reporters), I know of what I say. Above all, I'm not satisfied because I don't satisfy myself with draws. Yesterday, watching the game Morelia played I heard the comment that the point in Morelia was good.
"We don't look for draws, we look for victories. You see the team looking to be the team on the front foot, you're not seeing a team that sits back. Our team is going to seek out what this club deserves, but I'm sure the wins will come."
Almeyda must find a way to make sure his players aren't satisfied with the shallow leads they've been giving up. If he can keep this small trend of collapses from turning into a streak, he'll be loved around the country for bringing the famous team back to the forefront of Mexican soccer. If not, he'll join the long list of managers Chivas have cut loose.
