Five ways that Rayados can improve next season

Analyzing opportunities for improvement from Domenec Torrent's side

Author

Tom Harrison
December 30, 2025

Data from Twelve, photo from Once Diario.

Twelve Football

twelve.football

Monterrey almost shocked Toluca in liguilla, but there’s an understandable feeling of disappointment after the Apertura 25 season. Rayados ended in 5th place during the regular season, and the underlying numbers prove that their level was below the strongest Liga MX sides.

Expected points table from Twelve, showing the average number of points that a team “should” have won per game, according to the xG for and against.

Domenec Torrent’s team suffered against the five sides above them in the xPoints table, earning just two points in the five regular season matches.

Torrent has to improve his side next season, and here are five opportunities for development.

Better final third penetration

Torrent, a former Guardiola assistant, prioritises ball retention and attempts to control matches with longer ball possessions. His team attempted fewer long balls, as a percentage of all passes, than any other side during Apertura 25.

Liga MX team ranking in long ball % from Twelve

Whilst there’s still an opportunity to improve, Rayados’ build-up and progression to the final third hasn’t been a weakness.

Liga MX team ranking in possessions to the final third % from Twelve

The problem comes in the final third. Monterrey don’t progress the ball frequently to the box, and don’t convert their box entries into shots. In many aspects, Rayados are just an average attacking side.

Analysis of Monterrey (in white) versus other Liga MX teams (in green) during Apertura 25 from Twelve.

Develop left-wing creativity

Rayados’ attacks have been focused on the right side. The zonal xT (expected threat) heat map shows their right-wing has been much more productive than other lanes of the pitch.

Monterrey’s most creative passers are more effective from the right side of the pitch.

Sergio Canales passing xT per zone

Óliver Torres passing xT per zone

In their patient attacks, the full-backs, that at times have to play as wing-backs in a 3/5-back system, can be important creative outlets. They have time to advance in-possession, and movements inside from wide players can create space for the full-backs to overlap into, especially Lucas Ocampos, who often makes runs into the box.

Considering the system, Gerardo Arteaga should be one of the best attacking full-backs in the league. But he’s no better than average.

Attacking full-backs require high physical levels, and Arteaga, at 27, has possible passed his physical peak, and doesn’t show enough passing quality. His level since returning to Mexico has been disappointing. Luis Reyes, at 34, can no longer play in this role.

Rayados have signed a younger left-back, Alonso Aceves, but he has a more defensive profile. Aceves seems more useful on the left of a back-three or as a left-center-back in a back-four.

Luca Orellano is also rumored to be joining. The 25-year-old Argentine is versatile, capable of playing as a winger on either side, or as a left-wing-back.

Both additions would add options for Torrent, and perhaps show an intention to move to a back-three/five system more frequently (with Aceves and Orellano on the left).

However, if Rayados are going to continue to use a back-four more regularly, the signings won’t solve the key issue. Jesús Vega, from Tijuana, seems like the best Mexican available to play as a attacking left-back. Vega is two years younger than Arteaga, and has shown a greater impact in almost all key full-back concepts, particularly in his ability to generate ball progression and chances.

More on-ball quality in midfield

Another possibility to develop Monterrey’s creativity, and reduce the reliance on Canales and Torres, is to improve their midfield options. Torrent has used a double-pivot more frequently, with a midfield three a secondary option, with a single pivot and two interior midfielders.

Fidel Ambriz has often played alongside Jorge Rodríguez in a double-pivote, or at times as a left-sided interior midfielder. He doesn’t show enough quality on the ball to have an important impact in build-up play.

Once again, the best Mexican option comes from Tijuana. Iván Tona, 25, is an excellent “number eight”, combining high involvement and ball progression with intensity and recoveries in defense. In Juan Carlos Osorio’s high possession style, Tona stood-out, and is known by Monterrey, after playing for Raya2 in 2022.

Tona is an excellent passer in both his own half and the opposing half.

Better control the center of the pitch when out of possession

Torrent’s style isn’t particularly intense when out of possession, prioritising order in a mid-low block. It’s an idea that makes sense for the Rayados squad, and the number of older players in their attacks.

Just three teams showed less defensive intensity during Apertura 25, the metric measures the number of defensive actions per minute out of possession.

However, their opponents were able generate opportunities from the centre of their defensive block, at times when Rayados’ attack and midfield would step-out, but the defensive line wouldn’t push up significantly.

Monterrey’s opponents generated more box entries, and more xG from the entries, from the center of the pitch (or “zone 14’).

Improve in defensive transitions

Some of the opposing box entries via the center of the pitch came in transition.

The heat map shows the number of final third entries, and the subsequent xG created, in the 10 seconds after a Monterrey turnover in attack.

Limiting opposition creation during transitions is an important objective for high possession, patient attacking teams. It’s critical to reduce turnovers, maintain a strong rest defense, and have both the structure and intensity to facilitate an effective counter-press, which reduces time and space for opponents in transition.

During Apertura 25, Rayados weren’t effective at winning the ball back through counter-pressing, or at limiting the progression and creation of their opponents in counter-attacks. This should be a key focus for Torrent during pre-season training.

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