Chucky Lozano has scored 16 goals for Mexico’s senior national team in just over 60 appearances. At the World Cup in Qatar though he was not able to find the back of the net at all. Lozano was supposed to be one of the key players in Gerardo Martino’s 4-3-3 lineup. Ultimately he’s been struggling to generate any type of offense with this team since the qualifiers. Could he be considered the biggest disappointment from the Mexico squad?
He’s Not A Reliable Goal Scorer
Chucky has never been a true number 9 so this isn’t necessarily a criticism it’s just a fact. Lozano is one of those players that can be tremendously talented, but for the most part isn’t able to use that talent to be too effective in front of goal whether it be scoring or passing. At PSV he perhaps was able to translate his talent to more goals, but since his arrival at Napoli he seems to have proven time and time again that he just isn’t as effective as you’d like a star player to be.
More Robin Than Batman
Again this could sound like a knock on Lozano, but one of the problems that has perhaps plagued throughout Martino’s tenure is that he was asked to take on more of a starring role in the Mexico squad. When in reality he’s a lot better when he’s able to find 1v1’s on the wing with a striker who commands a ton of attention in the box. Now, the fact that Lozano has not been able to be as effective with Mexico because of this is naturally not all his fault. If Raul Jimenez would’ve been in his prime form he could’ve been the player that took attention off Lozano. That just wasn’t the case in this tournament.
Although Henry Martin played well throughout the minutes that he was on the field during the World Cup his limitations are clear. He’s not a player that opposing defenses are game planning for. That may have been something that Santi Gimenez would’ve been able to provide. Just on name recognition alone, and quite frankly a stronger physical presence Santi could’ve taken more pressure off Lozano or even Vega. Mexico could’ve then tried to find who was man to man upfront to go there. Chucky is just not that player that you can rely on to carry the weight of the team.
Was Martino Wrong To Put So Much On His Shoulders?
This plays to what we’re talking about here. On top of putting too much on his shoulders he “respected” Chucky too much throughout his whole tenure. What we mean by that is that he would refuse to take him off the field in the qualifiers for example. Even in games when it was clear that he had no interest in calling for the ball and provoking 1v1 plays on the wing. Lozano had a ton of bad luck in the qualifiers. He essentially returned to Italy injured every single time that he played with the national team.
In many ways that’s just more proof that he physically isn’t able to really carry the squad. If Mexico want Chucky to continue being part of the national team they need to find a spot for him in which he can serve more of a Robin role. If that comes down to having Santi Gimenez fight off defenders so beat it! Chucky needs more help upfront the team can’t just expect him to be the one that generates offense. Lainez, Marcelo Flores and Antuna can also provide more options for Mexico on the wing. That’s not a bad thing for Lozano necessarily.
