The Mexico versus Argentina game has sparked a ton of animosity on social media between both fan bases. Even before the tournament was set to take place there was controversy surrounding the matchup because of comments that were made by multiple Argentine players about the Mexican National team. Dibu Martinez, Argentina’s goalkeeper, celebrated the fact that Mexico got drawn in the group with them, while defender Cuti Romero said that he believed it was Mexico’s first World Cup.
Ignorant, and arrogant comments or not, Mexico has a chance to boot Argentina from the World Cup in what will most likely be Lionel Messi’s final tournament with his national team. Argentina’s loss to Saudi Arabia not only shocked the world, but rattled all of the predictions that people had made about Group C going into the tournament. What are we expecting to see tomorrow between Mexico and Argentina?
Mexico Could Come Out With A Back 5
According to reports that have been released today there’s a good chance that Mexico will play with a 5-man back line. This would include Moreno, Montes, and Araujo as center backs. On the wings there’s still some discussion over whether Gallardo, and Sanchez will repeat or if actually both of them are going to be swapped out in favor of Kevin Alvarez, and Gerardo Arteaga.
If Mexico decides to go with 5 in the back they could call on their most experienced player Andres Guardado to play in that midfield. The idea is that with this formation Guardado would not be as prone to having to cover Argentina players for literally the length of the field. He’d have more help on the backside. Edson Alvarez is likely to remain in the middle with the right midfield spot being a mystery. Tata Martino spoke to Hector Herrera for a long time during the week at practice. The conversation seemed to go on for too long if all that he was telling him was that he wasn’t going to play!
Another possibility that has been thrown out there is that Funes Mori would start at the number 9 spot. If Mexico does play with a back 5 though that could mean they’ll leave Vega and Chucky Lozano as the only 2 players upfront. Effectively removing their need for a traditional number 9 in the lineup. Judging from the form that Henry, Funes Mori, and Jimenez have exhibited, it may not be the worst idea.
How Effective Will Argentina’s Changes Be?
Argentina is planning to make some changes to their lineup. The biggest change could see Papu Gomez get dropped in favor of McAllister. Gomez is perhaps one of the most gifted players that Argentina brought to the World Cup. There’s no question though that his age and his size are not assets for him. Even at Sevilla he disappears for long stretches of games, and he provides almost no help defensively.
With Messi on the field that’s at least 3 players including Lautaro Martinez that don’t do much to help the team getting back on defense. The idea is that McAllister will be more involved in the game in general than Gomez was. Even if that means giving up some talent. Other than that the changes on the back end are man for man, so it’s anyone’s guess if Sevilla’s Montiel will be more effective fending off Chucky Lozano or Alexis Vega.
Our Prediction For The Game
Barring a pure talent play by Messi, Di Maria or Lautaro Martinez it’s likely that these teams will play to a draw. Mexico’s midfield should be able to match up well with DePaul, and Parades, and the back 5 will make it harder for Argentina to find space behind the Mexico defense. Things are not looking as bad for Mexico as some people would want them to be.
