Mexico is getting ready to face Colombia in their final game of the last official international break before the World Cup. The team that Tata Martino called up for these 2 games featured 31 players, he’s going to need to cut the roster down to 26 by the time the World Cup rolls around. Martino clearly stated that he was only going to take 3 strikers to the tournament, but that position battle is probably going to come down to who is going to be available. Raul Jimenez is probably going to get dropped due to injury so that will mean Funes Mori, Santi Gimenez, and Henry Martin will get a chance to catch the plane to Qatar.
That means that 4 players on the current squad are not going to make it onto the final list. Here are the players that we feel are on the bubble, and could get cut, and just miss out on a chance to play the World Cup.
Angulo & Luis Romo Could Get The Ax
These could be weird cuts in a sense because the benefit of bringing Romo along is that he can play both in the midfield, and in the back line. If you’re going to cut Angulo then maybe you want another center back to sure up that back line just in case. Angulo has played poorly in his chances as a starter with Mexico in the friendly games. Moreno, Montes, Araujo, and Johan Vasquez seem to be way ahead of him. If you play with only 2 center backs in your starting 11 why would you take 5?
For his part Romo has been hurt, and wasn’t able to participate in these final 2 games with the team. There’s a lot of competition in that middle of the field where the team has Charly Rodríguez, Gutierrez, Guardado, Herrera, Pachuca’s Chavez, Edson Alvarez, and even Orbelin Pineda. Even though Romo has the advantage that he can play two positions it seems like he’s going to be the odd man out.
Fernando Beltran & Erick Sanchez Are Also On The Chopping Block
These two guys are dealing with the same issue that Romo is facing. There’s just a ton of competition in that middle of the field. The only thing that could open up a spot is an Hector Herrera, or Andres Guardado injury. If not both of the veterans seem like a lock to earn a spot on the squad. Herrera is currently hurt, but it doesn’t seem to be too serious. From there, Edson Alvarez is definitely not going to give up his seat to Qatar. The inclusion of Chavez in the Peru game sort of spelled the beginning of the end for these 2 short midfielders. It’s just a fact that the team has too many options in that spot.
Could We See Any Surprises?
Some sources have speculated that Diego Lainez could be on the chopping block. That may have been the case if Tecatito Corona was healthy. At this point though, the biggest surprise would be that Corona would be able to nurse himself back to health in time for the World Cup. Gerardo Martino directly referenced the situation in a recent interview. He essentially said that they would keep a spot open for Tecatito if he could get back. Just like they are essentially planning to do for Raul Jimenez. Again the surprise would be that these two could get back from injury, and so the team would drop Lainez, and maybe Santi Gimenez. Orbelin Pineda could be on the chopping block alongside Lainez, if Tecatito does come back. In both of those injury related absences it seems it would be a mistake to take a player along that isn’t in playing shape regardless of how talented they may be.
