Mexico wrapped up its preparation for the World Cup on a sour note after losing 2-1 to Sweden. The final score is certainly not the one that Tata Martino had hoped for, however, there are plenty of positive things to take away from the game. The problem is, if Mexico repeats some of the mistakes that they made today on Tuesday against Poland they could end their own hopes of doing well in the World Cup quickly!
Luis Chavez & Alexis Vega Are The Bright Spots For Mexico
Starting with the positives there’s no question that Alexis Vega is going to start for Mexico in the World Cup. We are not just saying this because he was able to get on the end of an Hector Herrera through ball to score the only goal for Mexico in the game. He was a constant presence in that Mexico attack, showing up on both wings, and in the middle of the field. He’s going to be a handful for opposing defenses.
The middle of the field was an area in which Tata Martino seemed to have more questions than answers. Today Luis Chavez provided an answer for him. He didn’t back down from the challenge which was certainly one of the concerns with him going into the tournament. He controlled the ball and orchestrated Mexico’s attack in large stretches of the game. Something that we didn’t see much of from Tata’s favorite midfielder Charly Rodríguez. Rodríguez could find himself on the outside looking in, next Tuesday. Chavez seems to have asserted himself in that starting 11.
The Left & Right Back Spots Are Weak Areas For Mexico
Neither Jorge Sanchez nor Jesus Gallardo seemed to have their best game. Defensively they are both very shaky, and that was evident throughout the entire game. Mexico had possession of the ball for most of the game, but whenever Sweden was able to mount an attack on Mexico’s end of the field both of these guys were constantly out of position and had a lot of trouble handling 1v1 situations defensively.
The problem for Mexico at this point is that they didn’t give some of their other options at the left and right back spots any minutes today. It’s looking like Gallardo, and Sanchez are going to be starting, and that seems to be amazing news for Poland. What we can say in favor of both of these guys is that neither of them get a ton of help from the midfield or the wing players in that 4-3-3. They’re left on island a lot to play 1v1’s versus the other team’s best players on many occasions. That’s tough on anyone let alone these two poor guys who are middle of the pack players at best!
Raul Jimenez Is About As Useful As An Orange Traffic Cone Right Now
Tata Martino’s bet on Raul Jimenez is not looking great right now. To be fair, what we saw on the field from Jimenez today, in the full half of football that he played, was virtually what we expected. He looked like a player who hadn’t played in months, which is exactly what he is. There’s of course that hope that the team will need him in the second half of a game in the World Cup, and he’ll be able to find the back of the net like he didn’t in that qualifier game against Panama way back when. It’s wishful thinking though. Henry Martin is no solution either, he looks small, and incapable of competing with teams who feature taller stronger defenders. Funes Mori didn’t see action today so is he out of the equation? Leaving Santi Gimenez off the squad is looking like a big mistake right now!
