MEXICO - "El Tri – los Gordos que dan sombra"
Overview: What happened? Really,
this was supposed to be the generation of fantastically talented footballers
that would upgrade the massive football-loving Mexican nation from medium to
elite status, finally.
Yes, they surprised everyone and won the Olympics, with garra and speed more than anything, but since then the team nearly melted down. A lot of the stars, still of a footballing age are off the map (see below), and it took 47 players and 4 managers to get the team to this World Cup, and at the end it wasn’t even in their hands but Honduras’s.
Mexico has
immense quality and talent, although over the past two years you wouldn’t know.
Four years
ago I would expect this Mexico team to make it at least to the semis, a young
generation with a complete roster of talents is now more mature, but many of
them never made it on the journey, and this Aztec team is widely expected to
fall on its face.
Population: 118 million in Mexico,
possibly another 25 million internationally
Facts & stereotypes: Many things are known
about Mexico internationally, but some are not.
The Mexicans gave us chocolate, corn and chillies (thank you for that last one) and no one ever mentions Tequilla or tacos.
Mexico City
could be sinking 5 or 6 inches a year, because it was built on a lake and the
ruins of Aztec capital Technochtitlan.
Mexico is
actually officially called the United Mexican States and is made up of
31 free and sovereign states.
The Aztecs were a nomadic people and are actually the 4th great civilization in Mexico following the Olmecs and Zapotecs.
Mexico is the
largest Spanish speaking country in the world.
Language: Mexico has extremely
poetic vulgarity, and fantastic Spanish slang.. I am skipping the most vulgar stuff
for those tender-eyed readers out there
No mames güey! – Don’t [mess] around
idiot/dude
Gringolandia – the US, with which they
share the second longest border in the world.
Guaje – idiot, dumb
gorda de hombre : “fat by man” or pregnant
gaviota – seagull, someone who
tries to get everything for free, often used in conjunction with “Gringo”
or American
írsele las cabras - to lose yer goats –
something the Mexican team could do in Group A, to lose it, to overdo it.
újule! – take a chill man!
taco de cancer – cancer
taco, a cig
and 1000s
more of unique Mexican terms…
A line from the anthem: War is mentioned 15
times, god only once and actually not he/she but his finger,
Mexicans, at
the cry of war,
make ready
the steel and the bridle,
and may the
Earth tremble at its centers
at the
resounding roar of the cannon.
and may the
Earth tremble at its centers
at the
resounding roar of the cannon!
Luckily
Mexico hasn’t been in a major war since a very bloody civil war 1910-1921.
The anthem
should have been aayyyyyayeyayyaaa cannnntayyy nooo lllllores (just sing and
don’t cry)
So the players don’t go hungry: Mexican food is
internationally beloved for a reason, it combines loads of meat, butter,
starch, chillies and a number of vegetables into presentable, wrapable
delectable and smothers them with cheese and cream. Lets take the Taco,
everything you think you know about it throw out, and unlearn. There are
countless varieties of Tacos, because essentially it means something wrapped in
a corn or wheat tortilla, and can have endless combinations.
Mexican food
is as bad as it gets for your athleticism:
Traditionally
you have Tacos de Asador (like
a spinning kebab but a taco),
tacos de
tripita (yes tripe taco), a mulita is a Little mule using two
tortillas in Northern Mexico
Tacos de cabeza (steamed head), sesos (brains),
lengua (tongue), cachete (cheek), trompa (lips), ojo (eyes) usually smothered with
coriander and guacamole,
Tacos de Cazo – any meaty things you can find deep fried at the
table
Tacos sudados or sweat-soaked tacos – a spicy saucy meaty
mixture is covered up and tortillas almost disolve.
Maybe
Mexico’s best kept secret is Tacos Al pastor or sheepheard tacos with
thin slices of meat, usually pork smothered in thick brown sauce
Flautas are rolled tacos then
deep fried
On the west
coast you get a lot of Tacos de Pescado or fish tacos, fresh with lime
on top, the fish can be raw too, also Tacos de camarones or shrimp tacos
Finally Tacos
Indios or Navajos are a Yankee variety served on deep fried bread
but really good
There are
loads of other varieties but this should get you full for today: D
So the fans don’t go thirsty: Mexico has a massive and
great quality beer industry, and Corona is the industrialized export but
nationally you get Modelo, Tecate, Bohemia, Dos Equis, Sol (which also
comes in a salted version) and dozens of other micro and
not-so-micro-breweries.
Mexico has
excellent fruit juices, and a dangerous Tequilla and hard-alcohol culture to
boot
Most successful clubs:
Very close, a lot of good historic teams. América and Chivas de Guadelajara are tied for first with 11 titles, recently-better Toluca have 10, whereas Cruz Azul have 8 and UNAM 7. The distribution of titles is strikingly even comparing to other team, and predicting the champion is still impossible year-on-year.
All time top scorer: tall, leapy striker
Jared Borgetti (46 in 89) is less know
than legends Cuauhtémoc Blanco (39 in 119) and Carlos Hermosillo (35
in 90) which he surpassed. Current Man Utd want-away Javier “Chicharito”
Hernandez is tied at third with 35 in 62 and is tied with Luis Hernandez
at 35 in 85.
World Cup and other performances:
This is
Mexico’s 15th appearance, and since 1970 they have only once failed
to get out of the group stage in 1978.
Mexico have a history of good World Cup runs.
49 matches
played, 12 won, 13 drawn, 24 lost, 52 goals for, 89 against (especially bad in
the early days when until the 1970s they were the world’s punching bag).
They are also
9 time CONCACAF champions, and three-time third place and twice runner up in
South America’s Copa America which they are regularly invited to.
How to blend in with the fans:
There is a
beautiful song which much of the world has head, and which should be resounding
in Group A no matter what happens, Ayeayeayeayyyee Cantayyy no Llloores will be
echoing in the stands which are always well-followed by El Tri supporters.
Sombreros are a must unless you have enough (male or female) cleavage to cast a big shadow!
Under the
sombrero you can opt for a green, white and red whig, moustache or other
topping
Aztec helmets
can be exchanged for both
A beer belly
will help you integrate (both male and female)
Mexican
wrestling masks are terrifying and very uncomfortable in hot weather, and it’s
challenging to eat tacos in them….. Heck it’s even hard to sing in them! But
boy will you be the party favourite!
The bi-polar: An extremely talented country,
with arguably the Western hemisphere’s strongest league (somewhere up there
with Argentina and Brazil) cannot up the challenge? Something is wrong…
The talent is
there in every position in abundance, Mexican players are migrating to Europe
more, and although their success rate is still not stunning… for instance both
Guardado and Hernandez have had it hard recently at Valencia and Man Utd.
The worst
thing is, the lack of performances until 2014 (they have done rather well in
the friendlies this year) means there is even more pressure to succeed. If
Mexico do well they will have done themselves justice, but it also will be
nothing short of a miracle.
National celebrities – not gonna touch that one
with a ten foot poll, sorry this section is officially cancelled by the Swedish
food and drug safety authority henceforth.
Strength and Weakness: Mexico have good
individual players, but their tactical and modern football aspects need major
improvement. Mexican football still has a lot of low tempo games, and the
stunning speed of many of these players really stands out there, but once you
get international it doesn’t seem to be as effective. Mexico really struggle
with European and physically stronger teams… albeit the struggled in CONCACAF
recently as well.
Wingplay,
speed, technique, flair, ingenuity, and passion are stengths that are
traditionally cultivated in Mexican players and are abundant in this team.
Inconsistency,
laziness, defeatism, lack of physical strength, and indiscipline are a traditional
weakness. Mexico are always worse in the middle of the park than on the wings.
I love the
Mexican team, and I want them to do well, but given the circumstances they have
nothing to lose and are expected to finish at the bottom of Group A.
The following ratings are deceptive and only based on sheer player quality and potential rather than recent results.
Goalkeepers: 7.9
Jose de Jesus Corona
(Cruz Azul), Guillermo Ochoa (Ajaccio), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca)
There are a
lot of talented goalkeepers in Mexico, and these three carry the flag although
there were probably 4 or 5 other good options in what has been two golden
generations of Mexican goalkeepers. They are good shot stoppers, but weaker
when coming off the line normally. I docked about .5 for lack of confidence due
to recent performances.
Defenders: 8.4
Miguel Layun (America),
Carlos Salcido (Tigres), Paul Aguilar (America), Andres Guardado (Bayer
Leverkusen), Hector Moreno (Espanyol), Francisco Javier Rodriguez (America),
Diego Reyes (Porto), Rafael Marquez (Leon)
This is not
about Rafa Marquez anymore, he is included for personality and captaincy along
with Salcido. There are so many good defenders in Mexico, strong, tackling,
disciplined, but the recent bad luck and too much time with a 3 man defence
means that there is a state of tactical imperfection which has to draw to a
close by this Friday.
Mexicos wing-backs are 9.0’s (Guardado, Aguilar especially)
Midfielders: 8.2
Miguel Angel
Ponce (Toluca), Jose Juan Vazquez (Leon), Javier Aquino (Villareal) (replacing Luis
Montes (Leon)), Hector Herrera (Porto), Isaac Brizuela (Toluca), Marco Fabian
(Cruz Azul), Carlos Pena (Leon)
Believe me,
the talent is there, I know I sound defensive, but I am still not sure you will
see it, but some of these players like Fabian, Aquino, Herrera were predicted
to be world beaters, unfortunately some of the other world-beaters are not even
included due to a widespread slump of national-team form. (see the not-going
list)
I dropped the score a bit because they are largely inexperienced except for Fabian, the oldest player Vazquez is 26 and has 5 caps.
The attack: 8.5
Oribe Peralta (Santos),
Javier Hernandez (Manchester United), Giovani dos Santos (Villarreal), Raul
Jimenez (America), Alan Pulido (Tigres à Olympiakos)
Oribe Peralta
doesn’t score often, but over the last decade he has scored very important
goals for club and country, including the one that got Mexico the Olympic gold.
Giovani dos Santos, the Barcelona cantera
product is a real match winner for Mexico.
Raul Jimenez
is a talented tall-man with technique who scored the bicycle-goal that changed
their moral in qualifier around, Alan Pulido is superb but unknown, this attack
can unsettle defences endlessly, but can they score?
Everybody knows….the main reason Giovani
“Gio” dos Santos did not succeed after leaving Barcelona is work ethic and
psychology. He is a game winner when he feels like it, for instance look at
this Gold Cup Final goal and the US. He is the main link between attack and
midfield. Must watch this!
This World
Cup is a last chance for this highly talented (half Brazilian) player to do
something on the international stage.
Unpredictability,
important-match player, tricky, unpredictable, lazy, fragile.
Should be more famous…. And is likely to be after his pending move to
Olympiakos, Alan “Puligol” Pulido, is a goal hunter who can play
forward, wide or between the lines. 4 goals in 6 games for Mexico and a
fantastic form this season for his club with 24 goals in 46 outings.
Pacey,
finisher, tricky, small
No one has heard of…. As a forward-thinking
5-3-2 needs an anchor man, José Juan “Gallo” “the Rooster” Vázquez is
the unknown player that has won a consistent spot playing that role, while
keeping more famous names out of the team. He defends well, anchors the team
and has a superb long-range shot
Tackle,
passing, work, tactical discipline, long-shot
Unfulfilled talent: When he was coming to
Spain’s Deportivo La Coruna everyone tipped Andrés “el Zorro” Guardado
to be the next-great left wingback. Although he had moments of brilliant play,
he never lifted his overall game to an overwhelming quality, and after a long
sting at Valencia he joined Leverkusen this January. I am a huge fan, and I
trust in him to do great things, his crossing, dribbling and coverage of the
pitch are phenomenal, and it’s time for Zorro to cast of his medium reputation.
Dribble,
crossing, long-range shot, lack of energy, confidence and motivation
Still going… Rafael “Rafa” Márquez the Barcelona
hyper-veteran brings intelligence, stability in the locker room, and defensive
know-how. After being repeatedly taken up and dropped by coaches in Mexico the
past team, he is set to be a major figure in this squad. Rafa is an
underappreciated great of football, does he still have it at 35?
He scores on
set pieces, has phenomenal positioning, a great influence and leadership but he
is now very slow and physically-beatable.
and former PSV Eindhoven star Carlos “Sasa” Salcido was
a surprise recall to this squad. He is a central defender, left back, and
defensive midfielder to equal capacity, and his experience will be invaluable
in the Mexican experience-desert.
He has a
great tackle, great passing efficiency, and good leadership, but the years are
starting to wear on his physical prowess.
The heart of the team…. The Porto man Héctor “HaHa”
Herrera is something of a box-to-box midfielder, his lungs carry a team,
and his midfield work rate can be very important for Mexico in Brazil. Although
he still has not scored for his country, he does so at club level frequently
swooping in from midfield to scoop in second shots for example. He is excellent
at the defensive and offensive aspects of the midfield game, and linking the
two.
Running,
lungs, distribution, ball recovery
The goalscorer.... Oribe “Cepillo” Peralta
and Raul “Rulo” Jimenez are two strikers that don’t score often, but score
important and difficult goals. Jimenez is taller and craft, Peralta more mobile
and with a fantastic work ethic and both are likely to lead the two-man front
line. (Jimenez, Peralta below)
This is the bicycle
kick by Jimenez that was crucial to keep Mexico's qualification hopes alive vs. Panama.
These are the
Peralta goals which won them the Gold in the UK.
The young star… Isaác “El Conejito”
“the Little Rabbit” Brizuela has not yet scored for Mexico, but pacey, crafty
winger is a real source of assists for club and country. A classic Mexican
winger, and they have bags of the now, he dribbles past fullbacks with ease and
sets up teammates high and low.
Pace,
dribble, speed, decisive pass, poor finishing
In bad form this season…. This was a season to
completely forget for Javier “Chicharito” Hernández even though the rest
of Manchester United must feel the same. He used to be known for his goal
scoring, but the 26-year-old only netted 4 times in the Premiership and 9 times
overall this season. He is being trusted by coach and country to find his form
in Brazil, but the little goal poacher seems to have lost his joy of playing
and winning.
Goal hunter
extraordinaire, terrible run of confidence and form
In great form this season…. Marco “Fabuloso” Fabián has 6 goals
in 15 appearances for El Tri, and his immense talent took time to mature. A
6-months suspension for hiring prostitutes (with 5 other players) while on a
national team trip in Ecuador with the U-22s. He has been in superb form on
loan at Cruz Azul, with 7 goals in 12 appearances in midfield.
Tricky, dribbling, finisher, long-range shot, tempermental
Candidate for discovery of the
tournament… Miguel Arturo “Layundowski”
Layún Prado is a good,
solid left back, and his tactical discipline, good cross and good defensive
play make him a crucial man in the Mexico team. If Mexico do well his performances
will be important.
and Javier
“Haka” Aquino is 167 cm of speed, dribbling, and a terrible goal-scoring
record. Only 24, it feels like he has been tipped to shine for ages, yet he
barely made this team. He has really impressed on Villareal’s wings this season
though, and he should have been in the original team given his big-game
performances for the Yellow Submarine which exceeded all expectations in La
Liga. Look for him and club teammate dos Santos to link up well.
Pace, flair,
penetration, poor finishing
Recognized player not included… 726 caps. That is what
Mexico have left at home, 726 international games of experience. 64
international goals to boot. That is what the 44 players leave behind.
Incredible,
and leaving them must have been a bit rash, there are some great players there:
Pablo Barrera scored 6 goals in 57 caps for Mexico as a winger, but all fell apart when joined West Ham in 2010 with a super reputation and record, and he dropped into the football doldrums for four years losing confidence in himself and destroying his reputation. English football didn’t suit him, and he also failed on loan at struggling Zaragoza. He found his form again, although not to the same level this year, but too late for him to be included in the Mexico team.
Angel Reyna is a great attacking
midfielder who just doesn’t fit into the current tactics.
At 146 caps
and 6 goals, 35-year-old-veteran Gerardo Torrado didn’t make the plane,
as he took a lot of blame for Mexico’s recent bad run of form.
Former Arsenal
man Carlos Vela is on amazing form in Spain but his 2-year exile from
Mexico sadly, and to be stupidly continues. He would be the perfect supporting
striker in this setup.
The prospect of tomorrow… again, we are talking
about 19 to 24 years olds so the next two World Cups could take two different
squads and both do well. No specific player, except maybe showing a goal from
the injured Luis Montes although already 28 is an amazing player as this
goal minutes before he got injured against Ecuador shows:
Tackles from
my favourite 23 y.o. defensive midfielder Jorge Enríquez
I won’t stop
believing in Hiram Mier, 24, who is an excellently talented young
defender.
And
pirlo-esque 23 year-old David Cabrera.
But in the
squad, and already starting from time to time is 21-year-old Porto defensive
hot-prospect Diego “Flaco” Reyes. He is a tall, smart central defender
who can also play in defensive midfield. He brings a much-needed 193 centimetres
to the very short Mexico team as well, and he could be a discovery of this
tournament if El Tri progress.
Worth mentioning:
The defence
is built on veteran Francisco Javier “Maza” Rodríguez of PSV and
Stuttgart fame, at 32 he is in his defensive prime and on
Espanyol’s
highly-rated center back Héctor “Hector” Moreno who is constantly being
linked with bigger clubs. At 26 he is one of the players who never gets
questioned in the Mexico team and already has 56 caps and 1 goal.
Most
important to mention is the other Club America wingback Paul “Poli” Aguilar
who is another stalwart for Mexico. His performances on the right should raise
a few positive eyebrows no matter how the team end up. Speedy, with huge lungs,
and with a good pass and cross, Aguilar is a genuine threat to the opposition.
Mister Coach: 7.1
Miguel Herrera is the 4th
Mexican coach in rapid succession, and was appointed when the regular WC
qualification was already over, but got the chance to lead the team in the
playoff against New Zealand. He managed to win 9-3 on aggregate even though he
completely changed the playing system to 5 at the back (see below).
He then took
the team on a 6-game undefeated streak in friendlies, before finally losing on
June 6th and June 3rd to Bosnia and Portugal (both 1-0)
in pre-tournament warm ups.
He seems very
inexperienced, and is a very outspoken coach, criticising players, opponents, and
referees without thinking first.
He was
appointed National Team Manager “on loan” from America who he had guided to the
championship in 2013 (although he had lost 2 finals at Monterrey).
At club level
at least Herrera has done many things right, and with a fresh, honest style
about him. This is however a whole different ballgame, and the real test of his
untested mettle starts this Friday.
The Tactics, La Tactica, Taktika,
Siasat, Taktik, тактика, 戦術,
تكتيكات, Amaqhinga, Xeelad, Mbinu, દાવપેચ, 전술,
Taktiikka, Chiến Thuật,
Kick-em-in-the-knee-bwana!’’
Mexico play
an unusual attacking 5-3-2 under Herrera, which is a big change for them
but caters to their biggest strengths of having excellent wingbacks who can
overlap the wide forwards. Two forward men is good for Mexico, and usually uses
a tall player (Jimenez) and a mobile one (Peralta or Pulido)
The two
strikers are divided into a target man who comes out to get the ball in front
of the box, and a box-poacher. The triangle of central midfielders covers the
whole midfield zone, centrally and wide both, and goes to attack quickly or
holds up the ball for the wingbacks to have time to come up. Rafa is something
of a sweeper, and this gives the two defenders marking roles. It seems Herrera
has not chosen his starting goalkeeper yet, with Corona being the most likely.
The song:
To make
things even more uncomfortable for Mexico let’s go back to 2001, where
underappreciated Mexican singer Ely Guerra sang with world cup opponents from
Chile (La Ley) the song title El Duelo (the Duel) where the main lyrics
epitomize the current team: “Without pain you cannot achieve happiness” the
most fitting anthem for both playing in
and supporting the current squad.
Otherwise for
something more traditional the Mariachi Loco is played at all parties and goes
like this: “I want to dance but there is no partner” and “I want to drink but
there is no tequila” a must watch!
If Mexico are
to do anything it needs to be with this song in its veins.
The prognosis will be in the group previews.
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