Creer en El Tata
I wrote this before the Gold Cup final…
The year is 2010, eleven years ago, and Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s Paraguay gave an epic battle to the eventual World Champions, Spain, in the World Cup quarterfinals.
That Paraguayan National Team included four Liga MX players — Darío Verón, Édgar Benítez, Cristian Riveros, Denis Caniza. But wait! There were other players in that list with Liga MX experience like Paulo da Silva, Julio César Cáceres, Enrique Vera, and Lucas Barrios. Also before Salvador Cabañas’ accident, he was Martino’s goalscoring machine.
In a time when many of El Tri’s starters are in Europe, it’s important to remember that one of Martino’s biggest football successes happened with a player pool that consisted of a heavy Liga MX influence.
That alone, I think, should be enough reason to give him time, and although some tactical or selection decisions have generated an exaggerated amount of questioning from the press, Martino’s tenure should continue to be seen as an opportunity to build a National Team in desperate need to take that “next step” in the world stage.
I hope El Tri can get the results in the following days, but it will not be the end of the world if they don’t win the Gold Cup. Inevitably if they don’t win, the pressure for Martino will rise, but if someone knows about pressure it’s him.
So now, what’s the feeling after two wins to kick off the World Cup Qualifiers?
It was refreshing to hear a loud “Vamoooos!” after the 1-0 away win in Costa Rica. It unleashed a lot of joy and satisfaction. Six for six, shutting down all the overboard criticism that came after the extra-time Gold Cup loss.
Think about the time El Tri had to pick itself up after the 7-0 defeat against Chile, and all the criticism that Juan Carlos Osorio and the players had to endure in their road to Russia.
And yes, the win against Germany is perhaps the highest satisfaction the Osorio era left behind, and the Round of Sixteen loss against Brazil left many of us thinking that that specific performance was just not good enough, as was the one against Sweden.
When looking at the current state of El Tri, it’s important to highlight the past tenure. It’s safe to say after these past two wins, that this El Tri generation is used to rotating line-ups. It’s great to see Andrés Guardado receive rest against Jamaica, so he could be in top form against Costa Rica.
To see Orbelin Pineda come off the bench for the injured Alexis Vega and spearhead a notable performance. We live in a period of time that Cruz Azul players are making the difference in the National Team, let that sink in for a bit.
The bronze medal in Tokyo was a breath of fresh air for El Tri as the senior team suffered two heavy summer defeats. Maybe those defeats, after all, were like wake-up calls. Or maybe this particular tenure understands that the main job is, first, to get to the World Cup, and second, to make history in Qatar.
After 180 minutes, the big question mark is Rogelio Funes Mori and his poor form in front of goal. Funes Mori needs to relax, enjoy the opportunity he’s received and be the Funes Mori that has scored over 100 goals for Rayados. Looks like he has all the support from El Tri’s leaders, and that should be enough to start netting big goals.
The road to Qatar has started, and El Tri is recuperating much needed confidence ahead a heavy schedule until March 2022.