Did El Tri weathered the storm? Or is it too early to make the call?
El Tri picked up its third away win in these World Cup qualifiers, but is everything sorted out?
The way that win happened in Kingston was El Tri as it gets. There’s never a lack of drama surrounding México’s national team. El Tri struggled to get a 2-1 win over a 10-men Jamaica, but the job had to get done some way or another. Most importantly, as the match progressed, it became evident that it turned into a must win for Gerardo “Tata” Martino.
With five games remaining in the World Cup qualifiers, four of those matches on Mexican soil, a catastrophe of epic proportions will have to occur for El Tri to miss the World Cup. If all goes smooth, El Tri will claim a place in this year’s main event, and FOR ONCE, it will be led to two consecutive World Cups under managers that have lasted more than three years, in other words, managers that CUMPLIERON EL PROCESO.
In a country, where sometimes you get the idea that the fanbase takes a lot of interest and joy in seeing El Tri and its players falter, Thursday’s result is still seen to them as evidence that Martino’s proceso is going downhill.
1. It has to be said that Martino went through a 2021 in which he really couldn’t count on Raúl Jiménez and Chucky, who had to endure tough injuries. Fortunately towards the end of last year, they came back into the picture, and the hope is that they can become a dominant force in the attack. Raúl has only completed three complete games in these qualifiers, the same as Chucky. Both only have one goal apiece in these qualifiers, while Alexis Vega just picked up his second this past Thursday, coincidentally both came against Jamaica. As of right now, January 2022, it makes total sense to say that Raúl and Chucky will be present in a hypothetical El Tri XI in a World Cup debut, but time will tell.
2. In order for El Tri’s offense to be effective, other parts of the national team need to improve. The fullbacks need to be better with their offensive interventions, especially in the tactical formation Martino tends to use. It is here where players like Gerardo Arteaga and Julian Araujo will have minutes to prove why they deserve the starting role over players like Jesús Gallardo and Jorge Sánchez.
3. The nature of El Tri’s midfield needs more performances like the one Héctor Herrera and Charly Rodríguez gave against Jamaica. Charly finished the night with a 91% passing accuracy. Their confidence on the ball allowed El Tri to create dangerous plays throughout the 90 minutes. Is the midfield of Edson Álvarez, HH and Charly, the one?
4. Diego Lainez is a no. 10. He has the vision of a player that likes to start his game from the center and moves to parts of the field where he can explode his speed. I think Martino should try the possibility of having a 4-2-3-1 with Edson-HH/Charly in front of the backline and up in the offense have Chucky on the left, Lainez on the center, and Tecatito on the right. Up top, let’s see Raúl, but it could also be a spot for Vega.
5. César Montes will likely return in the match against Costa Rica. With Montes on the field, El Tri hasn’t lost in the Octagonal.
6. Martino’s México can’t afford to feel stagnated in the final third in these following home games because if they do, things could start getting ugly, similar to the Chepo era. Martino will need to take risks at home. Another draw like the one against Canada, and the pressure will return OTRA VEZ.