Three thoughts heading into the Canada game
El Tri and Tata's luna de miel continúa
The goals keep accumulating, the good performances are starting to become a constant. With Gerardo “Tata” Martino every game has become an opportunity to grow a playing style that fits the mold of the Mexican footballer. And although in more than one occasion there has been a sense of uncertainty surrounding El Tri, specifically on how Martino is handling each absentee case, the football displayed on the field leaves a lot to look forward to. There has been plenty of goals in the Tata era, 20 to be exact, and the consolidation of Under-23 players like Edson Álvarez, “Charly” Rodríguez, Roberto Alvarado and Uriel Antuna have dominated the headlines. To see El Tri get four wins after playing against Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela can only be described as a step in the right direction. All the symptoms suggest that something special is brewing.
Three Thoughts
1. You’re right if you think, “we’ve been here before,” because for many years El Tri has been inundated with many great moments. These moments felt like opportunities to take that next big step and embark on a journey that would substantially impact the history of the national team. Early on in Tata’s process, the players’ confidence on the field has been a main takeaway. There’s been a great connection between the coaching staff and the players, and the results prove it. I’m not entirely sold on the idea that once the Juan Carlos Osorio era came to end, and El Tri announced Martino as its new manager, an entire World Cup process which included a formidable Hexagonal display, was completely forgotten. It’s true that with Martino new players have stepped up, but it must not be ignored that Osorio’s time as Mexico manager left some type of foundation, which has tremendously helped Martino in building a starting XI with a clear-cut idea of how to execute a fitting game-plan. As suggested before, I believe that what Martino has spotted as a notable opportunity to improve is how the team’s full-backs adjust to the demands in both the attacking and defensive end. “Chaka” Rodriguez’s goal against Ecuador was the best example of that specific work because it involved the direct collaboration of both full-backs in a goalscoring play. Jesús Gallardo with the assist, Chaka with the goal. It won’t take long before El Tri’s players start admitting how impactful it has been to work with Martino, just as many did when Osorio was around.
2. There’s a quote Marc Gasol recently gave to El País, which should resonate with the way El Tri has been able to win tournaments like the 2012 Olympics. Gasol, who just won the NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors, said the following:
I’ve never consider myself the best at anything, but I’ve always lived with the thought that I can beat anybody, always.
Here’s the full interview, so you can check it out.
As you read this, remember that last year El Tri was living one of its greatest feats in World Cup history. Getting a win over Germany in a so far place like Russia felt like a momentous occasion, incomparable. It was a game where El Tri suffered, as the defending world champions took shots on goal, but it was also a game where El Tri understood the game-plan and execute it in great fashion. It was a day, El Tri acted as one; eleven players came together, while thousands in the stands turned into one loud voice pushing them through the gigantic challenge. El Tri doesn’t have a Kylian Mbappé or Lionel Messi, but it does hold a certain capacity to come together and unite into a strong team, capable to beat the best. Like Gasol, El Tri isn’t the best at anything, but it can certainly work on building a mentality that allows it to think that it can beat the best. Since the 1990s, it’s been common to see El Tri compete against the best in the world, sometimes it wins, sometimes it loses, how will Martino work to get El Tri’s winning mentality at an all-time high come the next big tournament?
3. The other day I decided to watch this video by DW Kick off! on YouTube, “Why is Mexico not a world football power?”
What I take from watching this 11-minute video are Pavel Pardo’s quotes. The best one was the following:
Every time I talk with clubs from Europe, for example, from the Bundesliga, they tell me, ‘Yes, we’re interested in Mexican footballers, but they’re very expensive.’
It remains to be seen how much Mexican footballers’ presence in Europe will change from now until the next World Cup. I hope that the presence will increment, but I’m unsure as recent events suggest that the presence is decreasing. It would be disappointing to see that after El Tri participated in back-to-back Toulon Tournaments and finished among the top-four, that only Diego Lainez made the jump to Europe. It’s true that at times El Tri looks like a big fish in a small pond when competing against CONCACAF opponents, so the best way for its players to arrive in the best possible shape to the next World Cup is for them to be in the best European leagues, competing against the world’s best. Hopefully Héctor Herrera and "Chucky” Lozano’s upcoming moves will help bolster the interest in Mexican talent. And why not think that some other Mexican goalkeeper will follow in Guillermo Ochoa’s footsteps in Europe. With all that’s been written here, what you should take away is that the best thing going on for El Tri right now is that its manager is Tata Martino.