With a World Cup ticket in the bag, what Tri can we expect?
El Tri completes only its third proceso in the 2000s without managerial changes
There’s positive takeaways and negative takeaways from this Octagonal. No todo es gacho, pero tampoco no todo es oro.
I think when Gerardo “Tata” Martino and his coaching staff accepted to coach El Tri, there were many things that made it an attractive option. First, the pool of players was good enough to get the team in the World Cup and return to a place that Martino and his coaching staff have been wanting to take part in for quite some time. Second, the qualification process in CONCACAF is not as complicated as it can be in CONMEBOL. And third, Martino knows the Mexican market pretty well. We tend to ignore the fact that his Paraguayan national team in 2010 was heavily influenced by talent that played in Liga MX. During his years in MLS, he also noticed how powerful El Tri and Liga MXs influence is in the North American region. Yes, there’s tremendous growth standing out from Canada and the U.S., but Mexico will continue to be the region’s main player on and off the pitch.
On Wednesday night, he achieved the first, and quite frankly most important step — to qualify to the 2022 World Cup.
It’s impossible to ignore how difficult this last storm has been for Tata. In Mexico, it’s hard to dodge criticism when your national team can’t beat the USMNT in four consecutive tries, and it also can’t defeat Canada in two. I think the fact that he overcame that pressure, and the FMF stayed steady when many of the country’s population chanted and (still) chant Fuera Tata is an act of resiliency that hopefully stirs the national team in the right direction.
Now as I write this, there’s still a continuation of a rumor that he might be released from his national team duties, but as we all know, Mexico is the land of the endless telenovela, where drama persists through good and bad.
Martino has won the right to coach El Tri in the World Cup, and to be completely honest, it has been the main motivation, and the big reason why he accepted the job offer in the first place.
Is there enough reason to feel confident about this tenure? Is it really the “one” that will take that step? It seems eternal to be asking this same question, and frankly it has tired out plenty of people out there, but the excitement and desire to see El Tri take that next step is one that will shake an entire country and big chunks of the United States.
As we saw ten years ago when El Tri won the gold medal in London, few things can top it when it outperforms itself and reaches the top.
1. The figure of Rafa Márquez has been involved in El Tri’s lowest and greatest moments. I think he was involved in more positives than negatives. El Tri’s best style of play was embodied in his elegance with the ball although he was a center-back. La Volpe’s Mexico succeeded in many ways because of Márquez’s presence in the backline of three. His long-balls and presence in set-piece plays also gave El Tri scoring options in different moments of the game. Without him in the picture, Martino has leaned on César Montes and Edson Álvarez to create a partnership that provides El Tri needed defensive stability. You can say that Edson was El Tri’s best in the Octagonal, or you can say Montes. Either works, but I’m leaning more towards the idea that both complement each other, and they provide El Tri with benefits that Márquez once provided. Montes has grown tremendously in his marking and long-ball skills, while Edson is becoming a leader and will need to take more risks with his passing during the World Cup.
The numbers are there, and with Montes on the field, El Tri didn’t lose a single game. With Carlos Salcedo out of the national team picture, Montes took his opportunity and count on him keeping it for many years. Edson’t experience in the last World Cup and time in Ajax should allow him to keep elevating his game and become more influential in El Tri’s offensive build-up.
2. Whether El Tri goes with a 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or even a 5-3-2, it seems that Edson will be a starter in the midfield for sure. That leaves the other spots open, one of which looks like HH will claim, but the version Guti showed in this past World Cup qualifying cycle is his best since he joined the senior team. I think it took some time for Guti to understand his role in the midfield, but after winning an important role in Roger Schmidt’s PSV, Guti is a different midfielder, more aware of his positioning but also more efficient with his distribution. What I liked about Guti was how quick he released the ball to the forwards, and how reliable he was in covering ground when Edson move forward or to one of the flanks to support the full-backs. During the El Salvador game, I got several of my Twitter followers point out that they wanted to see the midfield of Edson-Guti-HH, HH slotted in that role Charly didn’t succeed so much. It’s a possibility to consider, and a lot will depend on Andrés Guardado and Herrera’s level come the World Cup. It will help if Herrera plays a more advanced midfield role when he gets to the Dynamo. After observing several of Houston’s games in the last month, a midfield of Vera-Coco-HH is a strong possibility. Guardado, who already renewed his contract with Betis, will continue to get playing time, but I think his workload will decrease. How will Guardado look in that creative role? Can it work? As the World Cup approaches, consider that El Tri’s midfielders will come from this group: Edson, Guti, Charly, Guardado, HH, and then maybe Orbelin? Romo?
3. The story of Marcelo Flores is flourishing quite quickly, and a lot could change if in the summer he starts getting more looks from Mikel Arteta. I think if Flores makes his senior debut with Arsenal in the upcoming season, his chances to make El Tri’s World Cup roster will go up the roof, heck, they could go up the roof even if he goes on loan to another club just so he can get first-team playing time. I think he’s a reality, and he’s taking his first steps in his career quite well. We know that Flores enjoyed those minutes in Austin and how the fanbase welcomed him with open arms. A lot of players in the Mexico camp are already aware that El Tri has in its hands a one-of-a-kind talent. But let’s be patient with him and his inner circle. His time to shine will come.
4. If by the time the World Cup comes around, Lainez isn’t having constant playing time, there’s a good chance he doesn’t get included in the final roster. His next destination has to guarantee him some sort of playing time. In the last years, Betis has allowed some of its best young standouts to go on loan to Second Division clubs. Fabián Ruíz played one season in Elche before taking his career off at Betis, which led Napoli to pay a huge sum for his signature. Edgar, who this season has been one of Pellegrini’s go-to defenders, played a season at Real Oviedo before returning to Sevilla and becoming an integral piece. I think because of his age, Lainez is still a work in progress, which could lead Betis to allow him to go on loan somewhere. That somewhere is still a big question mark because the interest could come from different directions. It could well be coming from Spain, Germany, France, Portugal or the Netherlands, but don’t discard offers coming from multiple MLS sides who would be willing to have him on a one-year loan. Ideally, Lainez will remain in Spain. Consider Mallorca a frontrunner if it remains in First Division with “Vasco” Aguirre.
5. La Volpe. Osorio. Martino. What do these managers have in common? They’re the only managers in the 2000s to lead El Tri to a World Cup, while carrying out a proceso that has lasted more than three years. Thankfully, there was no bombero situation this time around. It’s quite worrying that no Mexican manager has been able to fulfill a proper proceso. We can sort of say that La Volpe is a manager made in Mexico, but his international experiences with Argentina shaped him into the manager he was. Mexico is a rich football country, which should have more coaches trying their luck in different parts of the world. We ask for our footballers to make the jump to Europe. I think we should be asking the same for our “main” managers. They should try their luck in South America and find ways to one day coach a club in a Copa Sudamericana or Copa Libertadores. Even taking steps in MLS are of high note because you’re putting yourself in situations that take you out of your comfort zone. Gonzo Pineda and Efra Juarez are doing exactly that in the US, and they’re succeeding. Mexican football is in constant growth, and I believe that the growth of Canada and the US should be welcomed because it will push Mexican football to get better.
6. Thank you Peru for giving us some of the best football scenes this week.
Lima, Peru will always hold a special place in Mexican football history. It was there in 2005 that a group of kids taught us that we too can play with swagger and a winning mentality. Gracias a los Chucho, Gio, Vela, Moreno, Efra, Villaluz , Esparza y Ever.