Mexico enter the World Cup as a team under pressure. Their manager has called himself a public enemy despite qualifying, star striker Raul Jimenez hasn’t scored from open play since 2019, and there is also a curse for them to worry about. None of it sounds very promising, but a knockout tournament might change everything…
The Manager
After steering Paraguay to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino returns to the sport’s biggest stage as manager of Mexico. His last international assignment was with Argentina, led by Lionel Messi. Under Martino’s stewardship the Albiceleste lost two consecutive Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016.
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Fortune has not been on his side with Mexico either. After defeating rivals the United States in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, Martino lost three successive times to the Americans on US soil. Two losses came in continental finals. The other was a pivotal World Cup qualifier in Cincinnati last November.
Mexico finished above the US in the final CONCACAF qualifying standings, but fans and the media in Mexico turned against Martino and he declared himself “public enemy number one” in August.
The Argentine will turn 60 on November 20, two days before the Mexicans face Poland in their Group C opener, a crucial match for one of the World Cup’s most embattled managers.
The household name you haven’t heard of yet
Nicknamed El Cachorro or The Puppy, Cesar Montes is baby-faced 25-year-old defender with the skills to warrant a post-World Cup move to Europe. Montes has gone from up-and-coming talent at CF Monterrey to one of Mexico’s most dependable defenders, standing at 6ft 5in tall, a rarity among Mexican footballers.
Victoria y portería a cero! pic.twitter.com/qCpQNbQaLo
— César Montes (@CJasib) September 25, 2022
His height has become an asset for Mexico, a side that has struggled to defend set pieces during Martino’s term, and he is also an intelligent defender who tackles well and is very confident on the ball. It’s likely that Montes will find himself up against Robert Lewandowski when Mexico face Poland on November 22. That duel could prove decisive for both Montes’ future and Mexico’s chances of advancing beyond the group stage.
Strengths
When Martino took over in 2019, he implemented his preferred high-pressing 4-3-3 system: clean build-up, midfield control, attacking full-backs and Mexico dictating the tempo.
Mexico are a technical team and Martino wants his players to keep the ball. They press with their front three and attempt to recover possession inside their opponents’ half for a quick counter. Mexico do that well and have enough speed in attack to hurt teams in transition, particularly through Napoli winger Hirving Lozano.
Midfielder Edson Alvarez has become incredibly important to Martino’s possession-based system. As a single midfield pivot, the 25-year-old Ajax player is constantly on the ball and an important defensive presence.
However, Martino has tried to strengthen Mexico defensively as well. It would not be a surprise to see Mexico use a compact five across the back in Qatar. Mexico are also comfortable building play out of a back three.
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Experience is another strength of this Mexico side. There are 13 World Cup appearances between goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defender Hector Moreno, and midfielders Andres Guardado and Hector Herrera. This will be Ochoa and Guardado’s fifth World Cup, though Ochoa didn’t play in a couple of them.
Weaknesses
Chance creation hasn’t been a problem for Mexico, but finishing those chances has become a big concern ahead of the World Cup. Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-forward Raul Jimenez has been Mexico’s main striker since Martino took charge in 2019.
Martino has built his team around Jimenez’s ability to play with his back to goal, drift into wide channels and finish inside the penalty area. That paid dividends in Martino’s Gold Cup-winning first year, but Mexico and Jimenez have struggled to return to form since the player’s head injury in 2020.
Jimenez’s last goal for Mexico from open play came in a 3-0 win over Panama in a CONCACAF Nations League match in November of 2019. Since then, Jimenez has only managed to score from the penalty spot. His last goal came on March 30 against El Salvador, which sealed Mexico’s World Cup qualification.
Jimenez has scored 29 times in 96 appearances for Mexico, but he enters the tournament nursing a lingering a groin injury. The alternatives for Mexico at the No 9 are Rogelio Funes Mori (five goals for Mexico) and Henry Martin (six goals), both of whom are far less prolific at the international level.
Local knowledge
Here’s a bit of trivia that you can use to impress your friends this winter: Mexico is the only country to feature two players who have played in five World Cups. Goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal did so first from 1950 to 1966. Former Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez followed suit by playing in World Cups 2002 to 2018.
If Guardado enters the pitch in Qatar, Mexico will increase that number to three. Quite a feat.
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Expectations back home
Mexico have advanced to the knockout stage at every World Cup since 1994. They’ve had some massive performances at past tournaments too. Case in point: Mexico’s shock 1-0 win over Germany in their opening group stage match in 2018.
Yet, El Tri have not reached the World Cup quarter-finals since 1986 when they hosted the competition. In Mexico, that is spoken of as the fifth-game curse, or in Spanish, el quinto partido. Now every manager is judged by their ability, or inability, to progress beyond the round of 16.
Martino’s legacy will follow this same course. Unfortunately, there’s little hope in Mexico that this team will break the decades-long hex. In spite of the players’ vast international experience, injuries and inconsistent play have led to widespread criticism from fans and pundits. In August Martino referred to the environment that surrounds his players in Mexico as a pessimistic footballing culture. There’s a sense of fear that Mexico may instead break their streak of advancing to the knockout rounds.
Martino and the team are routinely jeered by their own fans. Fuera Tata (Tata Out) chants are heard when Mexico play on home soil or in the US, where most of their friendlies are staged. It would be an incredible story of redemption for Martino if he can lead them to a fifth game in Qatar.
Read more: See the rest of The Athletic’s World Cup 2022 squad guides
Read more: Mexico played Poland to a scoreless draw in their World Cup opener.
Read more: Mexico fell 2-0 to Argentina, leaving them bottom of Group C with one match to play.
Read more: Mexico was eliminated from the World Cup on goal differential after beating Saudi Arabia 2-1
(Main graphic — photo: Getty Images/design: Sam Richardson)
