Friendly: México vs. Croatia in Tejas, 3/27/18

Discussion in 'Mexico National Team' started by Centauro del Norte, Feb 8, 2018.

  1. Regulus Tera

    Regulus Tera Member+

    None
    Mexico
    Sep 10, 2012
    Club:
    CD Chivas de Guadalajara
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Friendlies should be opportunities for the team to practice strategies and ideas in as close to a real world setting as possible. They should be opportunities for team players to start getting used to each other’s movements. They will never be as good a test as official competition, but considering the calendar it’s the best next thing a National Team has.

    Our problem is that Osorio has, in three years at the helm, apparently squandered these. It’s ridiculous that he’s trying a three man back line less than three months before the World Cup. Even Manchester City didn’t dominate it til a year after Guardiola took over. Osorio is trying to make Mexico a Swiss knife capable of handling a bunch of different playing methods, but he doesn’t see that the current team is incredibly fragile defensively. The back line is constantly exposed on the transition as the midfielders are unable to hold opponents, and that leaves us relying on the goalkeeper more often than we should. And most of our goals come through set pieces (commendable, admittedly) and individual moments of brilliance. There’s little playmaking from the centre, if at all.
     
  2. Rafael Hernandez

    Rafael Hernandez Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 6, 2002
    I would still wait to the official reports. I don't know if it was Talavera or who that came out with people saying it wasn't bad and ended up being that the player missed 6 months.
     
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  3. metalmaster

    metalmaster Member+

    Jul 7, 2004
    In the wrong hood
    Club:
    Hakoah Maccabi Ramat Gan
    This is the main problem imo. Osorio thinking Mexico has the talent depth to play all those different methods with whomever he brings into the field.
     
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  4. Regulus Tera

    Regulus Tera Member+

    None
    Mexico
    Sep 10, 2012
    Club:
    CD Chivas de Guadalajara
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    No rhythm going into the World Cup is not good either. So this might be a case where Osorio's constant rotation might actually save us.
     
  5. Serg33

    Serg33 Member+

    Jul 11, 2007
    Or Peru
     
  6. metalmaster

    metalmaster Member+

    Jul 7, 2004
    In the wrong hood
    Club:
    Hakoah Maccabi Ramat Gan
    Yes why not. Right now Peru would probably be a good test.
     
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  7. nicamex1935

    nicamex1935 Member+

    Jul 10, 2007
    Club:
    Club América
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Having watched the sport all my life, one of the things you notice especially in the international game is how difficult it can be generally speaking for goal scoring opportunities to be created. It’s typical for there to be a certain level of dysfunction, imprecision, among other things.

    With Mexico specifically these last few years, I’ve never seen our national team look this vulnerable at times and allow the opposition so many chances to score.

    In friendlies like these, it’s not the result that’s most important.

    You can lose to Croatia 1-0 or beat Chile 1-0 leading up to Copa America.

    The easy thing to do for some in an effort to pursue some sense of objectivity I imagine, is to just say Mexico only has so high a ceiling, these games don’t mean much, the criticism is overblown, etc etc.

    The fact of the matter is the same glaring issues with this team persist and that merits scrutiny and extreme concern.

    I don’t see how these problems get fixed between now and the World Cup.
     
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  8. Serg33

    Serg33 Member+

    Jul 11, 2007
    I don't disagree with the Osorio part.....but if friendlies are used to practice strategies, new players, building cohesiveness.....why get bent out of shape over a result? Or the way the teamed looked?

    I don't like watching Mexico play like shit....but, I won't look at this result and assume we're going 3 and out
     
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  9. Serg33

    Serg33 Member+

    Jul 11, 2007
    Or Jamaica

    Or the usual suspects.....just as long as the games are not in the US
     
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  10. Regulus Tera

    Regulus Tera Member+

    None
    Mexico
    Sep 10, 2012
    Club:
    CD Chivas de Guadalajara
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    I'm not mad at the result fyi: Croatia is a mid tier team and us losing to them by the minimum should be expected every once in a while. I'm mad at how this team is showing the same problems year after year after year. It's not like this is the first time Mexico has looked fragile at the back. People were saying this a year ago when we beat Chile 1-0 in a friendly thanks to an awful night by their forwards. You would expect Osorio would have learned something since then, but he's comitting the same mistakes. I fear he thinks the goleadas against us occured only because of issues of mentality and not a problem with his team structure.
     
  11. Baysic

    Baysic Member+

    Jun 11, 2009
    The Bay Area, CA
    Club:
    Club América
    I still think we make it out of the group.....s Korea and Sweden shakey too.
     
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  12. thedragonrik58

    thedragonrik58 Member+

    Los Angeles Football Club
    Mexico
    Jul 5, 2011
    Palmdale
    Club:
    CD Chivas USA
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    I agree, we'll just end up getting raped by Alemania and Brasil.
     
  13. Serg33

    Serg33 Member+

    Jul 11, 2007
    Of course we make it out of the group

    I ain't even trippin'
     
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  14. Rafael Hernandez

    Rafael Hernandez Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 6, 2002
    Yeah in 98 I was certain we were going to get crushed after the AWFUL run in friendlies and we had our best World Cup ever outside Mexico. In 2014 we went with back to back loss and also tied with our best ever. In 2010 we went after at times "dandole un baile a Italia" and then were lucky to not lose to South Africa. And of course there is 2013 and how people breathed a sigh of relief after crushing Ivory Coast with Drogba and then lost to Honduras in Azteca. You never know with friendlies but that being said, it might mean things will continue like this.
     
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  15. nicamex1935

    nicamex1935 Member+

    Jul 10, 2007
    Club:
    Club América
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    The key difference with those instances before the cup is the manager had just taken over the national team.

    That’s a terrible exaggeration concerning the South Africa game by the way.
     
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  16. Regulus Tera

    Regulus Tera Member+

    None
    Mexico
    Sep 10, 2012
    Club:
    CD Chivas de Guadalajara
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    I've always thought that the preparation for that World Cup was weird in the first place. Yes, we lost against Norway in Oslo 5 to 1, but the other humiliations that year were against Boca Juniors and Universidad Católica, which is to be expected when you pit a national team vs a club. We beat Estonia, Peru, and Japan that same year, tied Paraguay and Ireland, and narrowly lost vs Netherlands before tying them in the actual World Cup. It's not as bad as people make it to be.
     
  17. Rafael Hernandez

    Rafael Hernandez Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 6, 2002
    If not for the South African bad finish, they would have won as Osorio was beaten and Conejo Perez was done for. He did terrible in that play. The game was pretty even and to be fair a lot of it because of having Franco play, which he didn't do in the Italy game.

    If you think it's to be expected to lose 5-1 to Universidad Catolica then that's you. We also lost to Chile U20 in between the Boca and Catolica games. We lost to Bologna and lost to Wolfsburg 4-1 in the Euro tour along with the 5-2 loss to Norway. Outside of the Estonia win, all the wins were close and the losses were goleadas. And the tie in Paraguay was in Azteca, which would be a bad result even today (ask Chepo).
     
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  18. Regulus Tera

    Regulus Tera Member+

    None
    Mexico
    Sep 10, 2012
    Club:
    CD Chivas de Guadalajara
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Nearly all those losses were against clubs, again. You cannot expect a national team that sees each other every other month to go toe to toe vs clubs that play every week. Netherlands played a friendly a few years back vs Bayern Munich and they got demolished. At that point it's like playing two different sports.

    Also, that Paraguay nearly eliminated Zidane's France. Only reason they didn't go through was because the Golden Ball was still a thing back then.
     
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  19. Colima24

    Colima24 Member+

    Jul 28, 2005
    Villa de Alvarez
    Club:
    Club América
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
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  20. Rafael Hernandez

    Rafael Hernandez Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 6, 2002
    Look at Mexico's record with club teams after those games and tell me that's normal. I know club teams are tough and are better gelled but your BSing if you think it would be cool to expect the Mexican NT to lose 5-1 against U Catolica.
     
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  21. Rafael Hernandez

    Rafael Hernandez Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 6, 2002
    Abou the few good things is that I was kind of worried about not having a rival to prepare for South Korea. Today I learned than to prepare for Mexico, South Korea is going to play Honduras and Bolivia. WTF? Good luck with that.
     
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  22. icybauer

    icybauer Member+

    Aug 8, 2011
    Club:
    CD Chivas de Guadalajara
    This team needs a cdm, better opposition will destroy that 3 man backline
     
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  23. LaMascara

    LaMascara Member+

    Apr 11, 2013
    Club:
    Pachuca CF
    Sorry but I don't think he is the answer.
     
  24. Baysic

    Baysic Member+

    Jun 11, 2009
    The Bay Area, CA
    Club:
    Club América
    Facts <_<
     
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  25. Testator

    Testator Member+

    Glasgow Celtic
    Croatia
    Sep 5, 2017
    Croatian coast
    Hope nobody minds a Croat replying here. I understood this sentence quite well, since I speak Italian. The same feeling of indifference exists amongst Croats, for their NT, mostly due to the corruption of the Croatian Football Federation. This corruption has produced some strange and underwhelming names at the helm of the team.
    I don't know how well regarded Osorio was before being appointed as the Mexico NT manager, but he definitely isn't popular now.

    P.S. I hope at least one of the two severely injured players recovers in time for the WC. I do want to see some spectacular games in the group you're in, and for that- you need your best players. Mexico gained my full respect at the last WC, when Herrera had them firing so many long shots in a high-tempo football that was also defensively solid.
     

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