The Fall of Rafael Marquez

I think he has matured, its obvious by his new hairstyle, haha just kidding

Anyways, I think we need him in there. I dont think he would repeat that and I think he has calmed down

But we will see

 

Can't wait for the haters to appear

You can't say anything badly about Rafa Marquez around these parts

 

at least he didnt get hurt in a chair

[FONT=&quot]http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/bi...-Derrek-Lee-hurts-back-in-chai?urn=mlb,230255[/FONT]

 

treason

 

I tend to agree with u Hugo, but he already said this will be his last world cup, so he is going. I think because this will be his last world cup he is gonna play his balls out, but if he starts to fack up I wouldn't mind if Aguirre drops him in favor of a Moreno-Maza pairing in the back.

 

Replace him with Pikolin

 

this thread is trying to start something that isnt there.

granted rafa has had mental farts that have hurt the team, but I think that's why he's not captain anymore. aguirre has preferred cuah and torrado, which is good.

i think in the past rafa put too much pressure on himself because he wanted the NT to win really bad but we didnt have the weapons/threats we do now to make that happen. i remember after the argentina game in 06, rafa spoke out about how we needed more players in Europe. for a competitor who has professionally been at another level, it must have been hard playing with such mediocre or average players against top competition. that shit can drive you crazy, believe me, and make you do stuff out of desperation you're not used to. i mean come on, wouldnt it piss you off to rely on folks like lucho perez, bravo, kikin when theyre absolutely worthless? im sure rafa wished many times he could do everything on the field

now he's much more calm and mature on the NT, but I think alot has to do with the new crop of players. i remember rafa speaking about Gio after the GC i think and commented on how that's the Gio we need for the NT to be successful. i think the pressure is off and rafa feels much more comfortable with this coach and team. with this being his last WC, i think rafa will want to go out with a bang. i dont expect any clownshow in South Africa

 

Only thing that changed is he's slower....lol at downfall....up until last year he was still a beast....now I think its gonna come down to finding the perfect cb partner to cover him in those situations.....

 

Do you guys remember the famous match against the Argentines at the 99 Youth championship games?

Mexico was winning 4-1. It was already in stoppage time when MArquez accumulated, NOT 1, but TWO yellow cards, which sent him to the showers and ultimately suspended for the quarterfinal match against the Japanese.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZNhz7snVQk&feature=related"]YouTube- Argentina 1 x Mexico 4 en Nigeria 99[/ame]

Had Marquez shown a bit more mental fortitude in key matches, I think his place as Mexico's best player of all time could have been cemented. You also have to take into consideration that he has been injury prone.

 

This thread sounds a lot like this one

https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1121551

 

I'd like to think a lot of his bonehead fouls and frustration came from the fact that after 2002, he was seen as the player that had to carry México on his shoulders. In 2006 it seemed like Mexico depended too much on the guy to build its offense. I think (or maybe I just hope) that he realizes there are other very talented players on the team that can contribute.

Yes, the dude is a hothead. But for the opening game of the World Cup, I'd feel a lot safer with a sketchy Marquez on D than Maza or Moreno.

 

I totally agree

 

I think Hugo makes a great point.

I mean, we qualified without Rafa. How many games did he even play?

Two?

One thing's for sure, he should be fresh during the WC, given that he's barely played with Barca this year.

 

Rafa Marquez will play and start in 2010

simple as that

no debate here unless of course injury gets in the way.

during the euro friendlies he will show his quality

 

I have said this many times before, so I will say it again. Rafa has lost a step, and playing him as a CD could lead to problems. He had to play on the back line before because we had no one else. Now we have depth, which should allow Rafa to move just ahead of the defense.

Why not take advantage of what he can do best instead of use smoke and mirrors to cover up his glaring liability. I loved seeing Rafa de contencion in Pasadena. Let Osorio play as ultimo hombre. He is 20 times faster than Rafa. That lets us play Maza whom we need to defend set plays.

Pluses for Rafa at DM
Vision
Passing
Joining the attack more
lets him shoot more
Probably the best destroyer on team
Diffuse many more attacks before they happen.

Minuses
Careless tackles can lead to more set play drama
Asking a lot of the defense (although I think they are up for it)


For me, the positives outweigh the negatives. He can be load up the attack from a much deeper position on the field and spring our very speedy front line with some terrific through balls. He can be our first line of defense in spaces where he has reinforcements, which would hopefully curb his careless frontier justice.

It would take so much pressure off him, he would have chingos of fun. He would play with a smile on face instead of a rostro de alguien que esta tapado.

 

Bench who.. Torrado?

 

He lost a step and now you want to put him in the position that runs the most on the field?

come on now

 

I agree brother.

A Torrado and Castro mid is not bad at all imo

 

out of Castro, Torrado, and Rafa i have more confidence in Castro at the DM position

Castro is great at defending and recuperating the ball, he goes on the offensive exceptionally, has a great long range shot (goal against the Nads @ Azteca ), and he can pass the ball well (something Torrado lacks at times)

and to top it all off he has hustle which is something Rafa has been losing over the years

 

He has lost quickness, not endurance. The burst of speed he needs to lock down speedy forwards is where he has problems. The fact that he hasn't played all that much means he'll have fresher legs.

I believe it is no coincidence that ever since Castro moved into the starting line-up, Mexico has not lost on official match. The fact that he has played very little in the 4 prep matches shows how much confidence Vasco has in him.


It is very conceivable that one of the DMs will get suspended for card accumulation. Rafa may not start the world cup as a DM, but he will see plenty of playing time there.

 

Completely agree John. I don't usually repost stuff from other forums, but this is where I think Rafa would ideally fit in...

The Salcido and Maza pairing is optional, I just thought there'd be good chemistry considering they are PSV's preferred central defenders now. Guardado could also be moved to Jona's spot with Salcido LB, Jona bench, and bring in Osorio at CB like you said (or even Moreno). Point is, either way Rafa as D-Mid could really work out.

 

put him instead of israel castro