Battered Mexico must take time to reflect, adjust before knockout round

There’s no way of sugarcoating it – Mexico was dreadful on Wednesday.

During their crucial and final group stage clash against Sweden, El Tri proved to be deservedly second best in the 3-0 defeat to the European side. In a performance filled with countless inaccurate shots, ineffective passing, and far too many defensive mistakes, Mexico was lucky to only allow three goals.

More importantly, the North American side was truly fortunate to emerge from the loss with a place in the World Cup knockout round.

Thanks to a stunning 2-0 victory by South Korea over Germany in the other Group F battle, El Tri found a way into the round of 16. If Germany had won – a result that was widely expected before kickoff – Mexico would have been sent home early with a disappointing third-place spot in the group.

But while Mexico supporters were jubilant after securing a place in the knockout round – countless El Tri fans at the Ekaterinburg Arena were seen celebrating as they received updates on their phones from the Germany defeat – the same couldn’t be said for its players. Once the final whistle blew, El Tri’s dejected squad slowly made its way off the field, knowing full well the team had narrowly avoided a disastrous end to its World Cup.

So what now? Before the next match in the round of 16, Mexico must assess the worrisome issues that were in plain sight on Wednesday.

Manager Juan Carlos Osorio must first tackle his defence. The backline’s man-marking was horrific against Sweden and by far Mexico’s weak link in the defeat. Were it not for some highlight-worthy saves from goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, the result could have been much, much worse.

Adding to the defensive troubles is that Osorio will be forced to replace Hector Moreno in his starting XI due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Although backup Hugo Ayala is a likely candidate to step in, there’s no doubt that El Tri’s defence will be more porous without the vital defender on the pitch.

As for the fullbacks, both Jesus Gallardo and Edson Alvarez appeared inconsistent and feeble against Sweden. Both youngsters should be given credit for exceeding expectations at the start to the tournament, but should also be re-evaluated after giving plenty of space for the opposition to roam.

In the midfield, Osorio should also consider benching team captain Andres Guardado. The veteran is an undisputed leader of this team, but is also a liability in the centre of the pitch. As seen in the defeat to Sweden – and in the two previous matches – Guardado was far too quiet with his conservative style of play.

On the wings, it’s fair to wonder if the Miguel Layun experiment should come to a close. Despite his versatility, the argument could be made that he’d be better suited in his more natural position as a fullback. Giving him a spot in the defence could allow for a space in the attack for an enticing backup such as Marco Fabian or Jesus Manuel Corona.

Speaking of the attack, Mexico’s desperation led to a total of 20 shots in the final third. Only three hit the target. An underlying dilemma in recent weeks regarding El Tri has been their finishing, and if Mexico isn’t more efficient with its opportunities going forward, there’s little hope for advancing further in the World Cup.

Tactically speaking, it’s also significant to note that Osorio was outsmarted on Wednesday.

With the opposition adding plenty of pressure on the ball, Mexico looked frustrated while trying to connect passes. More often than not, El Tri was left hopeless as they constantly lost possession after launching lobs up the wings. The Swedes, who were much better in the air, easily countered against a Mexican side that was regularly left scrambling to get the ball back.

Finally, Osorio should also be criticized for his late substitutions. In a match that screamed for early changes, the manager failed to make adjustments that could have potentially altered the result.

It’s clear there are many lessons to be learned for Mexico in this necessary time of self-reflection. And yet, there are reasons for hope despite Wednesday’s fiasco.

Regardless of its opponent in the round of 16, Mexico showed against Germany and South Korea that it has one of the most exciting squads in the tournament. Blessed with depth, pace, and creativity in his roster, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Osorio fine-tune his starting XI and gain a win in the knockout round.

In theory, the defeat to Sweden could even be the wake-up call that Mexico needed. With high hopes after the win over Germany, perhaps the humbling result will prove to be beneficial. Now, El Tri can truly reassess their strengths and weaknesses and look for solutions to the aforementioned problems that might have been hiding in earlier matches.

This period of reflection will make or break Mexico as Osorio and his players take time to adjust and improve. Mistakes were undeniably made against Sweden, but they can also be fixed.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)