Tata Martino has found success but his team struggled to score in the final stage of World Cup qualification. It was a sign that Mexico’s famous brand of football didn’t work without its legendary manager, Juan Carlos Osorio. Experts say Osorio may have been too ambitious for Mexico’s capabilities and will now retire after leading them into this World Cup place
The “world cup plot 2022” is a blog post that discusses the World Cup qualifying matches for Mexico. It discusses how Mexico has sealed their place in the World Cup, as well as positivity returning under Tata Martino.
Mexico’s 2-0 win against El Salvador provided much more than just a ticket to the World Cup in 2022. El Tri’s style of play was obvious in the dramatic last matchday of CONCACAF’s Octagonal round of qualifying on Wednesday: it was enjoyable.
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Manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino was surprisingly braver than usual with a place in Qatar on the line (although more of a formality given the course of events that would have seen Costa Rica pip Mexico to the last position). In contrast to his cautious approach, which looked to develop in the aftermath of qualification defeats to the United States and Canada last November, there was more freedom against El Salvador in a lineup that contained five changes from his last starting XI.
The most notable of those moves was the addition of two of his top wingers, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano of Napoli and Jesus “Tecatito” Corona of Sevilla, to the bench. Martino replaced them and put Alexis Vega and Uriel Antuna in command of the attack, two local Liga MX stars who have historically been rotation players for the national team.
The choice paid off beautifully, as it seemed throughout the game that Martino was returning to his creative and forward-thinking style of play that he used when he initially took command of Mexico in 2019. El Tri found themselves ahead 2-0 at halftime on Wednesday after slogging through four previous qualifiers with two goals.
– CONCACAF World Cup qualifying: Results, Schedule, and Standings – World Cup 2022 qualifying: How it Works Around the World – ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (Only available in the United States) – Don’t have ESPN? Get immediate access
On the left flank, Vega linked up brilliantly with striker Raul Jimenez and made many crucial passes. Antuna, who played on the right, was named Man of the Match after scoring a goal in the 17th minute and earning a penalty that allowed Jimenez to make it 2-0 in the 43rd minute.
Carlos Rodriguez and Erick Gutierrez, an inexperienced midfield combo, stood up as a mobile partnership that rapidly helped transfer the ball vertically. Despite the fact that Mexico was unable to score another goal in the second half, Martino and his team put up a good showing. Notably, they were able to do so and qualify for the World Cup by using a different starting lineup that placed a lot of trust in a few bench players that supporters had been clamoring for.
“That chance will come at some moment,” Antuna (who hasn’t started for Mexico since January) told TUDN after the game. “When I receive it, I have to be prepared.”
Some parts of the game satisfied Martino, although he allowed opportunity for constructive criticism. “The circulation of the ball that we had was fantastic,” he remarked. “I believe we have improved our chance creation, but we still need to improve our last ball and have more conviction in the final third,” says the coach.
In the last qualifier, Tata Martino’s daring side was on show. Getty Images/Hector Vivas
El Tri used to be marked by a paucity of goals in the Octagonal, with low-scoring ties and close victories. The 2-0 triumph against El Salvador was the first time they’d scored more than once in any of their four qualifiers at home this year, and the first time they’d scored twice in the first half of a qualifier in their entire Octagonal run.
Martino’s determination on avoiding risks for the most of 2022 hasn’t been pleasant, and it has undoubtedly caused Mexico into some difficult positions where they are chasing late equalizers or game-winners. This caused some to doubt his place with the national team ahead of the El Salvador match.
Martino’s future with El Tri might be put to a vote by Mexican club owners, according to ESPN Mexico’s John Sutcliffe, who named Tigres UANL’s Miguel “Piojo” Herrera as a potential back-up plan. Although ESPN Mexico’s Rene Tovar reported on Tuesday that Mexican Football Federation head Yon de Luisa had downplayed any notion of Martino quitting and that he would stay with the squad if they qualified for the World Cup in Qatar, it was clear that pressure was mounting.
Martino gambled, possibly putting his career on the line, and won not only a ticket to the World Cup, but also second position in the Octagonal table, one place ahead of their rising American opponents and even on 28 points with leaders Canada. Mexico may have snatched first place if it hadn’t been for an errant tactical move or sloppy finishing. But it doesn’t matter. As we’ve seen previously, the World Cup qualifiers might look quite different from the squad that actually competes in the championship. Securing an invitation is just the first step; we’ll see whether Mexico’s coach leans more toward his cautious or daring side in the future.
“This is something I anticipated from us, and it’s something we needed to achieve [qualifying for the World Cup],” Martino said after the game. “The next step is to prepare for the goal. Tomorrow is the start of a new chapter.”
Mexico sealed a place in the World Cup with a 1-0 victory over El Salvador on Wednesday. The result was the first time Mexico had won since Tata Martino took charge of the team and restored some positivity to their campaign. Reference: mexico world cup drawing.
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