As a football fan and follower of the Mexican National Football team, Im not very familiar with the new head coach Sven Goran Ericksson, coming from Sweden, checked this name in Wikipedia and found some information about him. Im not very impressed but seems well suited for experience and well he is Swedish (they have a national team that struggles to go the next step, but has international recognition.) and managed England's National Team for some time and has a career in leagues like Italian Calcio, and Lazio rings a bell.
But is this guy really the right guy for the post? Well some say he don't know spanish, he don't know the Mexican Primera division, don't know the mexican way of managing players or things, most important of all: HE IS NOT MEXICAN! How can this be? Which has been unfairly the main diss against the new head coach.
Fact is most mexican coaches, mexican National team veterans and other Primera division team presidents pretty much like things they way they are and not very prone to change.One of the reasons is that their particular interests might be affected and some important players might see their luck change with a new head coach, maybe not to be called to play again with the National Team.And most head coaches felt maybe even they could be qualified for the job and win the post. Which some might but think overall mexican coaches already had their chance and didn't take the team to some fairly relevant place in any tournament except a Confederations Cup win and maybe some Copa America finals, 3rd place ranks in the same tournament and some memorable games in World Cups. But that was then, and now everyone expects so much on what our Local media has built hype on and cleary overrate the National Team to exagerated proportion.
While some pattern recognition is in order, "the next step" or evolution for the National team expected and desired by all fans is very well in a stall, much from the Hugo Sanchez mistake of giving much hype to the real state of the Mexican football overall stating it has World Cup winning chances, which everybody took to heart since he "is" Hugo Sanchez and he is a winnner. Well he was pretty mediocre as a strategist and his poor group managing skill just exposed him and the real problem of Mexican Football in general. Lack of interest in defending the mexican football, lack of what we can call style, lack of important players in foward and striker positions, and just as simple as lack of goal from the starters and subs in National team. Very much lacking recognition that these problems must be addressed first.
Most of the better players are and/or get spoiled and assume diva positions as they feel they are entitled to demand so and they should have their way, such positions taken by important figures like Rafael Marquez or Pavel Pardo, veterans from as early as head coach Manuel Lapuente days, and some new ones like Carlos Salcido. This should not be as in any other football playing country representing your country you take to heart: its a privilege. You represent your football style, the people who cheer for you and all other cheesy wrongful patriotic fanatism aspects mexican nationals love. One can almost feel these players do it for the money and to keep their hype up. I believe no player is to boycott or ransom on the National team to meet his personal demands. Otherwise you are not a team player and you would be better off the team, we demand these diva actions stop and commit to The Green Jersey with pride and dignity.
On the other hand we got the style problem. Can any fan really tell what the National team plays? Do we really see a pattern of evolution of what was then, when the Menotti era started up to this day? Pretty much stalled to my belief. There must be commitment to develop and envision a style and/or system to be adopted by all mexicans when at play. This means all the way from reserves, all the way to Primera division leagues. To envision how 11 mexicans SHOULD play ever since they are developed as players. A system and strategy to fit the power, skill, body frame, stamina of 11 mexican players.
I don't see it, we just pass and kick around to pleasure everywhere. Football anarchy, but we all know the ball goes in the net right? Well, today that is not enough, and lack of style, system, form and funtion are evident and fans all over speculate much on this. And I very much speak for all WE DONT LIKE HOW FOOTBALL IS PLAYED IN OUR COUNTRY. Call it National o Primera Leagues games you can't enjoy or see much entertainment from them. There must be a coach and team presidents effort to envision this and not commecial success, in fact a losing team is not very commercial altogether!
The Primera league rule of 5 foreigners per team, keeps from developing our own local fowards and strikers, which as been a flaw for years, since most fowards are foreign, even so, with the below 20/11 (years/months) rule still strikers are not being debuted and given minutes in Primera league, they are mostly developed in inferior leagues. When they reach a mature age they still can't compete in the league for lack of minutes. And when one gets a some reasonable media attention, they get overhyped and spoiled over. The need to reduce the quota of foreigners is at sight and to change the rule 20/11 to at least guaranteee a Foward/Striker position per team to at least force development of much needed new talent and try out time for these young players who also get a some experience from underage international tournaments and could be of valor in Primera league games.Then you got your naturalization issue, some of these foreign players that are not that good to begin with are being naturalized to assume a mexican spot in the roster, and much are even speculate to wear the Green Jersey self promoted. Another foreigner problem to add!
So, is really that coach being european the problem? No. The problems are exposed and plain to see, but I'm certain for these to be resolved addressing them first is a start. The change is needed and a coach with his international experience would be desirable, but I think he is not here to resolve these problems but more to lead a squad to a World Cup. When is a real top elite coach being hired? One that can set the bases for the evolve stage and this hopeful next step we all are expecting?
Hope one that is brave and talented enough to assume that the problem is not just to qualify to the World Cup since we are in CONCACAF that is not much of a problem...
One brave enough to face the vices of Mexican football entirely and realize this taboo problems must be addressed for the good sake of Mexican football as we know it.
Thanks, I enjoyed your blog.
I mostly stay on the Spanish web. I'm a Barca fan and am a neutral in the US/Mexico wars. The nice thing about the La Liga threads is only the occasional #### shows up to rant about something, and they are usually some English drunk who wants to complain about Spanish players wanting too much money to play in England.
The Mexican NT has always fascinated me, however.
The players are as skilled as any South American or African individuals, (I will never forget sitting next to a basketball court in a Zapotec village in Oaxaca and watching kids play basketball will feet and head, and they were better than me with hands), but, as you pointed out, there doesn't seem to be a style to bind them.
The exception was last years NA/SA tournament after the gold cup. I don't remember the tourney name.
Mexico looked very good in that tournament, and I credited a lot of their fire to Rafa Marquez.
I don't know anything about internal Mexican squabbles, but Rafa ALWAYS brings everything to a game. I've never seem him coast, and he and Puyol are the heart and soul of Barca.
I've been watching Gio Dos Santos, and he seems to be progressing nicely. Barca made a big mistake letting him go.
The other thing I have a hard time with is your aversion to foreigners. I didn't realize there were so many playing in the Primera, but I do know that anytime one wants to play on the NT there is an uproar. I don't mean any offence, but it seems to me that a people who are experiencing bias in their immigration problems with the USA would be more sensitive to oth
I agree tht having lots of extranjeros doesn't help Mexico to develop younger players. Chivas is now developing its own, while America still prefers to buy on the market rather than invest in Mexico. Where my wife lives in Veracruz they just started a team in the 3rd division about 7 years ago, which gave a chance to players who were previously only playing in the pueblo league. In three seasons, they (Tezonapa) took second place to Tepic in the national 3rd division. Afterwards, several players where on in the primera division. It just took an opportunity.
That being said, bringing talent in from afar helps to make for stronger competition in the league and keeps fan interest when big names arrive. The league now is definitely improved.
Mexico doesn't lack skill, it lacks giving players confidence to succeed. I think the last few world cup teams of Mexico have played better than that of Argentina. Even though Argentina won face to face in the last world cup. But, Mexico outplayed them most of the game. They just lacked the little inspiration to get over the hump.
However, Mexico still lacks pure velocity up front, tall strong defenders, and players with creativity in the midfield the way Argentina has. I don't know how you change the first two without changing the ethnic dynamics, but the creativity part is there, it just needs to be developed at the professional level like in Argentina. There's lots of it in the Barrios. There are many guys who play like Temoc or Nery at age 12 in the barrios. But, I don't see a system in place (a apart perhaps from
