Mexico´s obligation is simply to win
As it always has, the process of selecting the players for the Mexican national team unleashes controversy.
It seems that not all the players who are ready have been selected and not all the ones who have been selected are ready.
But one thing is certain. There´s only one who is risking his neck: Chepo de la Torre.
He has to win four out of the six possible points.
Will Chicharito Hernandez be able to bring the win, who according to the medical report from Manchester United needs more rehabilitation?
Is there a more skilled or more experienced player in Mexico than Miguel Layun?
Did it mean anything that a week ago in Spain, Andres Guardado said he feared not reaching his full performance level in time for the qualifying games against Honduras and the United States?
Has Gerardo Torrado´s slow pace for the past two years as midfielder not been completely obvious, especially one-on-one with highly skilled players?
How much more evidence does Maza Rodriguez have to give to prove that his return to Mexico has made him sluggish and that he´s in great need of the good lashings of urgency and hunger he had when he lived in Europe?
Didn´t Chepo promise at the meeting at Justino Compean´s house to call up only active players with speed who are always ready to compete and are in their prime playing years?
And was that the reason for the late delivery of the selection lineup for this year´s national team? The influence of the FMF, the sponsors, team owners, calls from promoters, personal preferences and sentimental weaknesses all play a part.
Make no mistake, this isn´t the actual line-up that Chepo delivered -- the public will never get to see that. It must be checked, consulted and approved.
Or did anyone think that this selection review and approval process only happened in Argentina, Spain, Germany, etc.?
Remember the words of Julio Grondona: "If the President of the Federation doesn´t approve a selection I´ve made, it´s because he’s an idiot." On that occasion, he had crossed Diego Armando Maradona off the list in one of their many disagreements.
I repeat, in the end, there is only one character who is really risking their neck: Chepo de la Torre. He has to be absolutely positive that with this team he can and will beat Honduras, who will have had more training than El Tri.
And of course, he can´t afford to lose in Columbus against the United States.
That´s why for the umpteenth time, I am calling into question the selection process: Is Chepo truly playing with his own hand or was the deck stacked against him from the start?
Whatever it is, the goal´s been mapped and the targets are marked and it is worth remembering that they read him the riot act at Compean´s house, with the special arrogance only general managers in the CONCACAF elimination region possess.
"Mexico must win, enjoy and, if we can, score." And they clearly laid down the law for him: "It is an obligation," he said to the man who refused to accept anyone´s orders.
I want to emphasize that the Ivory Coast was an enjoyable example of the kind of soccer el Tri is capable of when there is no pressure on the field.
Honduras and the United States are different. They have a healthy cannibalism: to bite, chew and spit out their opponents.
An attitude, Cuauhtemoc Blanco rightly said, that these national players no longer have.
Brasil: Flamengo, Vasco, Fluminense, Botafogo (100% Carioca) Rio > Säo Paulo
MENGÃO TRI DA AMÈRICA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RlVt8zJhXQ