The good news for Mexico? The stats after two rounds of games highlight that El Tri are leading Group B in expected goals (xG) (3.85), shots on target (14) and touches in the opposition box (75). The bad news? They’ve scored just once in 180-plus minutes of tournament play.
Lozano’s staff are likely well aware of this. On the day after the loss to Venezuela, finishing was one of the five focuses for a group of players in a Thursday training session. It seems like the most obvious thing that could be said, but, Mexico must score on Sunday. They’ve put themselves in good positions and need to be efficient in the final third.
Looking at those stats, it’s also worth noting that Mexico are last in their group, and second to last in the entire tournament, when it comes to their success rate of duels, 44.4%.
Although we should be careful with trying to make concrete assumptions from a minuscule sample size of just two games, small adjustments could be enough to push Mexico to a victory.
Perhaps choosing a designated penalty taker is also on Lozano’s to-do list after OrbelÃn Pineda’s failure to convert from the spot vs. Venezuela, but keep in mind that Mexico’s coach hinted that he leaves that decision to his players.
“I believe that the player who has the confidence to shoot it [takes the penalties]. We have very good shooters in the national team,” Lozano said on Wednesday. “I’m not so much about choosing one … [the players] come to an agreement, whoever is sure that they can do it.”
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There’s been plenty of talk from the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) about Lozano’s project for the next World Cup, but make no mistake, an exit in the group stage of the Copa could possibly lead to his firing. The FMF is a notoriously fickle group that has dropped coaches for less.
Regarding the players, and regardless of Lozano’s future, a failure to qualify for the knockout round would also likely bring a few old faces back into the national team mix. While it makes sense why there would be a push to phase out aging members of the squad, a poor performance at the Copa would mean that the phasing out could be more gradual, instead of leaving them out altogether.
Mexico’s status in the global game would also continue its regression on the world stage. Once two-time finalists in the Copa, a group-stage finish would then mark the third time they’ve done so in their past four appearances. At the last World Cup they also exited in the group stage, and even regionally in Concacaf, Mexico are second in line to the U.S. men’s national team after losing March’s Nations League final.
Lozano’s gamble is still in play, though.
If a place in the knockout round is claimed, it would be a massive confidence boost for a roster that is attempting to move on from its veteran figures. Despite some of the questions regarding how Mexican soccer is being run, a place in the final eight would highlight that El Tri still have the raw talent to succeed in the Copa, all while gaining invaluable experience along the way.
Most importantly, it would also be a sign that Lozano is moving things in the right direction as he’s preparing for 2026.
“Without a doubt, without a doubt, of course,” Lozano said last week when asked if the Copa was his biggest challenge as manager. “A Copa América is surely just a step below a World Cup.”
Source link : https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/40458597/can-mexico-reach-knockouts-avoid-copa-america-disaster
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Publish date : 2024-06-29 11:55:00
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