During the last months, Edson Alvarez has been the leader of Mexico’s midfield in the qualifying process for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Alvarez’s brilliant performances in the Netherlands with Ajax made him an indispensable piece for the National Team.
Just a few months ago, Edson Alvarez was a top target for powerhouses in Europe such as Chelsea. In the last days of the transfer market, the Mexican midifielder was really close of going to the Premier League, especially afterN’Golo Kante got injured.
Though the transfer fell apart, Edson Alvarez had enough minutes in the Eredivisie and the UEFA Champions League to secure his indisputable role as a starter for Mexico in the World Cup. Nevertheless, after a draw with Poland in the opener, manager Gerardo Martino changed his mind.
Why is Edson Alvarez not playing in Mexico vs Argentina?
This is purely a tactical decision by Gerardo Martino, because there hasn’t been any injury report around Edson Alvarez in the last days. In a very surprising move, Mexico’s manager won’t use his traditional 4-3-3 and goes with a 5-3-2. That’s a system almost never executed by the Tri under Martino.
So, the starting lineup without Edson Alvarez is: Guilermo Ochoa, Nestor Araujo, Cesar Montes, Hector Moreno, Jesus Gallardo, Kevin Alvarez, Hector Herrera, Andres Guardado, Luis Chavez, Alexis Vega and Hirving Lozano.
Gerardo Martino sends Edson Alvarez to the bench and risks it all with two veterans such as Guardado and Herrera. By the way, after this lineup, Andres Guardado will play on his fifth World Cup (record for the tournament).
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