Very four years, Concacaf tries to get a team into the final rounds of the FIFA World Cup. It has not been an easy task for the squads, especially for Mexico. The Tricolor have serious problems to go beyond the round of 16 in this tournament, but for Qatar 2022 the national team will present an exciting starting XI to keep thatdream alive.
Gerardo Martino, Mexico’s coach, has been under the spotlight for a couple of years. The team lost some important mathces against the USMNT recently and they failed to be the leaders of the Concacaf Qualifiers. It has not been the best time for El Tri, but the FIFA World Cup is a whole other story for each contestant.
Located in Group C, Mexico will face some huge teams in the beginning of the tournament. Argentina is probably one of the top contenders to win this edition; Poland has raised its level recently; and it would be a huge mistake to underestimate Saudi Arabia. This could be the last dance for some big mexican players, so it’s all or nothing for them in Qatar 2022.
Which is the best starting XI of Mexico for the FIFA World Cup?
4-3-3 Formation
Goalkeeper
There is no doubt that Guillermo Ochoa will play his fifth FIFA World Cup; his third as a starting goalkeeper. In Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018, he defended Mexico’s net as a top player, gaining recognition from every fan. Now, the 37 year-old will probably be at his last tournament, so he will show what he is made of in order to get the most amount of cleen sheats as possible.
Defenders
This is the line that presents huge problems for Gerardo Martino. In theory, Jorge Sanchez will be the right-back and Jesus Gallardo the left-back (he could change with Gerardo Arteaga). In the middle, Cesar Montes and Johan Vasquez are the fresh blood in the squad, but the coach could go with Nestor Araujo and Hector Moreno as the experienced ones for a World Cup.
Midfielders
In the midfield there are also some doubts, but not a lot. Hector Herrera andEdson Alvarez will be, undoubtedly, in the starting XI, but it is unclear who will accompany them as the attacking midfielder. Carlos Rodriguez and Erick Gutierrez are the mos attractive for Martino, but the first one played the most during the Qualifiers and the synergy with the first mentioned should be decisive for the coach.
Forwards
The last three are the forwards. In theone of the wings, Hirving Lozanois the best optionfor Martino, but there are still some doubts on the other one. Jesus Corona was injured and he will miss the FIFA World Cup, so it is possible that Alexis Vega or Diego Laineztake his place.As for the one in the center, there are also some issuesfor the coach. Raul Jimenez and Rogelio Funes Mori are the ones that he likes the most, but the rumor of a possible call for Chicharito Hernandez is still alive as the fans want the living legend to be at Qatar 2022. He is probably living a better moment than the first two mentioned, but his problems with Mexico’s national team have kept him away from the squad lately.
