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The new manager said that before he could get involved in specific competitions or goals, El Tri had to figure out how he would play.
Tata Martino has already been in this position.
In addition to his first game with Mexico on Friday against Chile, he still has three friendlies to play before the start of the official competition. His experiences with Paraguay and Argentina prepare him for the challenges of an international job. So, what's the biggest concern for him when the ball finally starts to roll? Know your players? Get a good result to have fans on his side? Work with the ultimate goal of reaching the fifth match of a World Cup?
For the moment, it is not that. According to Argentina, the key is to lay the groundwork and establish a style on the ground.
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"To aspire to a fifth game, I think we need to have a style of play. That's what will give us the basics to dream about what can happen in a hypothetical World Cup," he said. said at a pre-game press conference on Thursday. "Today, that's what worries me most: being able to quickly set up a game idea that could be maintained later."
It depends on how Friday's friendly matches unfold. Martino made a half joke Thursday on the fact that Chile was his Achilles heel as manager after La Roja defeated his Argentine team in the finals of the 2015 Copa America and the 2016 Copa America Centenario. These previous tournaments and even his recent stop at Atlanta United show that the manager is ready to adapt his style.
At the end of his tenure in Atlanta, Martino used a 3-5-2 formation, with the fins often remaining high but still playing a key role in defense. The team was deadly in the counterattack with current Newcastle United player Miguel Almiron serving as a hinge between the team that was recovering the ball and the attack.
It was a different training and a slightly different style than the one he used on his arrival. However, what has never changed, is that his team wanted the ball and wanted to be in possession of the ball. When this was not the case, it would put pressure on certain areas of the field or on specific players with the ball at their feet.
Martino looks set to deploy a 4-3-3 to start his term in Mexico, but remember that the coach is much more concerned that his players understand how he wants to play. The way they are supposed to align is easy, especially as Mexico seems to have staff that would suit perfectly for a 4-3-3.
"It's a system I like, I think we found the right football players to play it," said Martino. "Mexico have good wingers, good indoor midfielders, experienced inside midfielders, emerging young midfielders, what I love beyond 4-3-3, that is, you can change to five if you need central midfield if necessary.
"We have players who can also play this way, but I think the most important thing is to understand a style of play so that you can then apply the different modifications that might be needed with the performance of the opponent."
It will build on this base to achieve the team's future goals: win the Gold Cup this summer, play well in the new Concacaf Nations League, compete again on the international stage if El Tri is invited to the Copa America of 2020 and, of course, the most important goal for El Tri is to overtake the knockout stages of the World Cup. While Martino stated that he was aware that the mystique of the fifth game was "much deeper" than at his previous stops, the manager acknowledged that there was always a match or goal to achieve.
Nor does he leave anything with Mexico. The basics for the style of play must be built, but a standard of constant success exists, even when the fifth game is not.
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"We have the material that allows us to dream and the dream is what moves us, but it stays with the raw material we have, and what we have here is enough to be able to have a more successful World Cup than previous editions, "he said.
"For me, it 's not a trivial matter that a national team systematically participates in the seventh round of the seven World Cups.It' sa very important feat, and you have to have it. badyze before moving on to the next step, but it's not just anyone who arrives at this stage to as many World Cups. "
With his long-term experience and vision, Martino's project is about how he wants Mexico to play and what he wants him to achieve. Now it's up to him to lead well early in his term and make sure his players share that vision and can execute that plan. It all starts on Friday.
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