The numbers back Martino, but doubts still surround the process

After the slip-up to Sweden on the eve of the World Cup, the doubts that cloud the process of Gerardo Martino’s Mexico side are at an all-time high. The coach puts up good numbers of paper: 39 wins, 13 draws and 11 defeats, with 122 goals scored and 60 conceded, but nevertheless confidence is not high for the team’s prospects this year.

Within those 11 losses, 3 of them are against the USA, all of which represent a huge humiliation for the side. And at the top of it all is the embarrassment of a 1-0 defeat to Canada in the qualifying round, which goes along with the other seven. They also lost 0-4 to Argentina and 0-1 to Wales.

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But it is their losses in 2022 that have drawn the knives out against Martino. A 0-3 loss to Uruguay, 0-1 to Paraguay and 2-3 against Colombia have had people questioning whether or not the ex-Barcelona boss is the man to lead this generation of Mexico players.

Reluctance to use young Mexican talent

Without a doubt during the time with ‘Tata’ at the helm the mood of the fans has declined from what was an early romance to a stale relationship creeping towards an inevitable divorce. Certain decisions have also not helped the manager win over the fans, such as his over-confidence in certain players like Raúl Jiménez, who has constantly suffered from injuries over the past year. Given the crop of young talent waiting in the wings of the Mexico squad, many people have questioned whether Martino is the right man to take things forward.

Given the uncertainty it could be said that the way things are being done reflects how it used to be: in France 1998, South Africa in 2010 and Brazil 2014, in which the previous results didn’t give much hope until the tournament performance led people to change their minds. Let’s hope the same luck strikes again in Qatar 2022.

Gerardo Martino’s numbers