COCCA OUT, LOZANO IN CAN LOZANO RESCUE EL TRI

Diego Cocca lost his first match as Mexico’s Manager in a humiliating 3-0 loss to the USA in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Nations League. That lone loss was enough to end his tenure as El Tri manager. Now The FMF will look to El Jimmy Lozano to right the ship. Can Lozano be Mexico’s savior or is he just another stopgap for the FMF?

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of these actions, starting with the Pros.

THE PROS

FORMATIONS

Lozano predominantly uses either the 4-2-3-1,4-3-3, or the 4-4-2 double 6 as opposed to Cocca’s 5-3-2. For this to work, Jimmy should play with the 4-2-3-1. Mexico’s current crop of players suit this formation best as the 4-3-3 failed under El Tata Martino.Edson Alvarez plays better in a double pivot with a more talented ball handler by his side. Having three creative players like he did in the Olympics will allow El Tri to generate more scoring options without having to use too many men going forward.

FAN SUPPORT

Fan support is currently at an all time low as proven by the “boycott” of Mexico’s third place match versus Panama. The appointment of Lozano, a manager many were clamoring for post Tata, will at least bring a few fans back for the Gold Cup.If El Jimmy can get his squad to perform, the fans should return.

 THE CONS

LOZANO’S RECENT FORM

While the fan base still holds Lozano in high regards due to his squad’s performance in winning the Bronze medal at the 2021 Olympic games, his recent form has not been as sparkling. As the manager of Necaxa, El Jimmy’s record was 11-6-15 in 32 games, with 36 goals in favor and 43 goals received. While these numbers are not stellar, he did manage to at least qualify his squad to the “repesca”, but was easily beaten 2-0 by the eventual champion Tigres. 

CURRENT PLAYER POOL

This might be what brings Lozano’s tenure down. Many players currently on the Gold Cup roster are the same that just got humiliated by the USA and narrowingly beat Panama. For Lozano to succeed he will need to make a few changes to the, due to injury of course. He will also be tasked with motivating a group that couldn’t even be motivated to get more than one shot on goal in a semifinal versus your archenemy. He will also have to deal with a pool of players who have been so overinflated that they believe they are superstars when they have not performed well in years.

What do you think? Can Lozano right El Tri’s ship or is he just another stopgap for the federation?

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