TOP FIVE CANDIDATES TO REPLACE TATA
While I personally think Martino’s time ahead of the Mexican National team has been a good one, lackluster performances in recent World Cup Qualifiers, plus three consecutive losses to the USA has Tata on the hot seat.
Should Tata lose to Canada and go 0-2 in this qualifying window, his job will seriously be in jeopardy. But who can step in and turn El Tri around, here I give my Top 5 to take over Los Azteca’s.
Jimmy Lozano
Many people’s runaway choice is El Jimmy Lozano. While I have my doubts on his experience, I am not against young managers getting a chance. I have covered his pro’s and con’s in previous articles, but here is a basic breakdown. His latest squad was the Mexico U23 Olympic team, and with them he managed 14 games, with a record of 11-1-2, leading El Tri to a bronze medal. His team scored a total of 38 goals while receiving only 19. Many point to his success with the U23 team as an indicator that he can transition El Tri from an older squad to a younger, more dynamic squad. While this may be true, he still relied on Ochoa(36), Romo (26), and Martin (28) at three crucial positions instead of relying on his young base. His preferred 4-3-3 wouldn’t differ too much from Tata’s current 4-3-3, but if he brings an injection of youth to the squad it can make a huge difference.
Ignacio Ambriz
Nacho Ambriz is coming off a disappointing European campaign, having been relieved of his duties at SD Huesca after only 12 matches. Before that however, he was a top manager in Liga MX in his time ahead of Leon. Nacho led Los Panza’s Verdes for 113 games with a record of 65 wins, 26 draws, and 34 losses, during this time his squad outscored its opponents 219 to 149. I think Ambriz would love to follow in the footsteps of his coaching mentor El Vasco Aguirre and take over a struggling Tri. His 4-2-3-1 formation may fit El Tri’s current crop of players better than their current formation, and help Mexico break the high press which seems to be the team’s current Achilles heel.
Santiago Solari
Solari has taken Liga MX by storm the past two seasons and has his Aguila’s flying high. In his time in Coapa, he has managed 42 matches, winning 26, drawing 8, and losing 8 as well. During this time his squads have scored 60 goals and received just 33, almost a 2 to 1 difference. While his style may at times be criticized, it is effective, and his familiarity with young Mexicans such as Sanchez, Cordova, and Reyes will be a plus.
Guillermo Almada
Almada is a bit of a dark horse on this list, but his numbers speak for themselves. As the current manager of Santos, he has led his squad to a record of 43, 29, and 29. During that time his squad has scored 152 goals, and received 115. Santos have reached the Liga MX final in the 20/21 tournament, made it to the semifinals in the Leagues Cup, and currently sit in 5th place in the tabla general. His current squad is riddled with young Mexican talent including at goalkeeper with Acevedo and Mexico’s latest export Satiago Munez debuted under Almada. Again, his 4-2-3-1formation may bring out the best of El Tri’s current crop of players.
Ernesto Valverde
Yeah, I know, this one’s wishful thinking, but Valverde may be the big name El Tri need to jar it out of its current funk. His numbers speak for themselves. He managed FC Barcelona for 145 games winning 97 of them, drawing 32, and losing just 16. During that time he won 2 Spanish Championships, 1 Spanish Cup, and 1 Spanish Super Cup. His pedigree is impressive and i for one would love to see El Tri play a possession based, tiki-taka 4-3-3. I believe with Mexico’s current crop of players and history of players with great touch, this could be a match made in heaven. Valverde himself has stated that his next project would have to be stimulating and motivating, the job of Mexico manager can be both.
Who do you think is the ideal candidate to take over El Tri?
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El Tri Online was founded in December 2017 to serve English-speaking fans of Mexican Soccer. Our mission is to create compelling Mexican soccer content and share it via our website, streaming apps, social media, and any other medium for English-dominant Mexican-American fans of the Mexican National Team, Liga MX, and their players.
