Mexico: Rating El Tri Players Against Jamaica

A historic draw for Jamaica meant one of Mexico's worst appearances in World Cup qualifiers. "El Tri" couldn't figure out the "Reggae Boyz" and found themselves lost and desperate.

Although the local team came out with its best footballers—including four that play in Europe—the Caribbean squad was patient and did not concede spaces; hence they limited the Mexican options.

Poor performance and bad attitude mixed with some tactical changes from José Manuel de la Torre were all instrumental in the shameful equalizer.

For the second half, the manager should have changed the strategy. A 4-2-3-1 formation would have been a better option. 

Let's grade the 14 players that participated in the game.

Goalkeeper

José de Jesús Corona was by far the best Mexican on the pitch. He had three important interventions in the game; two of them could have been goals for Jamaica.

His aerial game was great, and he proved how much he has been working.

Last night The Cruz Azul keeper made clear why he is the first option for the manager. 

 

Grade: 10/10

Defenders

This back line was disastrous. Jorge Torres Nilo and Paul Aguilar seemed out of place. Héctor Moreno and Javier Rodríguez were not at their best, despite being the most talented defenders on the team.

Torres Nilo was constantly trying to create plays but couldn't keep the pace whenever Jamaica counterattacked. Rodríguez had the same problem with speed.

Paul Aguilar was clearly out of shape, and he seemed very slow next to the Caribbean forwards. Andrés Guardado helped him several times. Severo Meza would have been a better choice for the left band.

There was a clear misunderstanding in this back line, which put Corona in distress. 

Paul Aguilar: 5/10

Francisco Rodríguez: 6/10

Héctor Moreno: 7/10

Jorge Torres Nilo: 7/10

Midfielders

Mess… mess everywhere! This is where everything failed. José Manuel de la Torre made weird changes compared to previous games.

Andrés Guardado played as a defensive midfielder, so he was very busy helping Rodríguez and Aguilar.

This strategy meant that Torres Nilo had to create plays, but he could not come back to his position in time.

Salcido was erratic with the long-distance shots, and his crosses went nowhere. He even had the chance to open the score and put the ball in the stands.

Héctor Herrera tried his best to adjust to the line, but he would have worked better as a defensive midfielder.

Giovani dos Santos was unbalanced and bold. He tried to break Jamaica's defense, but that is not a one-man job.

The manager decided to send him off, and the little creativity Mexico had shown in the first half was completely lost for the rest of the game.

Carlos Salcido: 6/10

Héctor Herrera: 7/10

Andrés Guardado: 7/10

Giovani dos Santos: 9/10

Strikers

You know something is definitively wrong when your top-scorer is not playing as a striker, but as a winger.

Javier Hernández appeared constantly as a left-winger. Go figure. "Chicharito" was trying to create plays through the wing instead of actually taking advantage of the few good crosses that Javier Aquino and Jorge Torres Nilo put in the box.

Hernández had a good chance to score in the last minutes of the match, but he smashed the ball into Donovan Ricketts' body.

Oribe Peralta fought hard. His right-footed shots were not as accurate as in other games, and he sent some headers out. However, he tried tirelessly. He was involved in a head clash, but he came back quickly despite a cut in the eyebrow. 

Javier Hernández: 7/10

Oribe Peralta: 7/10

Subs

The only sub that really made a difference was Javier Aquino.

The Villarreal winger gave depth to the team, which it had lost with dos Santos' absence. Despite his efforts, Aquino came in too late.

Marco Fabián had one real chance, and he sent the ball to the stands. He came in to the match as a desperate measure from the coach.

Ángel Reyna needs to work in his physical condition. He was very slow and did not engage in the game.

Javier Aquino: 8/10

Marco Fabián: 7/10

Ángel Reyna: 7/10

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