Mexico: Why El Tri Trounced New Zealand

Mexico gave their fans quite a show in the first leg of the World Cup playoff after defeating New Zealand 5-1. For the first time in 2013, the team played together fiercely and with a clear strategy.

Aerial game

Three of the five goals El Tri scored came from headers. Oribe Peralta, Rafael Marquez and Raul Jimenez overshadowed the Kiwis, although they are stronger and, in some cases, taller than the Mexicans.

New Zealand's centre-backs, Tony Lochhead and Ivan Vicelich, are 6'0" and 6'4", respectively.

Also, some of the footballers capped for this process have always characterized for being strong when it comes to aerial game.

Take Peralta, for instance. El Cepillo scored with the head in the gold-medal match at the Summer Olympics.

Marquez did the same in the 2011 Gold Cup against Costa Rica and more recently, in front of Finland in a friendly last October.

Jimenez scored a replica against Canada in the 2013 Gold Cup.

So it is no surprise that Mexico play strong in that area. They should continue to use that strategy because height may not be on their side but speed is.

Herrera's system

Mexico used to play with a 4-4-2 formation. However, under Miguel Herrera's command, we have seen a 5-3-2 system.

It has been very successful because Club America play that way. For starters, 10 of the footballers capped by Herrera represent that club, while seven started the match against the All Whites.

In the defense, the only footballer that is not part of Las Aguilas is Marquez. But he is a veteran and a leader on the pitch, so he adjusted quickly.

Also, Miguel Layun and Paul Aguilar know how to help the attacking zone by running through the flanks but also by coming back to cut counterattacks in time.

In the midfield, Herrera put Luis Montes and Carlos Pena through the flanks, which gives them the possibility to create plays and attack.

In the center, he went with Juan Carlos Medina, who can keep the ball and distribute it.

The forwards could not be other than the top Mexicans of the Liga MX, Peralta and Jimenez.

The success of Herrera's formation also relies on the vision he has to understand when he must respect his players' positions or when he can change them in order to maximize their strengths.

Confidence

The team we saw against New Zealand was full of self-assurance. The mindset was completely different from the one we saw during the Hexagonal.

Of course, Herrera's energy and personality were reflected on the pitch. Do you remember Jose Manuel de la Torre? He would yell and throw his hands in the air in desperation, but not El Piojo. He gives instructions, acknowledges the players and surely knows how to celebrate.

New Zealand is not that good

It is just a fact that Mexico is a better team than the Kiwis. According to the FIFA World Rankings, El Tri sit 24th, while New Zealand are 79th.

Moreover, all the Mexicans are undisputed starters with their clubs and have had good careers in the Liga MX, which happens to be the one of the strongest in world football and the best in CONCACAF, according to the IFFHS.

The All Whites have two unattached players and six footballers from Wellington Phoenix, a club from Australia’s A-League that has never won a major tournament.

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