Mexico vs. Martinique: Areas El Tri Must Improve Before Gold Cup Knockout Stage

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 15, 2013

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Mexico advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup after a 3-1 win over Martinique, but it was far from a perfect performance and left El Tri with plenty to work on.

While Sunday's Mexico squad looked worlds better than how they did in the Gold Cup opener against Panama, they struggled to put the overmatched Martinique squad away until the final minutes and nearly let them equalize a couple of times.

Let's break down the biggest areas of concern for El Tri heading into the quarterfinal stage.

 

Defensive Intensity



While Mexico effectively shut down Martinique's attack for much of the second half, it was far from an inspiring performance from the back line.

With the ability to play up for much of the 90 minutes, one would expect Mexico's defense to have their legs under them and handle any Martinique attack in stride, shutting it down quickly.

That wasn't the case. They weren't tested early, but when Martinique put on the pressure late in the first half, Mexico's defense crumbled and left itself vulnerable. 

Granted, some of Mexico's best defenders—Andres Guardado, Francisco Rodriguez and more—aren't on the roster, but this team's subs shouldn't have looked so lifeless for so long against an inferior opponent. 

There were many opportunities for Martinique to equalize the game, and Mexico is nothing short of lucky that they only allowed one goal.

 

Putting Opponents Away



Simply put, fans of Mexico's national team haven't had a lot to cheer about this summer. 

Between the Confederations Cup and World Cup qualifying, wins have been hard to come by, and when they come, they're often close wins that aren't a certainty until the last minute.

Sunday was no exception. After going up 2-0, Mexico finally thought they had found that bl...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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