PASADENA, California. – Nine straight wins and counting with El Tri.
Mexico’s coach Juan Carlos Osorio said he was “very satisfied” by Mexico’s performance in Thursday's 2-0 win over Jamaica, which secured them a spot in the quarterfinals.
The numbers continue reflecting his great work with El Tri, but the criticisms continue for the Colombian coach due to the multiple changes in his starting lineups.
Osorio has not repeated one lineup since taking over Mexico, and for many, some of these changes seem unnecessary.
"Every game brings its own questioning and needs, and as long as we select each group wisely and they execute the plan, Mexico has the chance to compete against anybody,” said the Colombian coach in his post-game press conference.
Osorio explained that the four changes made to the team that played against Uruguay – with the inclusions of Yasser Corona, Raul Jimenez, Guillermo Ochoa and Jesus Duenas in the starting lineup – took into account the rival Mexico was facing. Ultimately, he noted, the team got the result needed.
"We try to choose [the starting lineup] according to the rival," Osorio said. "If you look at today’s match, [Guillermo] Ochoa had a good performance, Yasser [Corona] contributed… [Rafael] Marquez was crucial in midfield, [Jesus] Dueñas helped and Raul [Jimenez] was influential in the last third. He participated in the course of the game.
“I think [the changes] were successful and the day they are not, we will take full responsibility. "
For Osorio, it was simply “impossible” to prevent the Jamaicans from creating their many scoring chances, and though recognizing the team made many mistakes, he praised the way Mexico counteracted the opponent’s chances.
"If we had finished all of our options, we would probably be talking about a 5-2 score. They had their chances, and so did we, but overall we were superior against a great rival."
The Colombian manager immediately focused on El Tri's next adversary: Venezuela, a national team they want to defeat, but more to continue their great momentum and less in an attempt to avoid Argentina in the next round.
"No,” Osorio said when asked if he preferred to avoid a particular knockout round opponent. “We will respect Venezuela, we will try to win the next game, and whomever we have to face in the next round, we will prepare accordingly. We do not come into a game to tie or lose.”
