The Mexican national team had two new tests in preparation for the 2026 World Cup. El Tri faced South Korea and Japan, two usual rivals in the World Cups. Mexico did not lose any of their matches, but Hugo Sanchez was not satisfied with the team's performance.

The Aztec team, in their first match against Japan, tied 0-0 in a duel in which there was not much offensive fluidity. El Tri shared possession with the Asian team and could only muster one shot on goal. Hugo Sanchez proposed a new approach for the Mexican national team.

"We need clarity in terms of playing style (...) For example, yesterday I said that the 4-4-2 is the best tactical position to adapt to when facing the opponent. If they slack off, they can add an extra man or two extra men (...) That strengthens a team, so much so that the defense was limited by Korea's speed and verticality," said Sanchez.

In their second test, Mexico conceded two goals from South Korea in the second half. Hugo Sanchez perceived weaknesses in defense and attack. El Tri had many more problems against Son Heung-Min's team. However, it's worth mentioning that the Korean national team is a group very well trained by their coach Hong Myung-bo. South Korea defeated the United States 2-0 in their other match of the FIFA round.

“Their goals were practically scored behind the defenders’ backs. I didn’t see them as strong defensively, I saw them as weak (…) To a certain extent, in attack, I didn’t see as much offensive clarity because they (South Korea) had more clear scoring chances,” added Sanchez.

Hugo Sanchez and the Attack

The “Pentapichichi” spoke about Mexico’s offensive sector. The historic scorer for the Mexican national team does not criticize the contribution of El Tri’s forwards. Hugo Sanchez believes that Raul Jimenez and Santiago Gimenez should be better fed in front of the opponent’s goal. “Hugol” believes that one of the consequences of the lack of a clear idea is the difficulty in being able to deliver specific balls to the attackers.

“They need to have about three or four chances per forward, And we're not having them because the game doesn't offer that clarity or that danger, like the Koreans, in their own style, had," he added.

In October, Mexico will have two friendlies. Javier Aguirre will have to continue fine-tuning his team's pieces in preparation for the World Cup. The next opponents will be potential rivals in the 2026 World Cup: Colombia on October 12 and Ecuador on October 14. Both teams will represent Conmebol in the World Cup.