All about the Mexico Team at Football World Cup 2018
Mexico is a team that has shown great promise over recent years, despite never really showing their potential, however, despite this, the 2018 World Cup looks good for them and it could be the year they finally make a breakthrough on one of the biggest stages of the world, the FIFA World Cup.They currently sit 16th in the world rankings compared to other teams, however, with that being said, as recently as June 2016, they were ranked the highest they have ever been at 4th. The national team has successfully qualified for the World Cup consecutively since 1994, qualifying for an impressive 16 in total.
Tips for Betting on Mexico in the World Cup 2018
Mexico have a tough group stage at the World Cup, being accompanied by Germany, Sweden and South Korea. Whilst they are the favourites to finish second, it is unlikely that they will win the group, with world champions Germany in there. The team will focus their style of play around their talisman striker Javier Hernandez, who is sure to perform well and score goals, with a fantastic record at international level, scoring 49 goals in 99 appearances, nearly a goal every 2 games. He also brings a wealth of experience, with that many caps, betting on him to be a match-winner could well be a good option.
Whilst Mexico like to play a fast-tempo and high paced game, with a very attacking style, their defence is not one of the things they are known for and so betting on them to keep a clean sheet may not be a good idea. They do, however, try and keep a lot of possession, which they are bound to do against lesser teams in their group, but may struggle with against current world champions Germany.
The national team is also lacking in height and although Javier Hernandez has a fair leap on him and has often scored from his head in the past, it is not a good idea to expect or bet on Mexico to score from corners or their aerial threat.
Betting Odds on Mexico to Win the World Cup 2018
Like their current ranking, most bookmakers currently count Mexico as the 16th favourite in the race to win the World Cup in 2018. Their past history in the competition has seen them reach the quarter-finals twice, both of which were not recent, once in 1970 and once in 1986. It is for that reason that most bookies will give odds up to and around 100/1.
Despite this, they are always an exciting team to watch and there is always speculation, particularly around recent World Cups that suggest the team is not quite living up to their undoubted potential. Despite never making it any further than the quarterfinals, the team remains only one of three countries to make it successfully out of the group stages over the last six consecutive World Cups, they are in good company too, as the only other teams managing to do so are current world champions Germany and one of the best footballing nations ever, Brazil.
Expected Mexico Lineup at the World Cup
Guillermo Ochoa is almost guaranteed to be number one at the 2018 World Cup, not just because of his recent performances at Standard Ligue, but also because of his experience and great performance at the last World Cup. Jesus Corona of Cruz Azul will look to take spot as the number 2 choice, whilst Alfredo Talavera will be most likely to be the third choice keeper for the national team.
Jesus Gallardo, or Miguel Layun of Porto offer offensive creativity as well as solid defensive performances at left back. The two central defenders will most likely to be Hector Moreno and either Diego Reyes, who has been preferred recently, but could lose out to Nestor Araujo, whilst at right back, Carlos Salcedo will be most likely to be first choice. They will more than likely play with four at the back. Other players to look out for could be Edson Alvarez at right back, who is currently on the squad fringes.
The three in midfield will most likely be Andres Guardado and Hector Herrera, who will look to control the possession of the game and play in quite holding roles (particularly Hector Herrera). The loose spot will then go to a more attack-minded player, the favourite of which will be Jonathan Dos Santos, of LA Galaxy, however, youngsters such as Erick Gutierrez and/or Orbelin Pineda could also feature in the starting line up. Giovani Dos Santos could also feature as the creative presence in midfield, or on one of the wings during the 2018 world cup.
Mexico will tend to deploy three up front, or two wingers and a striker, the striker will almost definitely be Javier Hernandez, whilst it is also certain that one of the wings will be occupied by Jesus Corona. The other choice is much less simple and could call for Carlos Vela to start there, however, the recent form of Hirving Lozano, at PSV could mean he may be preferred in that position. Mexico will rely on the front three to perform well and will play attack-minded at a high tempo, they will be particularly reliant on Javier Hernandez and the experience and goals he brings to the table on an international platform.
The preferred formation of the team is and will probably be at the time of the world cup, a 4-3-3 layout. This will normally consist of one creative ‘playmaker’ in an advanced role of midfield and the front three being one main striker, with a winger either side. This facilitates and allows the team to play the way they do, at a fast tempo, utilising the pace they have in the team.
The Mexican defence is very versatile, with some of the fullbacks and other defenders also being capable of playing either on the wing or as a holding midfielder. The team lacks some solidarity at the back and so, is likely to leak some goals and not retain many clean sheets during the 2018 Russia World Cup.
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Javier Hernandez
The first name on the team sheet, if physically fit, will always be Javier Hernandez, who, as an aforementioned has netted 49 times in 99 appearances in the Mexican shirt. Formerly of Manchester United, but also playing on loan for Real Madrid and recently playing for Bayer Leverkusen, the striker is currently playing at West Ham United, where he gets regular playing time. It is not just his international record that is impressive in terms of his goals/game ratio, his domestic record is also impressive. He is currently struggling for goals in the Premier League, scoring just 4 in 17 games, however, this player loves playing for his country and is sure to step up and give it his all in the 2018 World Cup.
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Jonathan Dos Santos
A Barcelona graduate, who has recently completed a move to LA Galaxy will also play a key role in the success of Mexico at the World Cup as they become reliant on him for his creative influence in the game and the ability to keep possession of the ball.
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Giovani Dos Santos
Alongside his brother, Giovani Dos Santos is slightly older and also plays for LA Galaxy. The player has 100 caps for Mexico and so is experienced at international level. Like his brother, he is technically gifted with the ball at his feet and adds that extra something special, he is versatile too, meaning he can play on the wing or centrally in an attacking role. He started off his career at prestigious club Tottenham Hotspur and has an exciting and immense amount of talent, making him definitely one to watch, for both scoring goals himself and creating chances for teammates.
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