The Costa Rican coach believes that Mexico will have no problem advancing to the World Cup and has all the potential to reach the coveted fifth game
Alexandre Guimaraes is one of the technicians of greater ancestry in the history of Costa Rica and the CONCACAF area. The Brazilian strategist, naturalized Costa Rican, took the Tics to two World Cups and had dozens of clashes against the Mexican selection at the turn of the century.
In exclusive chat with ESPN, Guimaraes says that despite failures in recent editions of the Gold Cup and the Nations League, Mexicans still retain the title of Giants of the Concacaf.
“I think so (Mexico is still the giant), there is no denying the strengths of Mexico in the area of Concacaf. This is impossible, the greatness of Mexico it is independent of if in some eliminatory one it left first or it leaves second or it enters repechaje. Mexico is always a strong team, is that there are other teams that also grow according to their generations of players, for example now there is a very good generation of United States which is making Mexicans question this whether they are still the King of the Concacaf, But I think this is undeniable, Mexico it means a lot to the area. “
Guimaraes said an admirer of the work of Gerardo Martino although the “Tata” has received much criticism after the defeats in front United States in Nations League and Gold Cup.
“I think that Martino has tried to make even stronger what Mexico has always been in the area of Concacaf, What happens is that sometimes we find it hard to accept that other countries have evolved a lot like we did in the 2002 qualifier, as it is doing now United States which has shown very significant growth, it is obvious that the results that other selections of Concacaf make the Mexicans move the floor a bit, but I’m sure the driving and experience of Martino they will do that Mexico you can make the tie by fighting it up and then if they get the classification they have a good performance in the World Cup. “
The Costa Rican strategist considers that Mexico will have no problem advancing to the World Cup and has all the potential to reach the coveted fifth game in Qatar 2022.
“I think the Mexicans have enough level to get this long-awaited fifth game, but I think sometimes you have to let things flow, they put a lot of pressure on this issue that I think it’s better to let things flow and come the time to worry about it, they certainly have great players and a very capable coaching staff, it is a generation that has had very good passes in the olympics, these players have all the processes to be very competitive players in a bigger team and still there there are some players who are salvageable from previous processes.I have no doubt that Mexico has everything to sort in World Cup and get to that fifth game, ”he assured Guimaraes in exclusive chat with ESPN.
Guimaraes calls on Costa Rica to win anyway in Mexico
During his time as a player and technical director with the selection of Costa Rica, Alexandre Guimaraes had the opportunity to measure himself in Mexico in dozens of matches, that’s why he knows the intense rivalry between Tics and Aztecs, so he is already waiting for a new chapter when next Sunday the Tri will be back at the Estadio Nacional de San Jose.
The Costa Ricans reach the start of the playoffs with many doubts after the arrival of Luis Fernando Suárez on the bench, but Guimaraes wait in front Mexico their selection can take all three points because they can’t afford to leave empty-handed.
“Professor Suárez has had very little time to develop everything he wants to do and now it will be up to the same competition to make the corrections to score, I think the main theme for Costa Rica is to add points to how it results, it doesn’t matter if he plays well or not here the important thing is to score, Costa Rica is in this situation of scoring anyway “.
Guimaraes he believes that for the duel against the Mexicans it will be essential to have the best version of a particular player who is an old acquaintance of the Mexican public.
“The most important thing is that there are not many injured after the match against Panama, that is to say that Professor Suárez can count on all the group of players for the duel in front. Mexico, But also undoubtedly will be very important the presence of Joel Campbell because it is very important, he is at a very high level, one of the best I have seen in his career, in the staff I have followed him from smaller teams to his passage through the teams of Europe, I think Mexican football has fell very well and is a figure in the offensive weight of the team, hopefully he can be at 100% for this match because he has been a base for this team and from there Costa Rica you may feel stronger on the playing field against Mexico“, He pointed out Guimaraes.