On paper, the previous international window for Mexico‘s men’s national team in October was a successful one.
In what was arguably the most difficult set of games to date for manager Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano, El Tri brushed past Ghana with a 2-0 win and went toe-to-toe with European powerhouse Germany in an entertaining 2-2 draw. Despite beginning both matches with slight complications in their tactical approach, the 180-plus minutes of play in October were widely seen as promising signs for a Mexico side that are aiming to build off of the success of a Concacaf Gold Cup title in the summer.
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With an aim to directly qualify for 2024’s highly anticipated Copa America through this month’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals, October showcased that Mexico have the firepower and depth to surpass a team like Honduras in the upcoming Nations League matches on Nov. 17 and Nov. 21.
And yet, on deeper inspection, those 180 minutes also highlighted a noteworthy flaw: a lack of goals and not a single shot on target from any of El Tri’s out-and-out strikers.
Whether it be from Fulham‘s Raúl Jiménez or Feyenoord’s Santiago Giménez, who were both given one start each, or Club América’s Henry Martín off the bench, all three were left empty-handed in October’s international window. Granted, it’s a small sample size through just two friendlies, but if we then begin to consider their club forms, things get even more worrisome for Mexico.
Gimenez, who is undoubtedly set to be the next great superstar for El Tri and poised to potentially join a major European club in the near future, has notably slowed down his form before the international break. Although he’s taken the Eredivisie by storm with 13 goals in his first 12 matches, the 22-year-old has been held scoreless in his last four appearances in all competitions.
Jimenez scored for Fulham over the weekend and should also be praised for finding the back of the net three times for Mexico in September’s window, but the harsh reality is that the 32-year-old isn’t as consistent as he was before his unfortunate head injury in late 2020. Across all competitions for Fulham this season, Jimenez’s lone goal from the weekend remains as the only moment he’s scored at the club level across 13 matches.
