Thursday, February 12, 2009

Sven should stay

I organized my earlier thoughts from yesterday into a column for SI.com and added some quotes from a press conference that was held in Mexico City.

I stand by my original statement that Sven-Goran Eriksson should not be fired, and apparently the FMF bosses think so too.

Now, that doesn't mean things won't change if the unimaginable happens... well, at least it seemed unimaginable until recently. If Costa Rica somehow beats Mexico in Azteca on March 28, then Mexico goes to Honduras three days later. Things might change quickly after that.

Anyone remember what happened the last time Mexico hosted Costa Rica and then went down to Honduras in a Hexagonal?

But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. And I say let Eriksson try and avoid that bridge.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree. I don't think Eriksson has had enough time to apply his system to the team yet because he's still trying to figure out what players work best in it. The problem is he doesn't have a lot of time at all. I think Mexico will beat Costa Rica on March 28, which should give him some breathing room even if they lose to Honduras away.

Anonymous said...

I am sure sven is used to this and frankly he coached a national team that i would say has more pressure than the mexican federation could ever possibly give.

no offense but the if there are any fans more deluded than the mexican fans about the quality of their national team it is the english fans

not saying the US is the greatest team in the world but clearly they are better than the mexicans at this point in time.

i think the mexicans will easily make it through and i for one hope to see sven turn things around. It just makes things more exciting especially in concacaf where quality is short.

The Manly Ferry said...

Having posted something that hinted at Sven leaving, my questioning of his continued tenure grows from Anonymous #1's point: the issue of Sven and his system and how that fits Mexico.

The comments are far from extended, and the title doesn't even make sense (what to I mean "this time"? it always sucks), but I'll link to them anyway. One of my big take-aways from last night's game - poorly as I articulated it - was that I have never seen a Mexican team look that uncertain, even uncomfortable, on the field. That could be down to Sven....just one theory.

For what it's worth, that's an explicitly different statement than "Sven should get fired." I don't care one way or the other...doesn't coach my team...

The Manly Ferry said...

whoops...forgot the link.

The Manly Ferry said...

Holy mother of god...last attempt. LINK.

Anonymous said...

I understand what you're saying, Manly. Eriksson's system might not ever work with Mexico. The problem with Eriksson, is that he's not really a "miracle worker" the way Hiddink is. What makes Hiddink so great is the fact that he is able to create a system based on the strengths and weaknesses of the players at his disposal.

Eriksson on the other hand already has a system in place that he always utilizes and tries to find the right players to fit into it. The problem is, I don't think Mexico has many players that can play the way Eriksson wants them to.

Anonymous said...

That long ball shit Eriksson wants to implement isnt going to work with Mexico.