Chile Draw Underlines the Issues that Miguel Herrera Faces Going Forward

It sounds like a cliché, yes. Sometimes you have 0-0s that bore you to levels of wanting to turn off your TV, and sometimes you have 0-0s that are quite entertaining. Chile and Mexico's game quietly fit the latter. "Intensity" seemed to be the word on everybody's lips at the conclusion of the game. Indeed, Chile dictated the pace for most of the encounter, and they made Mexico run like no other team had in recent memory. On instances, they highlighted some of the issues that manager Miguel Herrera will likely be facing going forward.

It was a tough game for a defensive line that never played together before. Ponce, in particular, struggled to contain the waves of attacks that were coming from the right side of Chile's midfield. As the game went on, the amount fouls a tiring Mexico was giving away at the edge of the box should give manager Miguel Herrera something to think about. Alexis Sanchez willfully dribbled in front of Mexico's backline, forcing them to give away the foul as a last resort. Chile isn't a team that prides itself on its set pieces, and Mexico's vulnerability on them was never going to be fully tested by this Chile team. Still, Arturo Vidal managed to force a save from Guillermo Ochoa with a powerful header in the first half.

For Miguel Herrera's new-look back 5, a mix of nervousness and lack of understanding was noticeable. The uneasiness displayed by Mexico's back-line brought to debate if Mexico have the personnel to rejuvenate their defensive line in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, Alanis and Herrera, the new defenders at the heart of Mexico's defense, should be content that they kept Chile out of the score line. In addition, Chile never really had the clear chances on goal that Mexico had throughout the 90 minutes. For much of Mexico's relief, they are unlikely to play opposition that will look to hold as much of possession of the ball like Chile does.

Perhaps the propensity of Mexico's defense had a lot to do with their midfield. Mexico's midfield was completely overwhelmed, and Vasquez was an unknown factor for the majority of the game. In a way, Chile showed Mexico the standard of midfielders that Mexico should seek to develop. The lack of central midfielders in Mexico with the amount of discipline and technical ability of the Chilean midfield is a little worrying. It sometimes forces Miguel Herrera to convert wide players like Aquino and Guardado to central midfielders. The one midfielder that Mexico has in that mold is Hector Herrera. He is flourishing under this system much like Luis Montes was before his injury. He is impressive in small yards of space and causes defenses problems when he bursts forward with the ball.

Mexico will rarely face opposition as good on the ball as Chile, but this friendly served Miguel Herrera with a good showing of what needs to be done to get Mexico to the next level. This is an experimental phase in what Mexico fans hope is a full 4-year process for Miguel Herrera. Defenders will be juggled around on the defensive line, and Mexico will need to find the right mix of players that can play in that midfield. Injured players will come back, and maybe Carlos Vela will be back to mix things up. It is going to be an interesting 4 years.

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