ZCZC
BSP-08
FBL-WC-2018-MEX-GER-OSORIO
Mexico coach vows to go ‘head to head’ with Germany
MOSCOW, June 17, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio pledged
his team would go on the attack against defending World Cup champions Germany
when the two sides meet in their opening game on Sunday.
Germany defeated Mexico 4-1 on the way to hoisting the Confederations Cup
trophy in Russia last year, but Osorio said he will not alter his side’s
approach for the Group F showdown.
“It’s a great opportunity for Mexican football, to be here and play the
current world champions,” Osorio told reporters in Moscow.
“They’re a very strong team with wonderful players and very well managed.
They’re favourites to win the World Cup.
“They have two central midfielders very capable of commanding and
controlling the game if we allow them to do it. (Toni) Kroos and (Sami)
Khedira are two top-level midfielders.
“Nevertheless, we can compete with them, we think we have a good chance to
match up with them and go head to head against them.”
Mexico are appearing at a seventh successive World Cup, having fallen at
the last-16 stage in each of the past six tournaments.
They have beaten Germany just once in 11 attempts, a 2-0 friendly win in
1985, but Osorio believes his players must ignore the team’s poor record
against the four-time world champions.
“You always have to play to win and not fear defeat. We have to be ready to
play and really believe we can be a match for them.
“We’re focusing on making sure that the players who play tomorrow
understand this is a normal game like any others. If they can grasp that then
I think we have a good chance of winning.
“Those playing for the first time in a World Cup, they need to remember
it’s just a football game.”
Only a handful of the Germany players who started the 2017 Confederations
Cup semi-final will start against Mexico at the Luzhniki Stadium.
Joachim Loew rested several experienced regulars such as Kroos, Thomas
Mueller, Jerome Boateng and Mesut Ozil for that tournament to prioritise
youth.
Osorio expects a vastly different encounter with those Germany stalwarts
now back.
“In our opinion the Germany national team is very different now. In the
Confederations Cup there was a very strong emphasis on the transitional
game,” said Osorio.
“Now it’s a back four and so they had one extra player in midfield or
attack. It’s now more of a possession game so it brings a very different
question to their play.”
BSS/AFP/SSS/1410 hrs