Mexico are not known for showing managers much patience, so how long before former captain and now winless coach Rafael Márquez comes under pressure? When Márquez took charge this summer, he vowed to hit the ground running, pointing to his work alongside Javier Aguirre and his familiarity with the players and environment.
The early results have been difficult. Across the September-October window, Mexico recorded no wins, two draws and two defeats. The most painful was a 3-0 loss to the United States, a loathed Concacaf rival, which prompted harsh headlines in the Mexican sports press. Márquez acknowledged the lack of clarity and called his players' errors "terrible mistakes" that practically gifted the opposition three goals. He also became the first Mexico manager, permanent rather than interim, since 1997 to fail to win any of his first three games.
A 2-0 defeat to Chile in the window's final match added to the concern. Mexico were vulnerable in transition and failed to score in back-to-back games for the first time this decade. Márquez said his side took time to find its rhythm and lacked decisiveness at both ends of the pitch.
Mitigating factors exist. Key attackers including Raúl Jiménez and Julián Quiñones were absent through injury, and teenager Gilberto Mora played only one match because of a muscle problem. Márquez also handed six players their debuts and tried four different backline formations, which naturally affected cohesion. Still, with only two goals in more than 360 minutes, the question of patience is now firmly on the table.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing