Most didn’t want him there. A good deal still doesn’t agree with his work ethic. And yet, Mexican fans should be more than happy to have a manager like Juan Carlos Osorio at the helm of their national team.
Osorio brings something many American (North, South, and Central) squads aren’t used to seeing from their national team managers: the blunt truth.
The Colombian manager recently commented, saying he dreams of coaching Colombia’s national team.
"As a Colombian and a football person, managing the Colombian national team is a dream," Osorio said. "As a football person it is an objective and it will never stop being so."
Just like that the Mexican media went wild on criticizing the manager’s comments. But hey, who wouldn’t love to manage the national team they cheered for their whole life?
His dreams aside, Osorio has been nothing but solid in his command of the Mexican national team; almost as solid as his team’s defense, which still hasn’t conceded a goal with Osorio at the helm. So far they’ve played seven games, tallied seven wins, and scored 14 goals.
One of the reasons for the early success might also be one of the biggest differences between Osorio and the majority of South and Central American managers. He is not afraid to change his team.
You either perform, or you’re out. To put it simply, this is the kind of coach who wouldn’t think twice about benching a Messi or a Neymar if he decided they weren’t performing as they should.
In addition to that, Osorio is a tactician. To the protest of many, he has changed his team’s formation at least four times in the course of his seven matches ahead of Mexico. A willingness to adapt that might come in handy for this Mexico team in a competition with diverse opponents like the Copa America.
His starting squad for Sunday’s debut against Uruguay? He probably hasn’t even decided that yet. Take for example their last friendly against Chile, where Osorio tested 17 of his 23 players.
However, he has laid out his expectations for the competition.
"We see the Copa America as the objective," Osorio said. "We want to be inside the top three places, [and] hopefully reach the final."
The Colombian manager also assured the media that Mexico does have the firepower to fight it out with the powerhouses that will meet in the United States.
"I think there is a good group of 10, 12 or 14 players," Osorio said about his team. "The rest of the squad will be made up of players from the Mexican league.
"In a collective sport like football, it appears to me that if Mexico has its best squad, it has a very good chance to compete toe-to-toe with anyone.
"Obviously, every team plays with 11 and the big difference [between Mexico and] the nations that are world powers starts from player 16, 17, 18.
"It is there there's a difference with Brazil, Argentina and those other countries."
