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The group stage of the FIFA World Cup has been nothing short of fascinating. The biggest surprise of the lot was Germany getting knocked out. Apart from that, we saw Iran fluff a late chance to go through, Argentina pull off a heist against Nigeria and Japan move on to the next stage courtesy Fair Play points.
The Round of 16 has some intriguing matches in store. While France vs Argentina is the showpiece game of the round, the tie between Brazil and Mexico has the potential to be a humdinger.
Brazil finished top of their group with 7 points and are looking ominous. Mexico, meanwhile, blew their chance to finish top when they capitulated to a 3-0 defeat against Sweden.
The previous World Cup meeting between Brazil and Mexico ended 0-0 with Ochoa putting in a heroic performance. However, one can expect the goals to flow in this tie, with both possessing an abundance of attacking talent. Through this article, we would look at reasons which make this tie an enthralling watch:
#3 Brazil’s attack vs Mexico’s counter-attack
Brazil came into the tournament with their front four in scintillating form. Even though they took time to fire in the World Cup, their performance against Serbia would have sent shivers down other teams’ spines.
Philippe Coutinho has been irresistible in all the games and has bagged two goals and an assist along the way. The concern for Brazil would be Neymar’s form. Neymar hasn’t hit his straps yet and the Brazilians would be hoping it happens sooner rather than later.
Mexico, on the other hand, shot to prominence with their win against the defending champions, Germany. They executed the counter-attack to perfection that day. Like a sponge, they absorbed all the pressure that came their way and sprang the counter to devastating effect.
Mexico’s front three of Lozano, Vela and Hernandez caused Germany all sorts of problems with their direct running. Another aspect Brazil need to guard against is Mexico’s switch of play. They try and overload one side of the pitch and then switch it quickly to Layun, who finds himself in space due to the overload.
Casemiro’s presence in midfield would be crucial as he would provide the back four with the necessary protection. If Casemiro fails to carry out his defensive duties, Brazil would open a Pandora’s box of problems for themselves.
This game would also follow a similar pattern with Brazil on the front foot and Mexico waiting for their opportunity to pounce. This makes for an intriguing game as the stakes are much higher than a group game. It would be interesting to see how Brazil try and counter the threat of Mexico’s counter-attack.
#2 Lozano vs Brazil’s back four
Lozano started the World Cup with a bang, scoring the winner against Germany. He also put in a very exciting display against the Korea Republic, providing an assist in the process. Lozano has the pace and trickery to trouble Brazil’s defence.
When Dani Alves was ruled out, it left a void in Brazil’s back line. Brazil have tried to fill that gap by playing Danilo and Fagner, but neither has made the spot their own. The Right Back position represents Brazil’s Achilles heel and if Mexico can capitalize, we might have an upset on the cards.
Lozano would be tasked with exploiting this weakness of the Brazilians. Mexico pride themselves on quick transitions of play, and they would look forward to Lozano getting at the defence before it gets back into shape.
Willian would also have an important role to play. He needs to track back to ensure that a two on one situation is not created against the Right Back. This battle has all the ingredients to be the game-changer. If Lozano is able to get some change out of the Brazilian defence, Mexico could cause real problems.
#1 Philippe Coutinho vs the Mexican midfield
Coutinho has been in wonderful form for club and country over the past couple of years. At this World Cup, he has been Brazil’s driving force. He made the crucial breakthrough against Costa Rica and provided the assist to break the deadlock against Serbia. At present, he is Brazil’s best player.
However, he would be up against Guardado, the old war-horse, in the Round of 16. Guardado is a solid midfielder who gets his job done defensively while also being efficient with the ball. He is the talisman of Mexico’s midfield and is the leader the Mexicans look up to.
In the match against Brazil, Guardado would be marking Coutinho and would do everything to keep him quiet. At this World Cup, Coutinho has not faced a stoic midfielder like Guardado. If Coutinho is able to break away from his marker and pull the strings for Brazil, Mexico could find themselves on the verge of elimination.
A possible solution for Mexico would be to zonally mark Coutinho. Coutinho roams across all areas of the pitch and it would be difficult for one man to ‘mark’ him out of the game completely. Mexico can take a leaf out of Iceland’s book and look at how they marked Messi out of the game.
This is a battle that no one would want to take their eyes off and the outcome of this battle would have a huge bearing on the result of the match.
