The midfielder also said Mexico "aren't scared of anyone."
Also prominent in the papers is the worrying fact that Mexico have never beaten France.
Guillermo Franco reckons Mexico need to be more forceful while everyone else is concerned about the plethora of wasted chances, of which Franco was more guilty than most against South Africa.
Which brings us to the sports newspaper Record. They ran a story in which every single one of their pundits want Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez to start in place of Franco against France on Thursday.
Ex-footballer Carlos Reinoso wrote: "For me it should be Hernandez starting because he's a little different, scores goals and is quick. Speed is very important at this level, even more so because Mexico is a young and fast team. It seemed Guille (Franco) wasn't up to speed (against South Africa), while Chicharito is lethal."
In other Chicharito news, there were suggestions that the Guadalajara-native and huge Chivas fan was on the receiving end of some harsh words from Mexico City-native and America legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco.With almost opposing personalities (Chicharito the quiet, humble, family-based young man and Blanco the outgoing, party-loving TV show host), it's not difficult to think they wouldn't get on so well. The huge Mexico City - Guadalajara, capital v province rivalry is famous throughout Mexico.
Defender Hector Moreno said it was nothing and that it wasn't even talked about in the dressing room after the game.
The photos seem to suggest it was media fuss over nothing. Decide for yourselves. A video can be found here.
Finally, Mexico's man-of-the-match against South Africa, Giovani Dos Santos, is on the list of potential Best Young Player at the World Cup. Thomas Muller of Germany and Denmark's Simon Kjaer are other names that stand out. The list is made up of players born after January 1, 1989 and that are making their World Cup debuts.
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The apparent tension between Chicharito and Cuau is generational and points towards the transition from the old guard to the new. Players like Chicharito and Dos Santos will take Mexico to the next level of success. Their style of play is the new uptempo style aka "new school" that is played in Europe. This is what the team needs and this generation of players will take Mexico to the next level. They are the future!
ReplyDeleteAlthough Cuau has been a very good player for Mexico, he was part of Mexico teams that never lived up to their expectations and regularly underachieved when it was time to play big time games. He should not be critical of younger players, and should instead be trying to be a good team leader and example to the younger players.