After the exit of Ricardo Lavolpe following the 2006 FIFA World Cup, there was supposed to be something of a new dawn in Mexico, with long-campaigning and hugely popular Hugo Sanchez finally given the reigns for “what was supposed to be a successful and memorable time for himself and El Tricolor,” writes SI.com’s Luis Bueno. But of course that never happened.
Instead, the Mexico has since “gone around in circles” and in an effort to find an instant fix, has “hit the reset button again” with the sacking of Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, who let’s face it, was done before he even began a six-month stint that included a surprising six losses in 13 matches.
But Eriksson wasn’t the real problem, nor was his predecessor Jesus Ramirez or even Sanchez, according to Bueno. Rather, Mexico’s “lack of continuity and its penchant for change has made it nearly impossible for the team to build anything.” The mix of a “core group of veterans buoyed by a batch of talented youngsters developing and waiting in the wings” that is necessary for success “has changed for each manager since ’06.”