[quote=MetalLegNZ]
the questions is though... are we better now than when we were then, are we more able to compete now?
This. I'd hate to see these same guys freeze or revert to hoof-ball in games that matter.
NB - Just read this -
"If anybody thought New Zealand was going to be a cakewalk, it wasn't. It was not just that Mexico were essentially playing a B team, it was that fact that NZ played a superb game. they were aggressive. They pressed hard, almost subconsciously stopping Mexico playing from the back.
New Zealand also looked much sturdier than El Tri. Coach Anthony Hudson showed he is tactically shrewd. On the rare occasions that NZ moved the ball forward, Mexico was always caught for the second ball.
If this game was supposed to make the manager reassess his base for the November 11th call up against the US, when the dust settles there might not be one player that benefited from from Saturday's match. El Tri certainly have decent squad depth, yet it will be tough to see anybody from Saturday start against the Stars and Stripes.
Whether it is Trinidad and Tobago or Honduras, the game had plenty of reminders that teams in the Hexagonal will play much the same way. The effect of this game for (coach) Juan Carlos Osario may be more important than people think."
- Rafael Diaz ruminates online in www.mexicanfut.com