Extra reporting: Jeff Rueter
“He had a really clear alternative and as a striker for the nationwide crew he has to attain it.”
Anybody would have thought the identical when Mexico’s Santiago Gimenez was put clear by means of on aim within the early phases of Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat in opposition to Venezuela in Los Angeles.
Besides this wasn’t anybody speaking.
“Though he’s my son, I’m an analyst and I’ve to say it. The distinction between (Salomon) Rondon and Santi in the present day was the aim.”
Sure, the person holding the microphone was Christian Gimenez, Santiago’s father, or ‘Chaco’ as he’s extra generally identified in Mexico. A former nationwide crew player, ‘Chaco’ was working for Fox sports for the Venezuela sport when he determined to inform it how it’s on the again of a end result that leaves Mexico’s hopes of reaching the Copa America quarter-finals hanging by a thread.
“I don’t suppose Santi had a nasty sport, however he didn’t have sport both,” Chaco added.
Gimenez has had a troublesome event for Mexico (Omar Vega/Getty Pictures)
In reality, Gimenez hasn’t had sufficient good games for Mexico full cease and that raises a number of questions. Remember the fact that individuals are speaking a couple of centre-forward who has scored 49 targets throughout the final two seasons for Feyenoord and attracted the eye of among the greatest golf equipment in Europe, together with Tottenham Hotspur.
For Mexico, it has been a special story. Gimenez has 4 targets to his identify in 28 caps and, worryingly, issues appear to be getting worse quite than higher. It’s now 12 matches and as many months since Gimenez final scored for his nation — the winner (and what an amazing solo strike it was, by the way in which) in opposition to Panama within the Gold Cup last.
To place it bluntly, Gimenez doesn’t appear to be the identical participant in a Mexico shirt. Maybe he isn’t ready to be the identical participant.
In opposition to Jamaica, in Mexico’s opening group sport, Gimenez had solely 16 touches and accomplished simply six passes. A lonely pink dot on the go community graphic under illustrates the disconnect together with his team-mates. In opposition to Venezuela, these numbers climbed to a modest 26 touches and eight accomplished passes. In each video games, Gimenez touched the ball solely 4 occasions within the opposition penalty space — half as many as he averaged in a Feyenoord shirt final season.
The actual fact Gimenez was substituted in opposition to Jamaica and Venezuela was a supply of annoyance to his father, who questioned whether or not the coach Jaime Lozano genuinely believes in his son.
“For a No 9 9 of the nationwide crew, the boldness of the coach is essential,” Chaco stated. “I really feel like they’re doing Santiago a favour (by choosing him).
“I used to be a participant for a very long time and when you’ve gotten the boldness of the coach you’ve gotten many extra minutes. Santi enters the sector with the concept he should rating one or two targets as a result of after 45 minutes he comes off.”
Publicly, Lozano has been supportive of Gimenez, each at press conferences and on the sidelines. When the striker squandered that golden likelihood in opposition to Venezuela, Lozano betrayed no sense of disappointment or anger. A split-screen video exhibits Lozano strolling up and down his technical space applauding and inspiring his players after Gimenez did not cleanly join together with his shot.
Así reaccionó el Jimmy Lozano tras la falla de Santi Giménez 😬#NuestraCopa por Canal 5 pic.twitter.com/fT2rVZYwQS
— Alex de la Rosa (@adelarosa) June 27, 2024
Others discovered it more durable to hide their feelings although — behind Lozano, just a few of the Mexico substitutes lined their faces. It was straightforward to think about that being the response in sitting rooms throughout a rustic the place it hasn’t taken lengthy for frustration to spill over throughout Copa America.
“With all due respect, Santiago Gimenez has solely offered smoke with the Mexican nationwide crew, he has not been a decisive participant,” David Faitelson, the famend Mexican journalist, stated.
Faitelson is rarely wanting an opinion, however then neither is anybody else in Mexico with regards to Gimenez. Former gamers have been vital of the ahead in a single breath (Oswaldo Sanchez: “I do keep in mind that aim within the last in opposition to Panama, however from then on he has not been as concerned or as convincing”) and supportive in one other (Miguel Layun: “I don’t agree that football will depend on a single participant”).
Luis Garcia had one other take. The previous Mexico worldwide instructed ESPN: “I feel the worst factor that might have occurred to Santiago Gimenez is that Henry Martin wasn’t there. The actual fact he doesn’t have inside competitors screws up Santiago Gimenez’s life probably the most as a result of Gimenez is predicted to play each minute and rating 4 targets per sport and that’s not going to occur. That’s what Hugo Sanchez did in his time and nobody else.”
Martin was left at dwelling for the Copa America, very similar to Fulham’s Raul Jimenez, one other skilled striker, as a part of a rebuilding course of that Lozano, who has been tasked with placing collectively a crew that’s able to being aggressive on dwelling soil on the 2026 World Cup, describes as “generational change”.
The place Gimenez will probably be taking part in his membership soccer by the point that World Cup comes round is anybody’s guess, nevertheless it appears unlikely {that a} disappointing Copa America would discourage golf equipment from pursuing a participant who has scored prolifically for Feyenoord — and targets of each description, too — for the previous two years.
Certainly, you marvel what Feyenoord make of Gimenez’s struggles for his nation, aware that the Dutch membership has invested a lot time and vitality into creating the 23-year-old since they signed him from the Mexican top-flight crew Cruz Azul for €4million (£3.4m; $4.3m) in 2022.
Gimenez lacking an opportunity in opposition to Venezuela (Ronald Martinez/Getty Pictures)
As a part of Feyenoord’s analysis into Gimenez, the membership’s medical and efficiency crew screened his motion patterns — accelerations, decelerations, working at prime velocity, adjustments of path — and famous that the “management of his trunk and round his pelvis” might be improved. Briefly, Feyenoord felt that Gimenez’s current working model may maintain him again on the highest stage.
With the help and understanding of Arne Slot, who has since taken over as Liverpool supervisor however was accountable for Feyenoord on the time, Gimenez was actively held again, placed on a bespoke coaching programme and given six months to, fairly actually, stand up to hurry.
Feyenoord additionally organised a devoted nutritionist, took Gimenez to a boxing health club to construct up his aggression and — watch for this one — launched him to “float tanks”.
“It may be useful, it’s mainly like Epsom, like tub salts,” Leigh Egger, the membership’s head of efficiency, instructed The Athletic. “The water is absolutely viscous. So you may mainly simply float due to the salt holding you up, after which they shut this tank over you and also you’re in full darkness with no sound, no mild. And you may sleep, you may meditate, you are able to do no matter you need.”
Quick-term ache — Gimenez commonly began on the substitutes’ bench in his early days on the membership and missed out on choice for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar partly in consequence — introduced long-term acquire as targets flowed freely in a Feyenoord shirt from the second he was given a run within the crew at the beginning of 2023.
How Mexico would like to see the identical now.
(Prime picture: Buda Mendes/Getty Pictures)
