After having posted the zero in the long-suffering victory (1-0) of Mexico once morest Panama, Memo Ochoa granted an interview to TUDN. And in the final stretch of the dialogue, the current Club América goalkeeper sent a message to the former national teams who usually comment and analyze the TRI matches on Televisa.
The four-time World Cup player is curious to hear Oswaldo Sánchez, Moisés Muñoz, Rafa Márquez and other former Aztec internationals with such critical and forceful positions, when they know perfectly well how complicated the CONCACAF qualifying process can be.
MEMO OCHOA’S MESSAGE FOR FORMER SELECTED
“The tie seems like all the games are easy, and winning away is easy for everyone. Things are not like that. And the people who played, who were in the national team, who work with you know it, that sometimes they forget what they experienced here and how they spent it here”.
THE ANSWERS OF OSWALDO, MOISÉS AND RAFA MÁRQUEZ
And, well, the answers were not long in coming.
In the post-match program of TUDN, Oswaldo Sánchez, Moisés Muñoz and Rafa Márquez had an opportunity to reply. The overall conclusion was that their job is to analyse, not to support unjustifiably. Although they also understood Memo’s words. And it is that, on nights of so much pressure, and more when you feel attacked, it is not uncommon to release declarations of undoing.
Oswaldo Sanchez: “We are here to analyze. We have the experience of having been World Cup players, but we are not here to give unnecessary cheers. We have to be demanding when things don’t work out. The thing was very clear: you had lost points once morest Canada, you had lost points at home once morest Costa Rica. Four points at home that you were missing a lot. Today it was logical that there was pressure, of course, in the first half you notice it. Even Memo himself was pressured because a ball almost missed him and we discussed it on the broadcast, he wants to catch the ball and it ends up hitting him in the face. So, we are here to analyze what happens on the pitch. Triumph is love. They release the pressure. I understand that part, that when you are a player you feel attacked, because you always want people to speak well of you. But I insist, we are here to analyze, not to cheer.”
Moises Munoz: “As a player, you always hear comments not only from the people, but from the people who are analyzing the matches. And, suddenly, you forget that you also need to receive that criticism in order to grow, accept it and improve. When you’re on this side you have to analyze it and see it, forgetting a little regarding what you experienced as a footballer, but, at the same time, perfectly analyzing what’s happening on the pitch. The pressure is skinny. The pressure is skinny. And when you end up letting her go following a win, suddenly you can start letting go and say a lot of things that maybe you don’t analyze well at the time. It was beside the point. That release of pressure can end up in these kinds of statements.”
Rafael Marquez: “That’s why I retired, to be here (laughs). I no longer have to be down there. One always tries to analyze, to be fair in what one says. It has been given that they have been wrong, and we have commented on it, obviously. We were on that other side, but knowing that we had to always try to give our best, or try to give a better version of each one of us, to give better results. The results have not been good, because obviously the comments are going to be, perhaps, not so good, because the results are like that”.
Undefeated data. If he attends Qatar 2022, which everything indicates will be the case, Memo Ochoa will join Rafa Márquez and La Tota Carbajal as the only players who have represented Mexico in 5 World Cups.
Did you know…? Memo Ochoa has been a senior international for Mexico since 2005. Selection level practically since his debut. He has 125 participations. 5 away from Jorge Campos’ goalkeeping record (130).
