Mexico's minutes distribution: Chavez and Vargas led with 116, while Armando 'Hormiga' Gonzalez played just 74. It is good news for Olympiacos.
Olympiacos striker Armando 'Hormiga' Gonzalez was one of the players who have accumulated the fewest minutes so far during the international break with the Mexican national team.
Rafael Márquez began his tenure at the helm of the Mexican national team with two preparatory matches against Colombia and Peru, both ending 1-1. In this first FIFA international break, the strategist used the opportunity to assess different elements and give minutes to nearly his entire squad.
After the two matches, Mateo Chavez and Obed Vargas accumulated the most minutes, with 116 each. Chavez played 26 minutes against Colombia and later started against Peru, playing the full 90 minutes.
Obed Vargas also added 116 minutes. The midfielder came on in the second half against Colombia and started against Peru, where he played the full match.
The third-most-participating player was Jeremy Marquez, who logged 106 minutes. The player had 16 minutes of activity against the Colombians and later played 90 minutes against Peru, becoming another of the pieces that maintained continuity in both matches.
One step below appear Alvaro Fidalgo and Orbelin Pineda, both with 104 minutes. Both played in both matches, though their minutes were distributed differently in each. Isaias Violante also stood out, with 94 minutes, while Everardo Lopez played 90 minutes, both in the match against Peru.
Other players who also featured in this first FIFA international break were German Berterame, with 77 minutes, and Denzell Garcia, with 63 minutes. The minutes distribution allowed Marquez to observe different combinations and learn how players looking to earn a place in the process for upcoming commitments function.
Olympiacos forward Gonzalez has added only 74 minutes, having participated only in the first match against Colombia.
An important detail was that, for the match against Peru, Marquez made 11 changes compared to the team that started against Colombia, which shows that these first matches also served as an evaluation stage. The coach had the opportunity to observe different elements in game situations and broaden the panorama of options for the future.
Thus, after his first 180 minutes at the helm of El Tri, Chavez and Vargas have had the most action, followed by Marquez, Fidalgo, and Pineda. Now, the next step is to see which players remain in Rafael Marquez's consideration as his process with the Mexican national team advances.
That said, it is good news for Olympiacos. Perhaps the position most affected by injuries and underperformance is center forward, with Ayoub El Kaabi out for nearly the entire campaign due to injury and Roman Yaremchuk not measuring up. It is key that Gonzalez stays healthy and in form for the Red and Whites' upcoming matches, especially the UEFA Europa League ones, where we have no doubt he will be the starter.
