⚖️🇲🇽 Is the law firm closed? The future of Mexico's Jimenez and Gimenez
Raul and Santi may be better off without each other. What will Javier Aguirre do?
Mexico manager Javier Aguirre had a problem. His veteran, in-form forward of the present, Raul Jimenez, was in great form, unbenchable. But his up-and-coming forward of the future, Santi Gimenez, was in good form, too. His goal-scoring at Feyenoord led to a big-ticket move to AC Milan, where he already was settling in.
Who should lead the line? Why not both?
“I started thinking it wouldn’t be fair to leave one of them out and started to think over. I didn’t have doubts about their finishing, but the build-up,” Aguirre said back in March.
The old-school, two-forward look took Canada by surprise in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals, with Raul scoring a double that was aided by Santi drawing the attention from defenders.
“They felt good, and fortunately the team did well. I think it’s a good formula. I decided to take advantage of the players’ form,” Aguirre said.
With the positive initial results, Mexico utilized the formation again and beat Panama in the CNL final, once again getting a double from Raul including a goal in the first 10 minutes.
Mexico looked like it would head to the World Cup with the law firm up top, Jimenez and Gimenez throwing off defenders as they worked with each other, grew in understanding and finished off plays like both do at the club level.
Yet, the decisions stopped going in their favor in the summer. Aguirre returned to the duo in a friendly defeat against Switzerland and again in the Gold Cup debut match against the Dominican Republic.
The players did link up for a goal, with Roberto Alvarado playing the ball into Santi from the wing, and the Cruz Azul product spoting the América product’s run.
Yet, this was the exception rather than the rule for El Tri.