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MEXICO CITY — Mexico manager Javier Aguirre is ignoring any talk of the altitude favoring his side when they face England at the Azteca Stadium in their World Cup round-of-16 match and says all the discussions over the kickoff time potentially shifting have not impacted his team.
The knockout match Sunday will be played in front of a huge home crowd. Mexico have lost just two matches at the Azteca in the men’s team’s history. The game will also be played at altitude, with the Azteca sitting 7,220 feet above sea level. But Aguirre is not paying any attention to those factors.
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“English players, historically speaking, are pretty nimble and fast,” Aguirre stated at his prematch news conference Saturday. “They have major players who play both inside and outside the country, so they’re powerful, physically speaking. They have great players.
“I remember ever since [Gareth] Southgate, their style has changed. [Thomas] Tuchel has kept that going with his own nuances and ideas and they play in two different ways. In the past, they were really fast and they caused trouble with long, wide passes, and second balls and long transitions. Yes, they do that today, but they move to something different if it’s not working.
“As for the altitude? I don’t focus on that, it’s 11 vs. 11, the referee is there, so I don’t think about things like that. We’re both going to try and score in each other’s nets.”
On Friday, just 48 hours before the match, it looked as if the kickoff time was going to be changed, owing to forecast thunderstorms in the area. The suggestion was it was going to be shifted from 6 p.m. local time to noon. Aguirre appeared on Mexican radio to voice his displeasure at the call, saying it was a “kick in the gut” and he “didn’t like it at all.”
At his news conference Saturday, Aguirre explained his appearance, saying: “I was told the match would be played at a different time and I stated I wasn’t happy with the change. A day before the match, it was inconvenient and that’s all I stated.”
In the 10 World Cup matches Mexico has played at the Azteca Stadium across the 1970, 1986 and 2026 tournaments, the hosts remain unbeaten with eight wins and two draws. EPA/JOSE MENDEZThere have been other potential distractions with YouTuber Stephen Deleonardis sending the team Rolex watches after he bet on Mexico to beat Ecuador in the previous round. The watches have since been returned. “By mutual agreement, our players decided to return to the content creator the watches that he had gifted them on his own initiative,” read a statement from the Mexican FA.
When asked whether both incidents had distracted the team, Aguirre stated: “You know who I am. I am practical. I am authentic, so everything comes naturally to me. Both of those topics, I took naturally. Those things aren’t planned. I wasn’t looking for attention. Both things were sorted out. You can rest assured those things are permutating through the group, they’re prepared, strong and ready to play a good match tomorrow. Those things can happen and went unnoticed for the players.”
Aguirre’s immediate task is to find a way for his team to get past England and the in-form Harry Kane. He says he has been poring over clips of the Premier League and learning about how teams use throw-ins. As for England, he says they are a “top team” and that Mexico will need to play a “near-perfect match” if they are to progress to the quarterfinal stage. And essential to Mexico getting past England will be their ability to halt Kane, who already has five goals this tournament.
“Harry Kane is a world star,” Aguirre stated. “The goals he has scored with the team and with Bayern Munich, he’s a top, top player in the world. He’s tall, and good at defending, and the captain. Of course we will try to neutralize him with our defensive midfielders and try and keep him uncomfortable so he can’t build any pace.”
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