Mexico coach says All Whites have same team spirit as All Blacks

Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio talks to the media at a press conference at the stadium in Sochi. Photo / AP

Mexican coach Juan Carlos Osorio has warned his players not to be complacent ahead of their match with New Zealand (Thursday 6am NZT), saying that the All Whites have a similar team spirit to the All Blacks.

No one in Sochi - including the massive 300-strong Mexican media pack - is giving the All Whites a chance tomorrow.

Apart from the obvious disparity in their resources and player base, the two teams also started the tournament in vastly different ways.

Mexico are on a high after an impressive 2-2 draw with European champions Portugal, while New Zealand struggled in the 2-0 defeat to Russia.

And many Mexicans have memories of the 2013 World Cup qualifying playoffs, when El Tri prevailed 9-3 over two legs.

But Osorio is wary of any over confidence in his camp.

"We recognise in New Zealand a strong team who are very good in the aerial game," said Osorio. "And in some regards they have that team spirit that represents not only New Zealand and their national football teams but also the All Blacks and their rugby teams."

"They are gentlemen, they compete well and hopefully we can match their determination to compete for every single ball. Hopefully at the end our talent can surprise them and it will be the factor to win the match."

Osorio - and the Mexican team - are also aware of their historical tendency to under-perform against perceived minnows. It's been a problem for Mexico in major tournaments, as they will raise their game against a big nation but struggle to match those levels when facing lesser opposition.

"We can't be inside our comfort zone," said Osorio. "I know the talent and ability of my players and we have the ability to face them. [Anthony] Hudson is a well prepared coach [but] we have the necessary tools to stop them and keep them in check."

Former Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez told the Herald that the current team has reasons to be confident.

"We all have good memories of 2013," said Sanchez. "It was a great time for us because we scored a lot of goals and had two great games. And this team is a good team; they are confident and want to play.

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