Javier Aguirre rebukes himself after a crushing defeat to Switzerland.

Javier Aguirre suffered his third defeat as coach of the Mexican national team heading into the 2026 World Cup . It was a 2-4 defeat against Switzerland , the heaviest after losing 0-2 to Honduras and 0-2 to River Plate in previous months.

Although it was a friendly match, the performance against the Swiss caused Aguirre to berate himself. He took responsibility for the result, although he didn't hide his disappointment at his players' lack of personality.

“We made a lot of mistakes today, both collectively and individually, and with teams this size, you get penalized,” Aguirre began his reflections at the post-match press conference in Utah, USA.

“ We gave away the first half . You can lose, but the four goals, if analyzed individually, are truly avoidable. The lack of personality the team showed in the first half—I dare say this because I told them in the locker room—with the goal against them, it seemed like the world was coming to an end. That's not the case. A Mexican team can't be like that, not under my command.”

The 'Vasco' has been known for being a demanding coach in terms of his players' attitude and physical challenges, not only with the Mexican national team but also with his clubs, highlighting his two decades in Spain's LaLiga.

Although Mexico only conceded one of their four goals in the first half, which was scored by Monaco striker Breel Embolo in the 20th minute, they were at risk of going into the break with more against them due to errors by the defense, which was made up of César Montes, Jesús Orozco Chiquete, Emilio Lara and Mateo Chávez.

That first goal also threw the offense off balance, as the desperation to find an equalizer became evident with errors by Santiago Giménez and Roberto Alvarado inside Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel's penalty area.

"I didn't like a lot of things. The first half was a team with no personality, which was scared by the goal against them, and then in the second half we showed some of what I'd like to see," Aguirre continued in his analysis with TV Azteca.

“We were nervous with and without the ball. Our legs were shaking every time they came near us. We didn't play well and deserved to lose.”

While Switzerland's second goal was offside (it wasn't revoked because there's no VAR system in friendlies), the third was a mistake by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel's departure and defender César Montes's marking. The fourth also left Swiss Fabian Rieder in free space.

“In the face of adversity, you get to know people, and such a heavy scoreline reveals the players' behavior on and off the field. That's what I want, because it shows which player has the talent to overcome a defeat and look forward. There are some redeeming qualities, but when they concede four goals, it's hard to say,” insisted the Basque player.

"The blame lies with the coach. I won't name any players; it's mine because I decide who and how. From that point on, I'm the one most responsible for this defeat. We'll look at the video, the good and the bad, and we'll try to improve against Turkey. They're mistakes, I wouldn't say gross, but they're avoidable."

Among the positive aspects Aguirre acknowledged was that Santiago Giménez broke a streak of 16 games without scoring for the Mexican national team, as well as Ángel Sepúlveda's goal just minutes after coming on as a substitute.

The role of young players like Mateo Chávez, Gilberto Mora, and Efraín Álvarez also played. Chávez played the entire match at left back, a position usually unchallenged by Jesús Gallardo , a World Cup winner in 2018 and 2022.

El Tri's next match will be this Tuesday, June 10, against Turkey, which is coming off a 2-1 victory over the United States in another friendly this weekend. After that, according to Javier Aguirre, comes the real objective: the Gold Cup.

"I can't see the trees, I have to see the forest, and in this case, we're preparing these two matches for the Gold Cup; that's our goal. I hope it's understood, but of course, it's always better to work with a win (…) This helps us all because we can't make mistakes in the Gold Cup, because there's certain death. It helps us draw conclusions," concluded the national team coach.

Aguirre has played 11 matches in his third stint as Mexico's national team coach, which began in September 2024. His record is six wins, two draws, and three losses, with 19 goals scored and 11 conceded.