Salernitana is a well-known figure in Serie A, sitting bottom of the table this season, and while it's an indisputable fact that the striker is weak, the embarrassing statistic of conceding two goals per game is easy to discuss.
No one can bear to blame their starting goalkeeper Ochoa, and despite the 38-year-old, Salernitana should have climbed up the ladder in Serie B this season if it weren't for last season's Mexican's frequent open-hanging patterns.
To give a few examples, Ochoa, who lost to Milan and played for Salernitana for the first time in Serie A, contributed a total of nine saves;
In the draw with Inter, the Mexican made 10 of his 11 shots on target and equalled last season's Serie A record for saves in a single game;
In the face of Torino's indiscriminate bombardment of 23 shots, Ochoa, who contributed 7 saves, seriously interpreted the meaning of "one man is the key, ten thousand people are not open". Winning last season's Salernitana Player of the Year is a matter of quality.
Ochoa, who originally only signed a six-month contract with Salernitana, got a contract extension is expected, even if he was beaten back to his original form this season, but the Mexican goalkeeper who has been plagued by injuries is obviously not a sinner, not to mention that the total value of the whole team is only 30 million euros, Salernitana accompanying the prince to study is the most normal plot, even if Ochoa who reacts quickly will not help.
Some say Ochoa has had a bad time, as his record of 1,102 consecutive minutes for the Mexican national team was ended due to injury, and he had to compete with another veteran goalkeeper, Costiel, for playing time in Salernitana. At the age of 38 and worth 1.5 million euros, Ochoa, who successfully fought fires last season, does not have the hard power to rejuvenate at any time, and it is a surprise to win the team's Player of the Month award in October.
You see, time is a thief, stealing the youthfulness of "Mexican Wu Zhenyu", but no one seems to be able to deprive Ochoa of his pride and brilliance. He has participated in the World Cup 5 times, which is enough to verify his historical status in Mexican football, so much so that he was frequently shown love by female fans in the Qatar World Cup, and when he landed on the Apennine Peninsula from Mexican America, the old club's post affirmed Ochoa's positioning: "You are the eternal legend of Mexico." ”
If you want to refine the sense of accomplishment personally, Ochoa has only conceded 12 goals and kept four clean sheets in 11 World Cup appearances, and the shocked strikers include Neymar and Lewandowski, even though Ochoa was only on the bench at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the patron saint who stood late in the box seemed to have been born for the World Cup, and his teammate Jorge Sanchez of the Mexican national team commented interestingly: "He is our 'memo'. ”
Ochoa, who is only 1.85 meters tall, will naturally suffer on the high-altitude ball, even though he has maximized his strengths and avoided weaknesses, but the giants did not dare to bet big on him. For example, against Inter Milan this season, he conceded a goal due to a mistake in attacking, although it seems that it is an unusual courage to face the hand and save a single goal, but in the eyes of the professional media, it is also a helpless self-protection.
Looking back on the old times, although Ochoa is a national idol in the Mexican national team and Mexican America, the road to "staying abroad" is bleak.
When playing for Ajaccio, he conceded 62 goals in the 2012-13 season, the second most goalkeeper in Ligue 1, and in the 2013-14 season, he "increased" to 72 goals.
Ochoa did not receive special treatment for his performance at the 2014 World Cup, and was forced to switch to Granada after two years on the bench to witness Kameni's appearance. Even if he is a goalkeeper of a weak team, if he uses data to measure his personal value, Ochoa is indeed a little unable to do it.
The 2016-17 season conceded 82 goals in 38 appearances in La Liga and kept just three clean sheets, the worst La Liga record since its inception, and Granada's relegation was no surprise.
In the national team, in the club, Ochoa, who has long been a veteran, has the confidence to cross the joy and sorrow, Salernitana's draw against Torino does not quench his thirst, Ochoa, who has not got any chance to perform, can only wait for the next opportunity to perform, perhaps the Mexican also knows that even if the club signs Boateng, it is just a bamboo basket.