WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Mexico head coach Rafael Marquez called for patience on Friday as he seeks to stamp his own style on the national team.
The 47-year-old will take charge of El Tri for the first time in friendlies against Colombia, Peru, the United States and Chile in the United States over the next 11 days.
"I adapt to what I have; it's not that I'm going to impose a style of play," the former Barcelona and Mexico defender told a press conference ahead of Saturday's clash with Colombia in Baltimore.
"Of course I would like to play like Barcelona, but I don't have the raw material for that, so you have to adapt to what you have and build on what was working from the World Cup."
Marquez, who replaced Javier Aguirre in July, has never managed at senior professional level. He served as Aguirre's assistant for two years and previously coached the Barcelona B-team.
He lauded the impact of Aguirre, who guided Mexico to four consecutive wins at this year's FIFA World Cup before a round-of-16 defeat to England.
"The style will be what was seen at the World Cup, and little by little we will keep adding to it, because changes don't happen overnight," Marquez said.
"I am not going to force any style on the team. It's going to be a natural progression and we'll try to improve over time."
He admitted one of his early focuses would be on cultivating a possession-based game plan and promoting youth.
"On the defensive end, a great job was done at the World Cup, but we must improve our build-up play, empower the players, and make tactical adjustments," he said. "I've learned that helping young players allows you to get the most out of their potential and benefit the team."
Mexico will also meet Peru in New Jersey on September 29, the United States in Glendale on October 3 and Chile in Los Angeles three days later. ■
