Comment: Mirror Football’s Ryan Taylor is at the Mexico City ground ahead of England’s World Cup Round of 16 match against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.
Mexico hope to take advantage of home advantage against England
Did someone tell me that Estadio Azteca is 2,240 meters above sea level?
I’ve made that statement many times since Harry Kane’s 86th minute swing in Atlanta with his right boot, so it’s no surprise that I found myself thinking about altitude this morning in Mexico City at around 2am local time.
But in reality, after waking up in the middle of the night, I was feeling the effects of my body adapting to the local climate, and I felt tired for the first time in weeks.
I’ve read, listened and spoken to people who have visited or played here before, and the message was consistent: Britain is right to take altitude and pollution seriously.
I flew in from Georgia, so I had two hours of time to spare from Touchdown at CDMX. Those who have traveled directly from London or the UK will face a more rigorous process of readjusting their body clocks.
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When you step off the plane, you would expect to find it hard to breathe right away, but that wasn’t the case.
But it soon became apparent that the air was extremely thin and of poor quality. Take an Uber and you’ll see exactly why.
Mexico City is highly dependent on cars, with 75% of passenger kilometers traveled by car.
The roads were congested and the routine 15.6 mile drive ended up taking the better part of an hour and 20 minutes.
No wonder there’s a strong smell of diesel in the air. Yet you’re going about your business as usual and wondering what the heck is going on.
It may not have been helped that I was staying on the 10th floor of the designated hotel, but by the evening, less than 9 hours after arriving, I felt very tired.
Sleep deprivation during major tournaments, especially the trilateral World Cup, is nothing new. That’s part of what comes with it, but this time it felt a little different.
England will clash with Mexico City’s climate at the Estadio Azteca (Image: (Hannah Peters – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images))
My head felt heavy and I suffered from brain fog, which is really rare. Even simple, small tasks suddenly seemed strangely difficult.
I slept on it keeping in mind that it needed to reset, but I woke up a few hours later feeling groggy again.
The situation was different this morning. I started having nausea and headaches, my head felt foggy and heavy, and I found it difficult to switch.
Of course, these are common symptoms when acclimating to high altitude, and after a day or so they acclimatize slightly and become virtually normal.
But my concern is that there is no intense exercise involved and I could never imagine myself having the energy or mental clarity to play soccer – much less against Mexico in the Round of 16 of the World Cup in the Aztecs.
Naturally, I’m not a professional soccer player. And that mission will leave you most petrified on a normal day when you’re feeling your best.
England train in Mexico City on Saturday
England’s sports science experts aren’t stupid and neither is the FA. Yes, the story has become incredibly boring, but everyone adapts to altitude differently and this group of England players are stepping into the unknown, which is why it deserves such extensive coverage. That’s why there are so many perspectives and issues to discuss.
I would be interested to know how each England player and staff member feels personally on the morning of Saturday’s training session.
I would be surprised if everyone felt like they were at their best, especially upstairs. That’s a problem they’ll have to overcome – some players will have hyperbaric chambers in their homes, so they’ll be better at it than others – and they’ll have the best possible support.
You’ll probably be out of breath, but I think the mental component of thinking and decision-making can be just as problematic, especially in an environment like Aztec where you can be dragged into deep water.
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