The official list for the Olympics announced

By
Roy Nemer
-
47
Geronimo Rulli
Geronimo Rulli

The official list of 18 players who will be going to the Olympics for Argentina has been released.

Announced are the final 18 plus 4 emergency stand-by players.

List of 18 players:
Geronimo RULLI
Axel WERNER
Jose Luis GOMEZ
Lisandro MAGALLAN
Victor CUESTA
Lautaro GIANNETTI
Alexis SOTO
Leandro VEGA
Mauricio MARTINEZ
Santiago ASCACIBAR
Joaquin ARZURA
Giovani LO CELSO
Manuel LANZINI
Lucas ROMERO
Angel CORREA
Giovanni SIMEONE
Cristian ESPINOZA
Jonathan CALLERI

Emergency players:
Luis UNSAIN
Nicolas TRIPICHIO
Martin BENITEZ
Cristian PAVON

argoly

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47 Comments

  2. Come to think of it the player selections really seem all over the place with not club connections to help create some team cohesion.

    I would start Rulli in goal obviously.

    I would use two overage players from Independentie, Tagliafico and Cuesta to fill in the left back and left centre back role.

    The other centre back would be Gianetti who now with Mamamma leaving is definetly the best young centre back in the Argentine league.

    Right back obviously would be Gomez from Lanus and I would include fellow overage teammate Ivan Marcone to shield the defence. I swear Marcone never misses a pass and he is super tough in the tackle and at reading the play but more importantly his understanding with Gomez will allow the young right back to be more affective going forward.

    Then there’s the rest of the midfield which is the key to playing cohesive football. I would include the 3 young Rosario Central boys Lo Celso,Walter Montoya and Franco Cervi. All play in a the starting line up for Rosario week in week out and I swear they out pass the crap of all other teams in the Argentine league.

    Finally I would put Lanzini in the team because this guy is an absolute gem of a player and so versatile he can play the wings,second striker,box to box midfielder, playmaker….just brilliant

    And finally Calleri is the obvious choice to lead the line

    The rest of the squad obviously would be filled with the other guns Angel Correa, Santiago Ascacibar, Lucas Romero ……. I would also put in Oscar Benitez of Lanus( now at Benfica) He was great as a right winger and more importantly in linking up with Gomez in the final against San Lorenzo.

    It just takes a bit of thought really in producing a competitive cohesive team especially when your preparation is virtually nil.

    Rulli
    Gomez (Lanus) Gianetti Cuesta Tagliafico
    (Independiente)

    Marcone(Lanus)

    Montoya, Lo Celso, Cervi
    (Rosario Central)

    Lanzini Calleri

    Gianetti is not Indepentinte that’s just how it came up when I posted my commentThe formation is not really important but more club connections is what matters. It should be noted though that Rosario actually play a diamond midfield with Lo Celso as a playmaker and Montoya and Cervi on the flanks of the diamond.

    Anyone got Olarticoecheas contact details ?

  4. Can anyone give us a clue about the strengths of the other teams competing in Rio?
    We know Brazil has Neymar and CR will not be there for Portugal nor will Zlatan be there for Sweden. I have had a look on several team selections (on wikipedia) but have no idea how strong these teams are.

    • Our group stage opponents Portugal have players like Bruno Varela, Edgar IĂŠ, Carlos ManĂŠ and Bruno Fernandes among others who were also part of of Portugal U-21 team that were runners-up at 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. So I expect them to be a decent team. Also, unlike their senior A team the Portuguese youngsters seem to be a lot more attack minded.

  5. I’m glad most of the European young guns
    (Sell outs) didn’t come. Messi and Co at least put their country first. I think it’s a great chance for the likes of Jose Luis Gomez, Ascacibar and Lucas Romero to show what they are made of and hopefully they all go to Sevilla haha

  6. Boca lost but Cristian Pavon once again shown that he is best Boca player at the moment. Great form.

    I would like to see him among 18 Olimpics instead of Espinoza..

  7. My expectation: go through group phase and flash of talent of few players as prospect for senior NT. Nothing more.

    To win is imposible not because of absence some players but organization factor. We have not a team, camp started too late, they never played before with this squad, so I don’t expectate monolit team. Rather clueless one without chemistry. I don’t think the three friendlies before tournament will change anything.

    But still it’s much interesting to see someone other in white-blue than losers like Higuain, Aguero, Di Maria, Biglia, Banega, Rojo. Very interesting.

    • I know the kids very well. Talented boys. Most of them you will see in Europe soon as remarkable players but I’m afraid they will not enough integrated as team.

      • Just loser. The same generation of losers. It was his third Copa. This is not playmaker we need. He was a bit better than others but still it’s not enough. We need more energetic and eager players. I still remember his penalty kick final against CHile last year. If not Banega, then Higuain,if not Higuain then Biglia – and always one of the losers will fail in crucial moment.

    • “My expectation: go through group phase ”

      Hell no, Argentina have to reach minimum the final. (the Brazil squad is a little bit better, mainly because of Neymar.) If these generation is really so talented, than must prove it. Once many of them choked on U20 level, this is the next possibility. The current so called “losers”‘ve won U20 WC and Olympics just for fun. If this level is too high for this new gen, then what is expected from them in a WC ? Then the reality is these players are not good enough for the NT. Finito.

      “To win is imposible not because of absence some players but organization factor. We have not a team, camp started too late, they never played before with this squad, so I don’t expectate monolit team.”

      This is Olympic football, every team have the exactly same problems.
      Look at these absents:

      Portugal: Renato Sanchez, Joao Mario, Andre Gomes, Bernardo Silva, Rafa Silva, Ruben Neves, Cancelo, Guerreiro, Cavaleiro, Guedes. The 10 best portugal talents, they”ll go with a lot of unknown “nobodies”. And we fear from them ? OMG…

      Germany: Draxler, Sane, Can, Geis, Weigl, Kimmich, Arnold, Dahoud, RĂźdiger, Timo Werner. With the two good overaged Benders this is an average squad at maximum.

      Brazil without Neymar imo not better, than this “edentate” Argentina.
      One great CB Marquinhos (imo not better, than Cuesta), Douglas Costa injured, 3 good midfielders: (oa) Renato Augusto (so-so), Rafinha (after a long long injury) and Felipe Anderson (who is very inconsistent, his form decreased at the end of the season), and forwards OK Neymar is Neymar and the big talent Gabriel Jesus, and thats all. Not a world beater squad for sure.

      Argentina’ve way more talents with the full potential. And this team is good enough too based on names to win the whole thing. Just only example Lanzini must prove he’s not an average West Ham material, but much more than that. And the others too…
      Forward for victory, no excuses!

      • You see, it is found long time ago that players who won everything in junior football can’t win often nothing on senior level and vice versa. So, one more time – this is not mathematic.
        We have generation of losers who won everything as juniors and nothing as seniors. PErhaps our next generation won’t win a junior tournament but win something in senior.

        “The current so called “losers”‘ve won U20 WC and Olympics just for fun”
        I don’t think for fun but at any rate they played with all best players (from Europe too) in 2008 Olimpic Games. Messi, AGuero, Banega, Di Maria Garay… Now Dybala is our Messi and he is out, Icardi is our Aguero and he is out… So it’s not the same.

        Here is your question:
        “If these generation is really so talented, than must prove it.(…) If this level is too high for this new gen, then what is expected from them in a WC ? Then the reality is these players are not good enough for the NT”

        and your own answer for the question:

        “Argentina’ve way more talents with the full potential. And this team is good enough too based on names to win the whole thing”

        • Yes, here is enough talent but what about organization? All it’s not much professional to campare with European teams. Is not Olarticoechea another Grondona?

  8. I have low expectations for this Olympics. With everything else going on right now with Argentine football as well as the Olympic Games themselves, it will be a huge surprise if we actually win a gold medal.

    • My expectation: go through group phase and flash of talent of few players as prospect for senior NT. Nothing more.

      To win is imposible not because of absence some players but organization factor. We have not a team, camp started too late, they never played before with this squad, so I don’t expectate monolit team. Rather clueless one without chemistry. I don’t think the three friendlies before tournament will change anything.

      But still it’s much interesting to see someone other in white-blue than losers like Higuain, Aguero, Di Maria, Biglia, Banega, Rojo. Very interesting.

    • With this squad I don’t think we can even win our first game against Portugal U 23 who will be buoyed by their senior team’s recent success and will be playing few of the guys who played the U 20 WC last year. Pray for Argentina

      • We may lost first game with Portugal (they are favourite) but the next two must be our if we going to semis.

  9. off topic : there’s a high chance of our “fav’ striker higuain to partner our biggest prospect dybala in juventus nxt season as they’re prepared to splurge the cash for him..this could be great news for us as they would form a very cohesive strike partnership for argentina in the near future..aguero’s days are definitely numbered now

  10. Poor squad. Simeone, Romero, and a few other kids who are not even regulars for their club. So, Let another Argentine Coaching circus begin. This comic tragedy will at least be over in early August, we will forget it soon enough, since the league season would have started by then.

    • Romero is starter in Cruzeiro, but I agree we have better DMs. However this is not poor squad

  15. I’ve been reminiscing in Argentina past performance over the last several years and it has only leave me in a state of melancholy. It’s hard to love football these days, the only thing can fix my state of mind towards Argentina is a world cup final win in 2018. With the 2018 world cup just around the corner, I have no doubt that guys like Messi and Mascherano will be back in the national team. I just don’t see how they miss out on what could be Argentina last chance to win something that has eluded the team in the last several cycle of football championships.

    This is how I see things as of today; as sad as I was for the past several weeks, Argentina not lifting the title is a good thing when it comes to the AFA. Argentina lifting the Copa America title would have just emboldened the AFA corrupted regime to continue with what they have been doing in the last two to three decades. Now with the exposure of the current AFA situation, the organization can get the reform it has be longing for. This current AFA does not deserves any type of championship title given its current state, corruption and fraud should never be rewarded. It took Argentina not winning two back to back Copa America title for the AFA to be expose and be embarrass. The team made it to another final yet Messi had to come out in dismay to complain about the team poor travel arrangement. I hope the team donate the money they got from the Copa tournament to local schools in Argentina and other charities and make sure not a dime goes in the hands of the corrupt AFA regime. It’s this simple, change the whole structure of the current AFA and the team will start winning championships. ‘’A wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears her down.’’ Any house is only as strong as its foundation, which the AFA is not. This is where the AFA does not help, the team is constantly living and playing with the incompetence of the current AFA regime. The team play their hearts out, set up a good team spirit through the roster yet they’re left shorthanded by its federation.

    The only thing currently giving me hope with the Argentina national team is that the team has gotten over the quarterfinal jinx at the world cup. Moreover, the team seems to have no problem as of late making FIFA tournament finals. The goal for the 2018 world cup is getting the team over the final hurdle which is lifting the trophy.

    It’s funny how people are praising Portugal for their negative football yet dismiss Greece 2004 Euro Championship win. Portugal team was ugly throughout the European Championship, they’re rightful winners of a tournament that was boring and lackluster for most part. I mean, Portugal got the easiest group in the whole of the tournament; Austria, Hungary and Iceland, this is a group that Portugal should be winning yet they finish third, only to benefit from the UFEA new group stage third place rule change. So we have Portugal winning a championship by drawing four games and winning three times (this is pathetic at best). Imagine Argentina qualifying out of a group with teams like Austria, Hungary and Iceland in third place because of a rule change, would you guys be as kind to the team like you have been showing towards Portugal? This has always been the case with Ronaldo/Portugal, they play in the easiest of groups then fail to show up, then all of a sudden Ronaldo shows up in a game against a weak team which is seen as some great BDOR performance (sorry to bring up the BDOR). Ronaldo flops against average teams like Austria and Iceland then came back and scored two equalizing goals against a not so strong Hungarian team which is seen as some great achievement at the time. This is the double standard and president that has been set with Ronaldo. It was the same thing with the European 2014 WCQ; Portugal failed to qualify directly out of the easiest group stage fixture that consist of teams like Russia, Luxemburg, Israel and Azerbaijan. But no worries, Portugal went on to face an average Swedish team in the playoffs that got pummel by Germany 6 – 2 two weeks before the playoff game. Here and behold, the same Ronaldo that failed to show up in the 2014 WCQ group stage against weak teams was all of a sudden delivering BDOR performance against the mighty Swedish who just recently got destroyed by Germany 6—2 on goals.

    Not taking anything away from Ronaldo, but has this guy ever show up against a big team with a stand out performance in recent time? Portugal most valuable player was Pepe; the best player I would say in the entire tournament given the defensive set throughout the entire European championship. Another thing, Messi does not need to do Ronaldo antics in order for him to be a great captain. The whole sideline stunt from Ronaldo in the finals was just show boating, how does that make one a good captain? Lahm won the world cup as captain, he wasn’t seen as vocal on the field. Iker Casillas won the world cup and Euros twice as captain and he wasn’t loud and vocal on the field and he wasn’t going off like an imposter inside the coaching box on the sideline.

    Football can be unfair at times, if Gignac had scored his chance in the final after coming on as a sub, France would have won and Deschamp would be seen as a ‘’tactical genius ‘’ for bringing on Gignac at the time he did, instead we had Eder scoring what was a far more difficult goal than the chance Gignac had at the other end of the pitch. With Eder scoring, Santos was seen as the ‘’tactical genius’’ (the most overrated phrase used in football). It’s the same at the 2014 world cup final, if Palacio had scored after coming on as a sub, Sabella would be seen as a ‘’tactical genius’’, instead we had Götze coming on as a sub and scoring what was a far more difficult chance than what Palacio had. Gotze put away his chance hence the reason Lowe had high praise for his substitution.

    @Richard: As for the FIFA rankings, I don’t see why Argentina shouldn’t be at number one. Despite not winning a title, when it comes to FIFA official games and friendlies, Argentina has been the most consistent team since 2012 through to 2016. Saying Germany and Chile should be ahead of Argentina because they won the 2014 world cup and Copa America respectively is like saying Brazil (5 times world cup winners) and Spain (world cup, and two times European winners in the last 6 years) should be ahead of Argentina or better yet, Greece should be ahead of Argentina on the FIFA rankings. Germany has been so bad post the 2014 world cup, the rankings are right. The same for Chile, they haven’t beaten Argentina in open play to be ahead of them in the rankings. Argentina defeated Chile twice and drew one (lost on pks) this year. When Spain won the world cup, they were rarely beaten hence the reason they stayed at number one on the FIFA raking for so long. I’m no fan of the FIFA rankings, but what I know, it’s a point system accumulate from the games played over a period of time (which includes; wins, lost and tie) not how many championships a team won. This is like saying Portugal should be number one team on the FIFA rankings because they won the Euros, a tournament where they won only three times in regular time and drew four times.

    • Good to see you back Kid!
      You’re right about Germany, but Chile won two trophies beating us on penalties. We may be consistent (even in losing finals….) but two copas should put Chile above us.
      Fifa ranking is based on the past few years not decades 😁. Greece missed out on euro16 just like other winners Netherlands and Danemark. All dropped like stones in fifa ranking. Netherlands from 3 to 26 in 2 years…

      • Richard: That was pk shootout. It was like Argentina game against the Netherlands at the world cup which ended in a draw despite us winning on pks. We haven’t lost to Chile in normal time. That is the key here. But why are you dismissing Argentina two official wins over Chile at the Copa America and during the 2018 World cup qualifiers this year? Pk is a tie game according to FIFA which makes sense given that no team has won the game over 90/120 minutes. In pk, everyone stop playing, players of each team just walk up to shoot the ball at goal. All Pk does is break a stalemate, someone could make the argument for playing on and on way over the 120 minutes until a team score the winner.

        Men’s Ranking Procedure

        The basic logic of these calculations is simple: any team that does well in world football wins’ points which enable it to climb the world ranking.

        A team’s total number of points over a four-year period is determined by adding:

        • The average number of points gained from matches during the past 12 months; and
        • The average number of points gained from matches older than 12 months (depreciates yearly).

        Calculation of points for a single match

        The number of points that can be won in a match depends on the following factors:

        • Was the match won or drawn? (M)
        • How important was the match (ranging from a friendly match to a FIFA World Cup™ match)? (I)How strong was the opposing team in terms of ranking position and the confederation to which they belong? (T and C)

        These factors are brought together in the following formula to ascertain the total number of points (P):

        P = M x I x T x C

        The following criteria apply to the calculation of points:

        M: Points for match result

        Teams gain 3 points for a victory, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a defeat. In a penalty shoot-out, the winning team gains 2 points and the losing team gains 1 point.

        I: Importance of match

        Friendly match (including small competitions): I = 1.0

        FIFA World Cup™ qualifier or confederation-level qualifier: I = 2.5

        Confederation-level final competition or FIFA Confederations Cup: I = 3.0

        FIFA World Cup™ final competition: I = 4.0

        T: Strength of opposing team

        The strength of the opponents is based on the formula: 200 – the ranking position of the opponents. As an exception to this formula, the team at the top of the ranking is always assigned the value 200 and the teams ranked 150th and below are assigned a minimum value of 50. The ranking position is taken from the opponents’ ranking in the most recently published FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

        C: Strength of confederation

        When calculating matches between teams from different confederations, the mean value of the confederations to which the two competing teams belong is used. The strength of a confederation is calculated on the basis of the number of victories by that confederation at the last three FIFA World Cup™ competitions (see following page). Their values are as follows:

        CONMEBOL 1.00
        UEFA 0.99
        AFC/CAF/OFC/CONCACAF 0.85

        • PK shootout or not, Chile won 2 copas, while Argentina won 0 copa since 1993. That is the fact written in history.

          To make it more painful, Chile will be remembered in history of Copa America by beating Argentina with Messi (the best player in the world) back to back. Also what they won is the special Centenario edition!

  16. With all the chaos and uncertainty we can only hope for a Denmark 92 effect. Yugoslavia was disqualified shortly before euro92 due to the civil war. Denmark was called to fill the spot. They had to get players from their beach holiday. The team spirit was high. They knocked out holders The Netherlands and went on to win it against all odds.

  17. Tripicchio – most controversial choice. Is he back up for Gomez (why not excellent Victor Salazar) or another DM?

    Correction:
    we have 4 pure DM (Ascacibar, Martinez, Romero, Arzura) + 3 possible (Tripicchio and Vega were playing few times DMs duo under Gondona and Lanzini sometimes in West Ham box to box midfielder). Strange and unbalanced selection indeed.

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