Hernan CRESPO on Argentina’s strikers for World Cup

By
Roy Nemer
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43
Hernan Crespo Messi
Hernan Crespo Messi

Hernan CRESPO has come out and commented on Argentina’s strikers for the World Cup.

Legendary number 9 Hernan CRESPO knows a thing or two about playing at the top level. He’s scored goals for River Plate, Inter, AC Milan, Chelsea, the Argentina National Team and the list goes on. That’s why when he was asked about the Albiceleste’s current strikers, he’s a more than qualified person to be able to answer. Speaking on Argentinian television show “Podemos Hablar”, here’s what CRESPO had to say:

Hernan CRESPO on Argentina’s strikers:

“Mauro (ICARDI) and Gonzalo (HIGUAIN) are two different kind of players and the same goes for AGUERO. If I had to choose only two attackers for our national team I would go with Lionel MESSI and Paulo DYBALA who are two incredible players.

“If I had to choose between ICARDI and HIGUAIN I would make my decision based on being an Inter fan. However, the two of them could also play together up front and in any case they could both profit by working together.”

Argentina's strikers Hernan Crespo Tevez Messi Riquelme
Hernan Crespo at the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Tevez, Riquelme and Messi

That last comment about ICARDI and HIGUAIN being capable of playing together could be a call back to the 2002 World Cup where it seemed that everyone but then coach Marcelo BIELSA thought that both CRESPO and Gabriel BATISTUTA were able of playing together.

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43 Comments

  1. No doubt on Higuain capacity to score, with his experience in high level competition, he should be part of the team. But the problem is his style not fit with Sampaoli football style, which is possession-oriented. One of the requirements for the forward is to be able to play in tight space, to keep the ball and to play in few touch. Higuain is a different style, he likes space and counter attack. Aguero is more technical and Icardi more powerful. It may explain why he is not part of the national team.

    I won’t be surprised to see Messi or Dybala used as forward if Aguero performs below the expectation. Will be great to have Pastore, Di Maria, Pavon, Messi, Aguero or Dybala on the pitch in the same time to perform football of Sampaoli style.

    • With all due respect but I don’t understanding that some of you still mention Dimaria in the debat of the NT. That guy is not even a shadow of a player he was at Madrid. We must accept that and move on. We can’t reinvent him. He done he needs to be replaced. It would be a huge disappointment if he plays in the world cup.

      • Yes he’s been disappointing at club for years and only good in high level matches from time to time. People know that, but Sampaoli said he’s the 2nd talisman of the team, so I think he will still be there even though he doesn’t play at all with psg. Yes it sounds unfair for others.

        Actually I even think that Sampaoli transformed recently 3-4-2-1 into 3-3-3-1 because of him as Di Maria cannot run as much as before so that he plays in a more advanced position and let the 3 midfielders to compensate a bit the defensive contribution. Sampaoli belives that his presence can be good for Messi.

        • I think 3-3-3-1 is better than 3-4-3.

          Romero

          Mercado-Otamendi-Rojo

          Enzo-Biglia-Banega

          Salvio-Messi-Dimaria

          Aguero

          I think this is the probable line up awaiting us, Well we may not like some players among the above, but its most probable lineup isn’t it. Logically speaking.

          • Me 2, I like 3-3-3-1, it’s easier to achieve Sampaoli’s football style, I like the match against Russia and 1st half vs Nigeria. It’s been long time that the NT team haven’t played so well. This system allows to use more creative wingers like Pavon or Perotti with 1 more central midfielder who helps defending and ensures the transition. More room and freedom for Messi too. It actually fixed the problems like lack of modern fullback and not enough support for Messi. The only sacrifice is Dybala. Unlike Pastore, he cannot play as central midfielder. He cannot play as winger as well so he can only be in competition with Kun and Icardi for the forward position.

  2. Sampaoli lost his flexibility after taking argentina job,sticking to 3 men diffence is big proof.
    we need pastore,lo celso and ricardo centurion.
    Can we add Sabella/ guardiola/ bielsa as adviser or strategist of our worldcup team.
    berizzo/ pochettino would be good choice as our coach,just a subconcious feeling.

    • one more thing to add, Sampaoli needs juan manual lillo,he worked as sampas’ staff at sevilla he can add him as he is jobless since SAMPAOLI left sevilla

  3. With Messi in the Team there will be chances available its up to DI MARIA & the Strikers whoever its gonna be to convert it, I have a feeling that ICARDI & HIGUAIN are going to be our fighting it out AGUERO has locked his place.

    But as somebody said here our problem is not strikers its the Midfield. I think the below is gonna be our 23 at WC.

    ROMERO / GUZMAN / RULLI

    MERCADO / MASCHE – OTAM / FAZIO – ROJO / MORI(If not recovers MAMMANA)

    BANEGA / PAREDES – BIGLIA / KRANE or PIZZARO – ENZO / AUGUSTO(He will make it)

    SALVIO / PAVON(New Lavezzi??) – MESSI / DYBALA – DIMARIA / ACUNA

    AGUERO / ICARDI or HIGUAIN (May be both with 1 Midfielder Less)

    Outside chances are for PAPU, RIGGONI, J.CORREA, LO CELSO May be some one from Local League NACHO, BELLUSCHI or BUSTOS ?? Any one apart from these would be a surprise. Its just an opinion based on the recent matches and also on basis of the Time left to try new players (Only 2 matches left i guess)

    I think its too late to try new players. Key Players will be: AGUERO, MESSI, DI MARIA, ENZO, BIGLIA, OTAMENDI, ROMERO. these guys are gonna determine our journey

    A Striking info is apart from OTAMENDI rest all played in the WC 2014(That shows how many new options our past coaches tried in last 4 years, I wont blame Sampa he has already introduced so many new useful players TATA & BAUZA did not help our growth.

    • No Russian league player is going to the world cup. Paredes despite being a Russian base player did not get a single game on Argentina recent tour of Russia. Kranevitter was only selected because of last minute injury to Biglia. Pizarro is playing at a higher level than Kranevitter, doing in Spain and the UCL what Kranevitter failed to do with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. Pizarro and Banega suit up against teams like Real and Barcelona, playing against opponents who are from contending world cup nations while Kranevitter and Perades suit up against CSK Mascow and Lokomotiv Moscow. Sorry, when all players are fit, none of these 2017 experiment will be on the team. Lamela is back now, and even he has a better chance than both Paredes and Krane. There is a reason these guys are in Russia, if Argentina have to rely on Russian base players, they’ll have little chance of winning the world cup.

      • Well Pizarro most probably will make it May be Pizarro & Augusto have to fight for a spot(Its a tough competition). Well Paredes is a Complicated case Sampa has already told he don’t know which position Paredes can play, that makes his addition more complicated, May be 1 advantage the Russian league players may have is the familiarity with Climate. At least 1 will Make it i think.

        Would Love to see Lamela though he plays in similar system under Pochettino, Lanzini, Lamela, Lo Celso, Paredes & May be Pastore , at least 1 has a chance to be a backup for Banega.

        Off the topic Lanzini is not having a good time now, Reason?? Playing out of position, its important that no matter who the player is if played out of position will not make an impact otherwise it may take time to master a new position. Examples Mashe, Augusto, Enzo, etc etc

    • Very similar to my 23 as well except the midfield a bit different: Pizarro and Battaglia(or Kranevitter), Pastore and Banega(or Lanzini), Enzo Perez and Paredes.

      Javier is currently playing in this role with his club. Lo Celso is promising but not enough games in his leg.

      • Well i also like to add so many other names like Angel Correa, Roberto Pereyra, Battaglia etc etc but with only 2 Matches before selecting the World Cup 23 i don’t think Sampa will be able to test new Players, Otherwise someone has to perform so well to get attention.

        I think Augusto/Pizzarro(1 of the 2), Rojo, Mori, Lamela/Lanzini/Lo Celso(1 of the 3) or may be Nacho/Belluschi/Pablo Perez(1 from the 3) has chances Pastore, Paredes i m not sure. Well with Sampa at the head you never know.

  4. Hugain do not perform well on high intensity game. As in Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus, Hugain disappear in big matches. RM sold him simply because of tendency to go missing in big matches where extra special is needed to win the match des pite him being better goal scorer than Benzema(stats wise). In world cup, every chance count and we cannot afford to play Hugain. We need Icardi, Messi and Dybala partnership fruitful if argentina were to win World Cup simply because these three are main man at three of biggest clubs in Europe. They are used to caring out responsibility for big teams in big matches. Augero also seems to dis interested when ever game get tough. So i would still give chance to Hugain and Augero but in non consequential games like group stages if we are not desperate for winning. Also I am hoping Di maria can consistently play in WC performance wise and do not get injured when Argentina need him the most.

    • Real Madrid and Zidane wanted Higuain out because he wasn’t going to sign up to be Ronaldo henchman. Look at Benzema, he spent his entire career at Real Madrid making sure Ronaldo score all the goals. Why would Higuain stay at Real Madrid and sign up to be Ronaldo bus boy? Benzema is so use to passing the ball to Ronaldo that he forgets how to score goals. Some of you people who call yourself Argentina fans never see the big picture. Since Perez came in, little by little he remove all Argentina players from Real Madrid because they’re not going to say Ronaldo is better than Messi. Dybala? How many big games have he performed in outside of Serie A? How many big games have Icardi performed in outside of Serie A? Serie A is nothing to brag about given Italy couldn’t even made the World Cup. Higuain have scored loads of goals in Spain, Italy and for the Argentina national team. Nobody spend close to 100 mil for a striker if he was prolific. Dybala unbalance the Argentina team, he should never start, he haven’t look good in a single game for Argentina, even against Signapore he was mediocre. I have to agree with Pele that Dybala is overrated.

      • @Kid, i am not going to read all the bull but i can tell you RM wanted Hugain to lea because he always miss chances in classico( 1 goal in 15 games). Also in Napoli, he missed chances that could have taken them into Champion League and same goes for Juventus(absolutely horrendous in CL final for so called World class player). If you believe Hugain will carry forward line, you are completely blind. He is loser and will always score against lower and dead sides to rack up his stats.#NoHugain.

        • First of all, Higuian wasn’t the first player to leave Real Madrid. Samuel, Sneijder, Robben, Cambiasso, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Di Maria, Ozil, Khedira etc. all moved on from Real Madrid. As I’ve said, Higuain did not sign up to be Ronaldo lackey hence why he moved on, Benzema had no problem playing CR though because he was ordered to do so. So Real sold Morata because he wasn’t a good player? Real sold James Rodriguez because he wasn’t a good player? Higuaín was Real Madrid and La Liga top goal scorer at one point. When Ronaldo came to the club, they started to push Higuaín in the back ground hence the reason he played on the bench for much of his time at Real Madrid. Higuaín is the last Real Madrid top goal scorer not name CR, which says a lot. Tell me how many big games have Icardi and Dybala participate in? They both flop against Uruguay and Venezuela and you expect me to believe these guys will score against Iceland and Croatia? You’re making a point on emotions, try use facts and logic to better get your point across.

    • Hahahaha…how much goals scored icardi and dybala in Argentinas Shart..
      we need experience player at big stage something like World Cup…
      Higuain scored five goals at World Cup so far..

      Also scored a hattic in World Cup..he is the third Argentina player who score hattic in World Cup..
      This season Napoli only defeated one time that occurred by Higuain…Higuain deserved last chance..may be this time of his time,,

      • Hattrick? three tap ins and did not do anything during Germany game. Shame and if you want Argentina to win WC, we do not need Hugain. He can play for Spain and will probably bottle up. He just suck up the space and form dillusion in people’s mind that he is World Class which in reality he is anything but World Class.

        • arg2018: Speak for yourself. ”We don’t need Higuain?” Who is ”we?” Please, you have no valid input on who gets selected for the world cup.

  5. I think hig should def go.. hes a scorer, thats what we need.. he has exp and has a talent for finishing.. i know hes missed alot, but he’s also given alot.. i just want to be champs no matter what.. 6 months left

    • But not able to perform in crucial games. He disappear in big matches for club also like RM, Juventus and Napoli. Just ask Juventus fans they say the same thing. At least Dybala take responsibility. As Einstien said “Trying same thing and expecting different results is insanity”. Hence we need to give chance to ICardi and Dybala along side Messi who are able to perform during high intensity match. Augero also seem disinterested when match get going tough. I hope we do not bandwagon, it is not good for Argentina.

        • Belgium game but lucky deflected shot. How about three misses in finals which could have give trophy to Argentina. Stupid logic.

  6. I am more worried about defense than the attacking force . To deal with Higuain’s choking tendency may be we can drop him in the finals (If we get there) where he has been poor. I see that Sampa consider’s Rojo as Central defender where I see him very shaky and vulnerable to penalty. In 2014 Rojo as a left back we were able to make it to the final ; then whats wrong with trying him in that same position now?

    • Rojo brings size and speed to the equation and both are desperately needed.

      Higuian had his chances and as I said before, a bench warmer and break the glass in case of an extreme emergency only kinda player. I only say this because injuries will happen and we don’t want to be caught shorthand on offense like we did in 2014. I Personally would rather have him on the team as long as he doesn’t take somebody elses spot and maybe JUST maybe he’ll contribute if called upon to make up for his many misses in the past!!!

      • I like how you guys pretend as if the Argentina vs Belgium 2014 world cup game didn’t happen. So, you seem to bash Higuaín a lot, name me these prolific Argentina strikers you think will do any better? How many goals did Argentina scored against Uruguay, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador outside of Messi during the last four CONMEBOL WCQ games? Fact remains, Higuaín has been Argentina most prolific striker in the last four years. Many misses? I must have been watching different games.

        • My post was not about Higuain as I don’t see him as an obstacle to reach the final . Even, I strongly believe that the chances Benedetto missed in our last few qualifiers would have been different story had Higain was there. We like it or not probably this guy has the most number of goals in last couple of WCs . Since he has bad memories in finals , we may do some thing different this time if we make it . I might be wrong but this is what I think. I just want divert our focus from Higuain to defense/mid-field where we have real issues.

          • @dfox1942: What about the 2004 and 2007 Copa finals, was it Higuaín fault too?

            I have no problem if the coach said, Higuaín, you know what, I’m dropping you for the final or a semifinal game. That is all a part of the game and tactics. With Higuaín, he has the ability to score group stage goals and knockout round goals. We have to get through these rounds before anyone can start talking about finals, that’s why I brought up the Belgium game. And how can you drop the guy, whom out of all Argentina strikers, is the only player with world cup goals? It was tough when Argentina misses those chances in the final against Germany, but let us stop pretending as if Higuaín can’t play or he is not a quality player. This is my issue, not if Higuaín starts or not, that should be depended upon the type of game at hand.

            Muttakin: You’re right, for me Argentina problem is more than Higuaín. All the Argentina team over the years, since the 1994 world cup, have always been choking on the world cup stage. Every single world since 1994 Argentina made the tournament with arguably the best strikers in the world yet we never get to see the fruits of it during the world cup. What we’re seeing with Icardi right now is nothing new with Argentina history in terms of strikers. Icardi was on fire for Inter Milan but showed little of that form against Uruguay and especially Venezuela at home. Creating scapegoats is not going to win Argentina the world cup title. People act here as if these players went out during the group stage at the 2014 world cup. I have no issues with Icardi as a footballer, and he should be a candidate for Argentina at the 2018 world cup.

          • The REPLY button doesn’t appear under the comment below so I’m just place it here.

            Where in what I said, did I say Higuain is NOT a quality player or cannot score or play or world class??? Just the opposite, having all those qualities is what burns my ass, along side Kun, DiMaria…….but the days of him having a secure spot in the starting 11 should be long gone.

            As indicated,I do not have a problem with him being on the team but definitely not a starter.
            Can you imagine what it would be like to have these so-called super stars perform for ARG as they do day in and day out for their respective clubs, ARGENTINA scoring would be like shooting fish in a barrel against EVERYBODY, but this damn curse that doesn’t want to leave this nation the hell alone.

  8. Dadir: Bench warmer? You have to be naive if you think Higuain (one of the world best strikers) wasn’t going to the World Cup. Higuain was never off the team long term. And even the games without him, none of the strikers did anything impressive. From the beginning Sampa said Higuian had nothing to prove, yes that means he is an establish player. Tell me how many World Cup goals does Aguero have? Please stop writing nonsensical comment about who is going to the World Cup and who isn’t. I can assure you by the time the World Cup comes around all the biggest names, playing for Europes biggest clubs will be at the world. You don’t have a clue, so just keep your feelings to yourself. And Chalz: why are you sounding like these guys every time I see you post recently? You were like the man of faith here brother. Never lose hope, stop thinking one player is bad and the other is good.

    • Kid, you are the greatest football analyst who ever set a foot on earth. All football analysts and Argentina football fans around the world are clueless, that really is great.

      You are right Higuain is better than Batistuta and Biglia is better than Redondo, that is the kind of comments you like read I know that, but keep in mind I watch football with open eyes unlike you who is a blind fan of bunch of flop players like Banega and Higuain.

      You pretend like you are the only one on Mundo who has football knowledge, but truth be told you are the one with the least football knowledge.

      It was only yesterday when you said E.Perez isn’t better than Banega and Perez couldn’t have get a place in this Valencia team so he preferred to go back to Argentina.

      First, Enzo was a starter in the last three Argentina games and your flop beloved Banega was a bench warmer and the only game he played the team was defeated.

      Second, here is your favourite question so let me use it and put it the way you like. How many world cup finals did Banega play?…hahaha. Isn’t this your preferred question and the only criteria you use when you want to compare players?

      Banega was Inter Milan flop and he couldn’t cement his place in a very weak Inter team. What do you think if he has played under Luciano Spalletti? BTW, I have a good news for you. Banega is a candidate for Serie A 2016-17 Golden Bin /Bidone d’oro award (prize given to the most disappointing player in Serie A at the end of each calendar year)

      Now you want to tell me Icardi is nothing and Higuain will be the starter in the WC. Madrid want to buy Icardi for $110m, and guess what he said? He said he will not answer Mardid’s call. The guy is the best Striker in Europe right now and all European elite clubs (Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern… etc) want him. A player who only scores against weak teams is better than a player who regularly scores against all kinds of opponents…Is that what you want to sell to us? I am not buying that man. Use a little bit of logic when you want to write a comment and have some respect for other people who oppose your views.

  9. In Superliga Boca beat Arsenal Sarandi with experimental forward line of youngsters Espinoza, Vadala, Pavon. Vadala playing on Benedetto position has scored.

    River lost his 6 game in last 8 matches.

    • “It looks like everyone is calling back Higuain”
      no sir not me, he has had his chances and i thank him for his services past services that pre 14 world cup were world class but sadly today (since w.c 14) he is a pale shadow of that striker at n/t level and struggles in any big game as juv manager said “he needs to step up in the big games” for juv.

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