Federico Fernandez gave an interview where he spoke about former Argentina national team coach Alejandro Sabella.
Fernandez spoke about his time playing under coach Alejandro Sabella. Fernandez had previously played under Sabella at Estudiantes. Speaking with the official Estudiantes website, here’s what the Newcastle United defender had to say:
“Alejandro had an advantage, as much with Estudiantes as he did with the Argentina national team: He knew where he was going. All of his experience, his age, his ways, his values, it all made him different when it came to giving you information. At the end of every chat, he would have a message, something. There was emotion, his own experience. In some of the chats, I would end up crying, I’d end up with tears.”
Still only 31 years old, Fernandez made his Estudiantes debut back in 2008 where he would later go on to play under Sabella at the 2014 World Cup.
THE BEST PART OF THIS YOUNG ARGENTINA SIDE IS THEIR UPCOMING DEFENDERS. OTA MENDI AND PEZZELLA DON’T GURRAINTY SECURITY AT CENTRAL DEFENCE. DEFENDERS HAVE TO BE FLAWLESS. BUT OTAMENDI TENDS TO COMMIT MISTAKES AND HE IS NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER. I DON’T SEE ANYTHING SPECIAL IN GERMAN PEZZELA. MAY BE HE IS MORE EXPERIENCED THAN OTHER YOUNGSTERS. BUT THE AVAILABILITY OF NAHUEN PEREZ, BALERDI, ROMERO, SENSI, MEDINA, FOYTH , LISANDRO MARTINEZ,LUCAS MARTINEZ QUARTA GIVE US SOME HOPE. AND TO WIN A WORLD CUP WE NEED YOUNG PLAYERS AT OUR DISPOSAL. WE HAVE ALREADY WITNESSED HOW YOUNG FRENCH TEAM TORN APART OUR OVERAGED DEFENDERS IN THE LAST WORLD CUP. TAGLIFICO COULD NOT GET HOLD OF MBAPPE’S SPEED. IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR AGING DEFENDERS TO GET HOLD OF A COUNTER ATTACKING YOUNG TEAM.
Are you serious “Otamendi and Pezella do not provide security in central defence.”Since last year Argentina never conceded more than two goals in single match.Even if they havevplayed against football giants like Brazil,Uruguay,Chile,Mexico,Colombia,Germany and other south American countries.And when they conceded 2 goals in match there we can argue about off side and official errors.The young defenders can not guarantee that solidness.
You need to groom for future taking risk before the world cup
Hi Frenz, hope you are all safe and situation getting better in your lands.
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I thought I was kicked out this blog… Coz I couldn’t login for years. Today gladly it worked.
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Any news on retired Jose Pekerman or Sabella or Bielsa taking over NT 🙂
Scaloni does not pack the power
Oh man.
On mobile, Roy and Mundo admins added political ads and TRUMPS disgusting fascist racist face is plastered all over it.
Im glad Roy and gang are monetizing the site but FUCK TRUMP
Musso/Andrada – Montiel/Foyth Romero/Perez Quarta/Baledri Tagliafico/???? – Lo Celso/Palacios Parades/Guido De Paul/Macalester – Messi/Aguero Lautaro/Icardi Dybala/Ocampos
After watching Arg vs Brazil 2018 friendy i can say that Icardi should be choosen over Alario because it is very tough to disposses Icardi and if he gets services he can be decider of the match.Marcos Acuna is the dumbest player of this Argentina squad needs to be dropped.And we should not talk about any 22 or 23 year raw player,they are not like Mabappe or Messi.No one can overtake Otamendi or Pezella right now they are best.
– 22-23 yr player will be 25 by WC22. That means mostly in their best physical state. France’s WC winning squad defenders like Varane, Hernandez,Umtiti, Pavard were all in this age group
– Otamendi will be 34 by Wc22. He is already struggling for starting spot at MC & will be exiting pretty soon. So its rational to start introducing a few new players now to help settle .I am a big fan of Otamendi – but he will not be in top gear by 2022.
– C Romero is a 26Mill $ purchase by Juventus & getting solid game time at Genoa on loan. With Cheillini & Bonucci nearing exit – he has a strong chance to be a key player at Juventus. Not sure how you see someone like Romero as a raw player !!
Silva and Marquinose brazilian pair both were 34 year old during 2018 world cup they were good in world cup(Highest level tournamemt) and they are still playing in national team.Look at Pavo Meza in WC they were awful.Age is not guarantee. If player is performing well he should be in the team.Look at De legit he was good but in Juventus he is suffering.Chilleni is still better for Juventus.
my friend – ur jumbling names – Marquinhos is definitely young – maybe 25!!!
Age is not a guarantee is well understood. But to come seriously prepared in WC – we need to inject young talent early. Otamendi is clearly in decline & continuing him a starter now is not the best decision for long term. He is already a sub for Pep .
Pavon & Meza were introduced at the verge of the WC which is also maybe why they flopped ( limited talent cld have been a reason also)
Juventus buying CRomero for 26Mill is a reflection that they see potential in him. They wldnt pay high to just loan a player. Also at this point he is not rotting in Juventus bench. Playing in Genoa as a regular starter. I didnt understand what u meant by Deligt struggling & how is that relevant to our discussion. Juventus will retire Chiellini & Bonucci in some time & this gives a great opportunity for Romero to establish himself there.
There are good CB talents like Romero, MartinezQuarta who shld be evaluated early to have the right defenders for future. On the other side players like Balerdi , Foyth should start getting quality playing time to ensure they also build to this pool.
If young center back are good then first let them prove themselves in their club and let them prove strongly not like one hit wonder.National team is not wild card entry game.Otamendi proved himself in Valancia and MC,i do not see him declining yet,watch all Argentine game he gave man of the match performance in most matches.Even Barca wasted more than 220 million on Countinho and Demble but they were not good enough.Money is not a standard for player selection.Right now things are going well for Argentina so we do not need any changes in system.Remember there is only 20 places in team for player if goalkeeper excluded we can not let everyone in the squad.You are saying give them chance for the sake of injecting young players that is not criteria for any game.If player is playing well let him continue his game without regarding his age.Dani Alves,Fernandinho,Thiago silva all are good even in WC and Copa quite ripe in their age.You want a team that must have 25 year average age that is not good.
Clearly u dont seem to be following how our young talents are progressing . No one is advocating a one hit wonder into NT . The players being discussed here are already doing well in their leagues ( Ex – C Romero, Martinez Quarta ( he played in friendlies also & did a good tidy job ), Lisandro & Sensei in Dutch league ) . Should they eternally wait like a Ansaldi or Alejandro Gomez?
Do you think Clubs are fools when spending $. I am sure they know more than us & a high valuation is for the form or talent that a player brings in . Again Coutinho or dembele not succeeding in Barca does not mean they are not ” good enough” . Its injuries / coach’s tactics which didnt suit the individual player. Coutinho was one of the stars of the Copa win19!!!
Also i didt say team avg age shld be 25. I am saying we should fix our issues early. Your idea that we are doing well is a highly optimist view. We are slowly rebuilding & at best is a Pre quarter/ quarter team in a WC kind of stage at this point. The aim should be to reach higher & to where we actually belong. Without making right investments early – only luck or Messi magic can help us. Take Netherlands as an example – after a bad fall – Koeman took over & they have promoted some good worthy youngsters & results are starting to show. Good thing is Scaloni has made good refreshing player moves in midfield & attack. Persisting with Otamendi as a starter is just to get some safe results now & not the right long term move as worthy youngsters will be robbed off much needed exposure.
The only reason i can see in ur statements is maybe ur a diehard Otamendi fan. Same with me btw. But reality is that Otamendi is past his best & will be a liability by 2022 ( see Masche in WC18 & Barcelona also clearly phased him out to China before ) . Pep is also clearly phasing him out in MC . Otamendi in NT playing 23 is justified for his experience & the extra punch he brings when wearing NT jersey. But IMO Scaloni should bring in a youngster as a starter for CB ( Romero, Martinez Quarta or someone else) to better prepare us for WC22.
Also for you info – Otamendi got his NT opportunity not bcos of his Valencia/MC resume. Maradona trusted his gut on a highly inexperienced talented 21yr youngster in 2009 .
Cristian Romero Sensei Lisandro Martinez are raw now let him prove themself in their club first.In national team you do not get 38 matches like in club league games so first prove yourself in club games and everone should be talking about your performance only then you can get call for the spot .De ligit,F.De jong got in team because they performed well in their club and everyone was talking about them.Lautaro Martinez was considered best center forward in Argentina superliga that is why he was selected in the team.That should be criteria we can not go for trial and error method to select someone.Let everyone talk about any young defender then he deserves chance not because you like it or wild card entry.Lo celso was choosen before he proved himself so we can see his performance in Copa but now he has proved himself in Premiere league.Tagliafico was choosen before he proved himself look at his performance in World cup.Acuna never proved himself look at his performance,De paul is considsr best player in Udinese.Paredes was always best because of his skills.Our young player are still not capable of replacing anyone.I am not Otamendi’s fan i am fan of his game skills if he does not deliver i do not want him but right now he is a beast.For future planning we are giving proper chsnce to Nehuen Perez,Balerdi and Quarta Martinez.Nehuen Perez proved himself in sub 23 or Olympic qualifiers,Quarta Martinez was main defender of superliga winner team and River plate is considered a big club and he is starter there Balerdi is in best club which is known for grooming young players.I feel for Ansaldi i do not know why coaches did not choose him but the players you mention they rarely have the class now.We just can not storm the young players into the squad.Seeing one or two good skills of player and wanting them right into the team is not good first let them prove themselves let them be valuable player of their respective club first.
We can agree to disagree on this point !!
My observation is that the 3 players u mentioned ( Romero, Lisandro, Sensei ) have proven themselves at club level. Friendlies is the best time to see who can be our future. Scaloni did a good job of trying Quarta Martinez in 2 friendlies & he showed a lot of promise. But playing Rojo in friendlies i think is a step back. Also our biggest 2 spots to be fixed in defense is RB & Left CB ( where only Otamendi is there ). RB we clearly have limitation of talent . Left CB has Lisandro , Sensei has possible future options . Time will tell on Otamendi . For me he is fading beast & we shouldnt bet on him keeping WC22 in mind.
One of the most interesting topics for me is the future of defense ( defenders + GK ) for our NT. I think Scaloni is clearly fixing the midfield + attack
Would be eager to hear what is eveyone’s views here.
– While i admire Otamendi’s contribution , i think its high time he is no more a starter keeping Copa21 & WC22 in mind
– I see CRomero as the best nearest option to take over as a CB starter . He seems to be a Walter Samuel kind of player & picking v good experience at Genoa on loan rather than being benched at Juventus. Hope Balerdi & Foyth manage to get good minutes like this or go on loan to a smaller top league team which will substantially improve their confidence & skills . Sensei also developing well at Feynerood .
– If Romero is 1 CB , 2nd CB will need to have good ball playing skills – especially forward & vertical passing . This is key as Parades has not really been successful on attack contribution as a DM . Youngsters like NPerez & Sensei are not showing that ability . Also Romero is ideally a Right CB – so the Left CB role is what is key to find the right talent. In current youngsters – Sensei , Balerdi , LisandroM are left based . To me Lisandro is what i am most excited to see. While he is more of a DM now in Ajax due to Blind , if he can do well as a Left CB , i think Romero – Lisandro will be a good combination . Lisandro’s aerial weakness is what will be the test . On Right side we seem to have alternatives – Romero, Pezella , Lucas Martinez , NPerez
– the other option is to play a Romero-Sensei combination which will be defensively strong – but low contribution on attack. In this case maybe Scaloni should try Lisandro as the DM instead of Parades for effective attack contribution .
– howz Balerdi as a CB . what is his strengths & weakness. Couldnt find much on him online.
– On full backs – we defintely dont have attacking talent like France, Brazil etc. I personally felt Foyth defensively contributed in Copa & that could be our good bet. Very surprised where Bustos disappeared. He seemed brilliant on attack in the Italy friendly . I dont know why – but Tagliafico i find very ordinary in NT ( unlike Ajax ) – but he is the best available option as LB
– GK – i find Armani , Andrada limited options as world class GKs . I am hoping someone like Musso grows & takes over. My only opinion here is that Scaloni now fixes maybe Mussso as No1 & watch that player grow. Constant changes will not help
Will be eager to hear on what Albiseleste fans think should happen to improve our defense
“Lisandro Martinez and Romero will be a good combination”.
I disagree here.
We need pace + physicality and neither of them have it.
I think if all goes well balerdi and foyth/Lucas martinez could be the best pair for us at the Qatar.
Lisandro i agree physicality is weak. But isnt Romero strong on physicality In terms of development he seems more advanced to Balerdi & Martinez Quarta for now.
On pace- i felt all of them are more or less same. Also Foyth & Balerdi needs to get some good minutes in their club. currently they are missing out there.
Shubham – 1) whatz ur view on Lisandro. He was originally a CB till Blind moved there & even now plays as CB if need be. He is one of the few defensive players who is v good on forward ball play.
2) whatz ur view on Romero vs Martinez quarta?
I agree that it’s time to phase out Otamendi. We have several promising young defenders going forward, but it’s difficult to say exactly which ones are ideal to pair up for Copa21 and WC22.
There are still some question marks… Balerdi/Foyth need playing time, Romero/Perez going to Juve/AM in the summer (but how will they integrate? Become starters/benchwarmers/loaned again?), Martinez Quarta going to Europe?
As they are young, they will have to prove themselves in this/next season in their clubs and in WCQs.
For me, at this moment, I would like to see Balerdi/Quarta combo together.
I found an analysis for Balerdi since you were interested:
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/leonardo-balerdi-boca-juniors-tactical-analysis-statistics
ESPN brings the rating of 36 players of next generation under 21; no Argentina are on the list; is it based on their net worth no less than 30 million euro or talents ? Anyhow it is something to consider about the Arg youths development. Although, it can be a positive things that the youths are not too early to play in Europe and not fully grow their potentiality yet.
Oh C’mon espn fc is run by fools. The former footballers or journalist they have are just shit. They talk nonsense. I m sure they don’t watch football other than EPL.
FF best performance for N/T is under Sabella; so did Garay and Rojo
He along with Garay was initially Sabella’s starter in WC14 – before Demichelis took over his spot .
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