Jorge SAMPAOLI had a lot to say about the Argentina team at the last press conference before the World Cup Qualifier on Thursday
The coach talked about the team, Lionel MESSI, Javier MASCHERANO, Mauro ICARDI’s injury and Dario BENEDETTO. Here’s what he had to say:
Jorge SAMPAOLI on the Argentina team
“Everyone has the same chances of being in the starting eleven. I’m very confident in these players. The support of the public always helps, especially in difficult moments like these. I’m convinced we’ll be at the World Cup. The players will give it their all to be at the World Cup.
“Peru’s coming in good form and will look to get a good result here. I imagine us playing with a lot of fury. Tomorrow, we’re giving it our all. My style is to always attack and to play in the opponent’s half. We have to defend the parts of the pitch where Peru is most strongest.
“We always look for partnerships that work on the pitch. Because there isn’t enough time to work a DYBALA-MESSI partnership, we have to go with something more concrete.
“MESSI is vital for us when the team is in front of goal. To build a structure for MESSI is crazy. He has no position. He has to play like he does at his club. MASCHERANO is an important figure of the Argentina national team. BENEDETTO can be the 9 for Argentina. ICARDI’s come here with a knock that has been hampering him since the Australia tour. Alejandro (GOMEZ) can bring some freshness to the team. He’s in great form.”
The Argentina team to play on Thursday (Picture via Ole)
As we reported earlier, Jorge SAMPAOLI was thinking of going with Dario BENEDETTO up front instead of Mauro ICARDI. With SAMPAOLI stating that ICARDI is still carrying a knock from the Australian tour and mentioning Dario BENEDETTO the way he did, it’s fair to say that the Boca man will get the start.
Leandro PAREDES could start for Argentina ahead of Lucas BIGLIA.
Some big news coming out of Argentina as Martin AREVALO has tweeted stating that Jorge SAMPAOLI has divided the group into two teams. One would be the starters and the other group as the substitutes. The news is that Leandro PAREDES was part of the team of starters while Lucas BIGLIA (who was originally set to be in the starting eleven for Argentina) was part of the group of substitutes.
The Zenit man was not included in any of the rumored starting eleven’s put out by Jorge SAMPAOLI. As we reported yesterday, Lucas BIGLIA was in three of the four eleven’s which were tried by the coach. Here was the last team which trained yesterday:
As we do nearly every year, it’s time to look back at THAT goal by Martin PALERMO but this time with new quotes from the man himself.
Diego MARADONA’s Argentina were in trouble. Big trouble (much like Jorge SAMPAOLI’s team is at the moment). Missing out on the 2010 World Cup was a very strong possibility. The team was struggling to score goals, struggling to win, MARADONA himself kept calling up waives of new players for every match and the team needed a miracle to make it to South Africa.
After about a year of fans asking and demanding that Gonzalo HIGUAIN be included in the Argentina squad, MARADONA submitted to the demands and included the then Real Madrid striker not only in the match but in the starting eleven. That match also saw the return of Pablo AIMAR, who was doing well with his new club Benfica.
Of the eleven that started, five of them are expected to start the same fixture, 8 years on. Sergio ROMERO, Enzo PEREZ, Javier MASCHERANO, Angel DI MARIA and Lionel MESSI.
The first half ended 0-0 which meant Argentina had 45 minutes plus injury time (and they would need those extra few minutes) to score and defeat Peru. The entire second half could have been written by some Hollywood director. Martin PALERMO came on at half time for Enzo PEREZ. Just a couple of minutes into the second 45 saw Gonzalo HIGUAIN score on his Argentina debut as he and another River Plate alumni Pablo AIMAR connected for the goal. Everything that happened after the goal was out of a movie. The rain slowly started to come down onto the pitch and it wouldn’t be a Hollywood script if there wasn’t a twist in the tale.
The 90th minute came and it was popcorn time. A Peru goal, silencing El Monumental (in a similar way that Venezuela’s goal caused the entire fans last month in Buenos Aires to go mute) as they had equalized to make it 1-1 and Argentina had one foot and a half out of South Africa. At this point, the rain was coming down so hard, you would think the players would have to swim back to the locker rooms. But with Martin PALERMO on the pitch, there was going to be some sort of dramatic ending.
Martin Palermo suffered a broken nose with this hit.
PALERMO had suffered a broken nose in the second half but that wasn’t going to take the veteran off. And it’s a good thing he didn’t. Minute 93 and Argentina get a corner kick. Federico INSUA takes it and it gets to Angel DI MARIA on the edge of the area. DI MARIA sends a ball back into fold and the ball lands again to INSUA. Federico swings a shot (although it could have been a pass) into the middle and it falls to a completely unmarked Martin PALERMO who side foots it into the back of the net. The man who was ridiculed for missing 3 penalty kicks in one match for Argentina had done it for his country. Running while taking his shirt off and a bloody, patched up nose, Martin PALERMO celebrated under the immense rain while being jumped by his team mates. Diego MARADONA played his last card and it came up trump as he belly flopped his way onto the pitch, celebrating and crying.
Martin Palermo scores the goal of his Argentina career against Peru.
The headlines would only read one name the next morning. PALERMO. A man who had a knack of being at the right place at the right time just scored one of the (if not the) biggest goal of his career (certainly of his Argentina career). Nearly 8 years to the day after that memorable match, Martin PALERMO commented on his goal. Here’s what he had to say:
“It was an important match. It was an incredible night. Out of all the matches I played in my career, never had I played one with so much wind, so much rain and so much emotion. And to be the protagonist in it all makes me feel priviledged. At half time, Diego MARADONA made he train and told me that I was going in. During a play, I got a knock on the nose and the blood wouldn’t stop. The referee told me I couldn’t continue. And then came that play.
“All of us were in the area minus the goalkeeper. With the way I was, I believed that the ball would find its way to me but I couldn’t imagine what was going to happen. It was pure madness. I lived it with so much emotion. It was with great joy to be able to take it in with the Argentina fans.”
On behalf of all Argentina fans around the world, we will forever be greatful for that goal and for you, PALERMO. Thank you!
Jorge SAMPAOLI has tested a three more Argentina line-ups in training on Tuesday.
While we posted a first rumored line-up earlier today, SAMPAOLI has gone ahead and tested a second, third and even a fourth starting eleven on Tuesday afternoon. These three are slightly different, with the big changes coming in attack. If the first one had ICARDI up front, the other three had Boca man BENEDETTO as the number 9 in attack. Here were the line-ups SAMPAOLI tried in the afternoon:
Diego SIMEONE has come out and commented on the Argentina National Team.
Ever since El Cholo won La Liga back in 2014, many Argentina fans have been asking for Diego to take over as coach of the Albiceleste. Of course on paper, he has certain merits. Two league titles in Argentina, a La Liga title in Spain, a Copa del Rey and even two UEFA trophies to his name. Not bad for someone with a fairly young managerial career.
Diego Simeone and Diego Maradona were team mates for Argentina at the 1994 World Cup.
However, when asked about whether he would like to coach his country one day, SIMEONE has always stated that he would like to but in the future. SIMEONE was on “El Larguero” where once more he gave his thoughts on one day coaching Argentina and he also gave his opinion on the comparisons between Diego MARADONA and Lionel MESSI. Here’s what he had to say:
Diego SIMEONE on Argentina:
“I hope Argentina works hard for these two matches and that they arrive to the matches well.”
“I live football day in and day out. The National Teams are for a later time. I need to have the feeling of it all every day, the adrenaline. I don’t see myself preparing for a match for four months while at home.”
“At the same time, I feel like I can be better as a coach, there are things I could be better at before being coach of the Argentina National Team. I’m 47 years old, I’m still a kid.
Diego SIMEONE on MARADONA/MESSI:
“It’s different times. One is more emotional than the other, one has better numbers than the other.”
A very diplomatic answer by the Atletico coach when asked about Diego MARADONA and Lionel MESSI. Could his answer about how he hopes Argentina are preparing well be an indication on how he feels about his country? That perhaps they have lacked preparation in the past?
