A World Cup country

June 8, 2006

As the debut against Ivory Coast gets closer and closer and PEKERMAN looks almost sure to start with SAVIOLA and CRESPO up front, I would like to invite you to play a little game with me. Are you ready? OK, here we go:

Imagine Carlos TEVEZ asking the crowd for support, then running at high speed with nobody around him and the whole stadium preparing to celebrate as he jumps before the defining moment. Picture Juan Pablo SORIN ready to dive (er…hmmm…yeah…you know…we are from Argentina!) as every single spectator hold his breath waiting for the judge verdict. Now close your eyes and think of Roberto AYALA in his very own elegant style, waltzing through the Ivory Coast front line after coolly dispossessing them. And finally, here´s Lionel MESSI, swinging up and down like if he had wheels instead of studs under his boots.

I won´t ask you for much more things to imagine. Just try and figure what could happen if all the things you’ve pictured in your brain throughout the first paragraph DON’T take place in a football pitch but in several different sporting stages? What could happen if these four excellent players where not football icons but something else?

I know, I know, unless you´re out of your mind, you don´t understand a single word I´m saying. Need help? Check out this link and see what I mean:

Those words in the end of this TV commercial clearly say: “Lo de ellos es el fútbol. Vamos Argentina” (Their stuff is football. Come on Argentina).

This is just one little example of what you can see if you watch TV in Argentina these days.

Screens all over our country are invaded by football and temperature is rising as the World Cup Fever approaches its climax.

24-hour coverage is a must for the biggest sports channels in Argentina and you can see some journalist broadcasting live at 11 PM (Buenos Aires) while they are in Germany, awake at from Germany at 4 AM and with only a few hours before another training session starts for Argentina in the tiny German town called (here I go…) Herzogenaurach (Thank you spell check!).

Even the gossip shows are all about the World Cup these days. You see people totally not interested in football, all of a sudden wearing Argentina´s colours and talking about MESSI, TEVEZ and RIQUELME.

I’m glad it is like that. I would hate to live in a country where the World Cup is ignored completely. I would also hate to see what happened in 2002 here in Argentina, when if you didn´t have satellital TV with those giant dishes only money can buy, you were out of the action.

This time around, all of the World Cup matches will be broadcasted (granted it’ll be through cable TV, but it’s very easy to have access to it in Argentina) and whenever Argentina plays, everybody will be able to watch it live in all of our 5 public TV stations (plus one cable channel). That means if you don´t want to watch Argentina in this World Cup and you are in our country in June-July, you better turn the TV off and go for a walk in the park…I can guarantee you…nobody will bother you!

Just try and don´t bother us, the real football people, OK?

The first and only test match

Seba

May 31, 2006

With a little more than a week to go, Argentina defeated Angola 2-0 in our only friendly match before the World Cup.

It was a positive test and the most important thing is that we had no injuries to regret and some of our key players seem to be recovering their form.

Angola are not the rivals that will put you under a real, dangerous, tricky test. We won’t be facing a team as weak as Angola in the first round, let alone the following stages in Germany 2006, so it was not a matter of Argentina using Angola to create antibody to use against Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro or Holland. Angola was more of a sparring partner than anything else. Argentina needed to see if Gabriel HEINZE was 100% recovered from his knee injury, to see if Lionel MESSI was ready to run at defenders the way he used to and at the same time, to see if the rest of the team is in good form.

Based on what Argentina showed tonight, I can say that we have more than a few positive aspects and very few worrying things.

On the bright side of life we saw a solid defensive line that can adapt to different situations during a game and play with three or four men (with SORIN playing as a midfielder, leaving BURDISSO, AYALA and HEINZE behind when Argentina is in possession).

A couple of restless retrievers in MASCHERANO and CAMBIASSO in midfield, and the ever-present Maxi RODRIGUEZ running up and down the right hand side of the field.

RIQUELME is supposed to be the axis in which all the clever football and the through passes are supposed to come to life. Unfortunately this time he was not a factor and he couldn’t finish none of the attempts he had against Angola. His critics talk about his lack of speed but that’s exactly one of the things I think can be counted as RIQUELME’s attribute. We can name 100 players with lots of pace and stamina, but RIQUELME can be lethal when Argentina are winning and need to keep control of the ball or simply when what you need is someone to rule the pace of the game and dictate the way your team should attack by discovering the opposition’s weaknesses. He was unable to do it against Angola, but he is capable of doing it any day of the week. Plus, there are people saying Argentina rely only on RIQUELME, and the fact that PEKERMAN’s team was able to overcome a bad night by the Villarreal’s playmaker is another positive sign.

SAVIOLA and CRESPO didn’t score, but they played well. But the best news came in the second half when Lionel MESSI had the chance to play a few minutes. He is recovering from an injury sustained against Chelsea in March and I’m happy to see that he appeared to have shaken it away. He was mercurial tonight and when AIMAR came close to him, we were able to witness some sensational moves and a potential partnership to be used during the second half of each game at the World Cup.

Carlos TEVEZ is another of the strong weapons Argentina have up front and he only played 15 minutes tonight, but don’t count him out.

Angola might not be as strong as Ivory Coast, but if on June 10th at Hamburg, Argentina manage to play the level of football we’re capable of playing there should be plenty of chances to earn all three points in our World Cup debut.

23 to represent 38 millions (May 15th)

Roy Nemer

May 15, 2006

A few days ago a friend of mine told me to get my hands on the latest issue of FourFourTwo, a great football magazine published in England. Hailing from its cover you could see the likes of Lionel MESSI, Juan Roman RIQUELME, Hernan CRESPO and Juan Pablo SORIN, all of them behind the suggestive headline: ‘ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK!’

Well, now that we know the 23 players PEKERMAN is taking to the World Cup, I think the headline in that magazine is spot on: 6 attacking players, a very offensive-minded midfield (with Cambiasso and Mascherano as the only two defensive midfielders by definition) and then the defenders, because Pekerman has to take them to Germany too, hasn’t he?

Being a fan of attacking football, I’m quite happy with this list. But I’m also a little bit concerned about the lack of defensive options if things go wrong during a game or the entire tournament. Here’s the list and my two-line opinion about each player:

1. Roberto ABBONDANZIERI (Goalkeeper, Boca Juniors -ARG-): Never played for Argentina as good as he does it for Boca. But he’s a great keeper and excels in penalty shoot-outs.

2. Roberto AYALA (Defender, Valencia -ESP-): One game away from the century of caps. Proven defender with experience but I think he is past his prime.

3. Juan Pablo SORIN (Midfielder, Villarreal -ESP-): PEKERMAN’s captain. Can play defense or midfield but he is also always present in the opposition box as a bonus forward. Let’s pray he is not our ONLY option up front (like he ended up being in 2002).

4. Fabricio COLOCCINI (Defender, Deportivo La Coruρa -ESP-): After seeing him failing to cover Adriano in the Copa America’s final (specially in that last play when Adriano sent the match to the penalty shoot-out), I just hope we don’t face Brazil with him in our starting lineup.

5. Esteban CAMBIASSO (Midfielder, Internazionale -ITA-): Had a great season for Inter. Experienced young player, great combination of tackling, positioning and passing. Playing under Pekerman since he was 15.

6. Gabriel HEINZE (Defender, Manchester United -ENG-): Coming back from injury but a great option considering he can play in every position in defense.

7. Javier SAVIOLA (Forward, Sevilla -ESP-): The victim under BIELSA (he was cut-out of the 2002 World Cup squad and players like Claudio LOPEZ made the trip!). Had a great season for Sevilla (top scorer in the winning UEFA Cup campaign) and always found the back of the net (River, Barcelona, Monaco…).

8. Javier MASCHERANO (Midfielder, Corinthians -BRA-): He runs and runs and rund bossing around in midfield. He’s everywhere and he makes the big pitches in Brazil look like a little garden. Europe…here he comes!

9. Hernan CRESPO (Forward, Chelsea -ENG-): Finally he is going to a World Cup as the main option up front. Always in BATISTUTA’s shadow he now has the chance to show his scoring credentials and convince the doubters in Argentina.

10. Juan Roman RIQUELME (Midfielder, Villarreal -ESP-): He’ll be wearing the mythical number 10. He finds in Pekerman his greatest admirer after suffering under BIELSA’s reign never being called up. Failed to score that crucial penalty against Arsenal in the Champions League but is poised for a great World Cup. If he fails…Argentina will fail too.

11. Carlos TEVEZ (Forward, Corinthians -BRA-): I can’t believe how can a small guy like him be so incredibly strong! I wish he starts up front with CRESPO and MESSI. If he does so, he’ll be one of the World Cup’s 3 best players.

12. Leonardo FRANCO (Goalkeeper, Atletico Madrid -ESP-): Established as one of the best keepers in La Liga. Won a Youth World Cup with PEKERMAN and tells great jokes. You’ve got to take him!

13. Lionel SCALONI (Defender, West Ham United -ENG-): Crucial under PEKERMAN at Under-20 level, but struggle to become a first team regular in Deportivo and just started to fight for a place at West Ham. ZANETTI was a better option in my eyes.

14. Rodrigo PALACIO (Forward, Boca Juniors -ARG-): The only field player who plays in our local league. Has a great combination of pace and skill. He could torment a few defensive lines coming from the bench. Could use his surprise effect given he is not well known in the rest of the world.

15. Gabriel MILITO (Defender, Zaragoza -ESP-): Would have loved to go to Germany with his brother (Diego, forward for Zaragoza too). Solid performer, strong, fast defender who could easily be on Ayala’s heels to push for a starting place.

16. Pablo AIMAR (Midfielder, Valencia -ESP-): Was one of the big question marks when PEKERMAN took the team to a retreat and Aimar wasn’t part of the group. But is one of PEKERMAN’s talismanic players and adds a quality option in the creative aspect of the game.

17. Leandro CUFRE (Defender, AS Roma -ITA-): A surprise on this list. Walter SAMUEL is not being considered by PEKERMAN and in terms of pure form in recent campaigns, he has a point. CUFRE can play in different positions and also won a Youth World Cup with Jose. But I would have taken Martin DEMICHELIS so to have another option at defensive midfielder.

18. Maximiliano RODRIGUEZ (Midfielder, Atletico Madrid -ESP-): A road-runner who can cover defensive positions in midfield and can arrive very frequently to scoring positions. Has a knack for scoring and I fancy him getting a couple of goals in Germany.

19. Lionel MESSI (Forward, Barcelona -ESP-): The best young player in the world (beating Wayne ROONEY to the prize). He has a devastating pace and magical control. Could tear the top defensive units apart. Could be Argentina’s super-sub if PEKERMAN is not brave enough to use him as a super-starter.

20. Julio CRUZ (Forward, Internazionale -ITA-): It would have been very unfair if he was left out again. In a team (Inter) in which ADRIANO played more minutes this season, Julio ‘The Gardener’ CRUZ scored one more goal than the mighty brazilian. That says it all. A great back up for CRESPO.

21. Nicolas BURDISSO (Defender, Internazionale -ITA-): After overcoming a family problem, he returned to Inter and played greatly. He is another player who can perform in every position of the backline.

22. Luis GONZALEZ (Midfielder, Porto -POR-): As quiet as he is talented. Have just won the double in Portugal (League and Cup) and was Porto’s top-goalscorer in the Superliga. A significant feat considering he has just arrived and he plays in midfield.

23. Oscar USTARI (Goalkeeper, Independiente -ARG-): The best prospect of a goalkeeper we have in Argentina. Has a future in Europe and will gain experience by joining the team in Germany.

As I mentioned before, I’m quite happy with this list, even though if it was up to me, Javier ZANETTI would be playing his third World Cup. Other than that, I feel sorry for Martin DEMICHELIS who is an established player for Bayern Munich and the young Sergio AGÜERO who will be a star in South Africa 2010 with 4 seasons in Europe’s top level. You’ll see!

Now mis amigos, it’s time to ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK!

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