Saviola creates better chemistry?

This is GREAT alhamdulillah!!!
What a game, what attack! what defending And Riquelme was unbelievable. This is the best ARG I’ve seen in years!!
And Pato deserves a huge thank you from all of us!

I just saw a popular TV program from Bangladesh just before the game and they are just crazy for ARG and it was a pleasure to see Diego so HAPPY!!!
Vasmos… ARG

Posted from  United States

Pardon my Spanish meant to say VAMOS.. ARG ( A ganar)
I am learning

Posted from  United States

I think this was a great result for Arg… I know that our D looked suspect and all that, but the hallmark of a good team is winning on days you’re not supposed to.

And really without those Riquelme specials we might have lost, but if we were down, maybe Tevez/Messi would have been brought in. whatever, all that matters is we won, we displayed some attacking football and imposed our will at times. too bad we really sat back at the end there but most teams with a 2-0 would have done the same.

just remember Brazil played really poorly vs Turkey in their first game last time around and progressively got better as the WC wore on. we just need to do the same…

Whats this fella on about??
First of all a cracking match. Both teams came out attacking and resulted in great football.

The key for argentina was obviously that we used the ball better in the final third and of course Riquelme. His passing caused Ivory Coast problems and was great.

Crespo done what he has been put on the pitch to do what he does best and that is score. He is the man you want in the box when a stray ball come along.

I’m not the greatest fan of Saviola but after a slow start he sure gave them problems. Wise move from Pekerman.

Ayala was fantastic and Pato looked comfortable. Heinze was looking good as well. Sorin ran his legs off and another player who deserves a mention.

The only players that didnt fully convince me was Cambiasso and Burdisso. Burdisso was exposed by Ivory Coast as a weakness and did struggle a bit. Cambiasso didnt really null their attack and didnt get up forward as he usually does. Palacio wasn’t on for long so I wont pass judgement on him yet.

Overall I’m a happy man. A win thats come from a fantastic match.We are off and running.

This has the potential to be the best finals for some years judging by whats happened so far!!

P.S. Watching Maradona mingle with the crowd made things that little bit better.

Posted from  United Kingdom

I am really happy with this win!! Great team work and communication throughout the game, however the second half became rather worrying.. not sure why we started throwing the posession away so much, just like against Croatia and England, im sure we will learn from this for the next match no doubt.. anyway, the Ivory Coast were a good opponent, but they should cut the diving, specially by Drogba, damn that guy is annoying (hijo de puta). Anyway, replacing Palacio and Lucho did not work out so well, Palacio played bad, but in contrast EL PATO JUGO REBIEN!! Riquelme great. Sorin is a BEAST!
The goal dissalowed at the start, was a poor refereeing decision, I for one, would find that demotivating if I were playing for Argentina; effort for nothing.
I thought the referee was okayish, but some stupid decisions favouring the Ivory coast - 3 yellows given to Argentina.
La verdad es que jugamos rebien la primer parte, y despues nos fuimos un poco al carajo, pero bueno, GANAMOS!! We are on to the Second Round now, Im sure the next games will be easier, and Holland have alot of injuries and the team isnt so great, just have to wait and see how they face off against Ivory Coast.
CAMPEONES CAMPEONES OLE OLE OLE

Posted from  United Kingdom

I’m glad to see that Pekerman told its Midfield to go a bit more ahead, in 2nd half. Because on the first one, Mascherano and Cambiasso were waiting CI.

Argentina do not know how to defend. Why Palacio? He’s a winger, not a striker! We needed Carlitos. Pekerman wanted to defend without counter attacking! He was wrong.

Well, winning 3 points is great. CI is a very good team. They have the level to reach the 1/4. Ayala, Sorin and Heinze were phenomenons on the field.

Posted from  France

Great result, though a nervy last ten mins!! It’s so important to have all 3 points from the first game. Now lets hope holland v serbia is a draw (or they both lose!) Pato was outstanding, as was Ayala and Heinze. Pekerman should be given credit for sticking with saviola and crespo, and it’s wonderful to see both our strikers getting goals. the other plus is that we have a great bench. Pacing the team is crucial in a tournament like this, and ’saving’ messi and co is a good idea.

However, he has to stop the tinkering crap. Palacio and Gonzalez looked out of depth. I am worried that he is neglecting tevez; perhaps there has been a rift?! If he wants to sure things up at the back, bring on coloccini or gabi milito. Win our next game and we are cruising….

Ivory coast were an amazing team and this result will give us the confidence to go far…

Posted from  United Kingdom

Congrats to everyone. I’m actually very happy with this game. I was most impressed with Crespo and Riquelme. You can call Riquelme conservative or slow-paced, but he makes some of the most beautiful passes. So he definitely deserves a place next time. I’m also not too upset Messi and Tenez weren’t put in. I’m positive Pekerman realizes there importance, but didn’t really see the need to put them in since we were winning so clearly by the end of the first half.

Palacio is a moron. I don’t think he did one thing right. I felt Crespo was getting increasingly confident and that he should have stayed in longer; he was doing something nice everytime he touched the ball. Saviola was kind of controversial. He definitely had some nice plays, but I felt he wasn’t very consistent. Also, I think he needs Crespo on the field. Saviola’s a good player, but he couldn’t work with Palacio.

Our defense wasn’t as good as it could be. Sure Ayala played great, as did Heinz, but Sorin was not at his best. The defense weren’t really coordinated and things looked too sloppy. The mid-field wasn’t running enough, and we lost too many balls there.

Anyway, we did good. I think the game should have been 3-1 since it really seemed like that powerful header crossed the line. Next time with Serbia and Montenegro is going to be amazing. I think we learned a lot from this match, and I’m looking forward to seeing Tenez, and especially Messi in next round. And Crespo better play the whole damn game, and have Saviola by his side. And Requelme will be necessary for a solid mid-field.

And cut Pekerman some slack… Let’s see what he’ll do next time.

Mazen from Lebanon

Posted from  Lebanon

ok, it was a good game, the goal that crespo scored was kind of lucky…argentina dominated the first half without a doubt..but the second half was worring for me, Ivory Coast didnt do that bad, actualy i think they did perrty good, at times it was more fun to watch them play then argentina…I dont know what, but argentina was missing something today, they didnt play their usual beatufull style of soccer, argentina just played phisical and hard, it was kind of dissaponting for me cuz I wanted argentina to play the game with syle, wich they did in some occesions of the game..overall i think they did good, and Ivory Coast did good too, i belive IVC have a good team, and hopefully they will work hard in their group for second place. They are very capable.

Posted from  United States

Susac my brother, argentina adapted their game based on their opponents, ivc are very physical & demanding, there not going to look to play “beautifully” more like “BRUTALLY” - consider it a massive boost for argies being able to change their playing styles in accordance to their opposition. CHILL!

Posted from  United Kingdom

Great game!!

I was corresponding via text message to my buddies in Nairobi (Kenya). I am Kenyan.

Everyone of course was supporting Cote d’Ivoire. I am the odd man out!

I must say that during the second half, my blood sugar level rose- so to speak. I am not diabetic! NOw it is back to normal.

ARg. played a great game. AFter Crespos game, I rolled on the floor to irritate my brother (he supports the Samba boys.)

Your country is great. I loved seeing Maradona.

I am double sure that your country will beat the Dutch. NOt even their dykes will be able to hold the torrent occasioned by Aimar, Tevez and Messi.

My African team was Ghan a now that Cameroon isn’t there but after seeing IC, I defected. I hope IC goes all the way to meet you guys at the finals. I’ll root for them. These are my two teams.

The only team I can support over ARgentina is the Harambee Stars of Kenya but hell will freeze over before we make it to the World Cup.

World Cup is not the Olympics and we surely understand that.

Go Argentina go!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted from  United States

By the way the itv commentator was referring to maxi rodriguez as maxi GONZALEZ - + he was pronouncing maschas name wrong - he was saying “maskerayno” at times “maskurarno” get it right matey its “masherano” - SPELT WITH A SILENT “C” - MASCHERANO

Someone shoot him for even have the nerve to say he thought savi was offisde… & GODDD it was argies night all they kept ranting on about at the start was england, england england… suppose its england tv, but their match was EARLIER that day!

Posted from  United Kingdom

Addy,

I concur with you. The Ivorians are qhyxicla and very ver yfast. They run like Michael Johnson.

Denis should remember the 1990 Cameroon, ARg games opener.

Those guys almost kiilled Maradona and Caniggia. They fouled hard but your team still made it to the finals.

I also think that htat is why Pekerman saved TEvez and Messi. He didn’t want them trampled on by the Elephants as the Ivorians call themselves.

It was necessary to go physical.

ARg. will play a very beautiful game (I believe) against Serbia and Holland. I can’t wait.

Posted from  United States

Need to cut out the sitting back though. 2-0 is never game over. Had IVC scored a little bit earlier it could have been only a draw in the end. The games against Croatia and England were lost because of this.

Posted from  United Kingdom

Fed,

What game were you watching ? Palacio came in to replace Crespo simply b/c he could play better defense. They were simply sitting on a decisive lead.

I was frustrated that Cambiasso/Mascherano had so many soft passes and played so lax on defense in the final 15 mins. Both should have been replaced with fresher legs; Aimar has been known to play some midfield too (LOL).

Enjoy the victory and celebrate…VAMOS ARGENTINA !

Posted from  United States

You’re right Addy. But i don’t understand the low performance of our midfield. Masche made some mistakes sometimes. And the defense was too near Abbondanzieri. Pekerman was maybe scared about playing offside strategy.

Here are my marks for the players:(/10)

El Pato = 7
Burdisso = 6
Ayala = 9
Heinze = 8
Sorin = 8
Mascherano = 6
Cambiasso = 6
Maxi = 6
Riquelme = 7
Saviola = 7
Crespo = 7

I could be wrong with midfielders because sometimes you don’t concentrate enough to see that they do good work. What do you think?

Posted from  France

What game did you see to give that rates? Are you nuts? I think the game was awful.
Sorin had a very good first half, but on the second half he was exhausted, and I think that’s because he kept running all the time from attacking to defending; that’s fine when you play a regular team, but it was 40 minutes of the second half and Ivoire Cost guys were crossing the field in 2 seconds, and they were very fast. You can’t put 6 on our middles, they were awful, everytime maxi rodriguez touched the ball we lost it. Cambiasso sucked like always, is like he’s afraid to touch the ball. You want my grades?
Abbonzandieri (7), Ayala (9), Heinze (7), Burdisso (6), Sorin (5), Mascherano (6), Cambiasso (3), Rodriguez (2), Riquelme (7), Saviola (7), Crespo (8).
I’m rating high riquelme because his first half was wonderful, even though on the second half he played awful and screw all our fast attacks. Burdisso, playing not so good, at least showed an acceptable result. The reason a team like Ivory Coast could do something against us is just because our middles were awful, and pekerman isn’t really packing reserves for that position.

Posted from  Argentina

Have some one watched the match on ESPN2? The comentators were pathetic, all they talk about is the Civil War in Ivory Coast during the match and when Drogba fell down in the box he wanted a f…ing penalty.

Argentina….all the way.

Posted from  United States

The ESPN2 commentary was pitiful, they spent the entire match supporting Drogba, calling for penalties during his dives.

Posted from  United States

Hey Franco and Maxilopez, both of your ratings are awful. Where is the spirit? And since when 3 points is not good enough?? How about u lose the damn oppener like 1990 and both of you would be ripping perkman… Grow the fuck up and show some positive attitude…How about you go coach the fucking team if you are that damn good…ppl like you piss me the fuck off. This is the opener if you forgot, and things are not clear yet, yo have to play before you adjust.. Players slowed down a bit in the 2nd half cuz they are trying to defend the lead, its the opener and thats all you need to do there, win and evaluate the plays to get a better idea for the next game. I do agree they should have atacked a little more in the 2nd half, but due to our miserable and pittiful outings in the last world cup, Perk didn’t wanna take chances.

Posted from  United States

Sam you’re an idiot speaking to me like that. I suppose you didn’t even notice that all my marks are >= 6 !!!!And i’ve never criticised Pek,look my old postings.

Of course I’m happy with 3 points! I just noticed the problems to be better the next match.

I forgive you but it will only happen once…

Here is what said Pekerman: “Are Riquelme and Cambiasso guaranteed a place in the starting eleven? No, nobody is. You select the players that you think will best suit a particular game. If that doesn’t happen, then you make changes. I took Crespo off because he’d worked his socks off and I thought that Saviola and Palacio would help us create more opportunities, but for a variety of reasons that wasn’t the case. But I repeat, the most important thing was to win and that’s what we did.” Its maybe good for Carlitos…

Posted from  France

Maxi Lopez! I didn’t see >= sign, and as a matter of fact, I don’t even care because your ratings are way off the mark. Again, you still suggest what perkman needs to do for the next game and you criticize the midfilelders like they didn’t show up, I wonder how we scored two goals then… buddy, he is the coach (got it ?), he knows what to do better than all of us here.. GIve the guy your support and stop your whining and negative criticism of players… I support our players no metter what, I know they are in there to give their best effort and win… Good luck o us

Posted from  United States

Video: Argentina vs Ivory Coast

Date Played: June 11, 2006 (Group Stage)

Below is a video of the FIFA World Cup 2006 game between Argentina and Ivory Coast where the Argentinans prevailed with the score of 2-1. The first goal came from Crespo Hernan on the 24th minute where he was…

Posted from  United States

i’m sorry to say, Perkerman doesn’t look a good coach, and argentina does’t look the world cup squad that may win the cup, sorry sorry , i love them to win, but it will be very dificult ,
i saw Italy , look at the world cup squad how they playing, what a great defence, midfild , attack , what a great coach Libe, portoagl also they look a very good team you can see that there is a good coach behind, great Scolari ,
cheque, Holand, , , i think argentian’s squand needs allot allot of work,
Ayala, Crespo, Requilmé ( even he is very slow but he can make goals) and some how Mascherano and Heinz these only 5 players look as wold cup champions ,
we need to play like Italian player , NO ball missed , great great positioning on the ground , no spaces , great difence great goal keeper,, befor attack think in the difence,
ohh again , i think very less chances to win this would cup in fornt of Italy and Brazil ,
Perkerman should stop droping in Love with his juniors players,
i’m sure if Carlos Bilardo or Alfio Basilé were there you will not see 60% of these players ! Cambiasso ahh, simling and looking afraid on his legs while Ayala is fighting in the defience
sorry again , this is not the would cup team

Posted from  France

It was a very modest game. I expected much more from argentina.The 3 best plyers were riquelme ,saviola and ayala.crespo was in nice ‘touch’.

So,saviola played really well.But i still want tevez to play.if possible alongside with saviola and crespo.
riquelme showed why he is so loved by the coach.great moves.he created almost all the opportunities with his ball placements.But here again I still want aimar to play.If possible alongside with riquelme.

argentina should play 4-defenders.(led by ayala)
midfield:riquelme-aimar-messi
strike:crespo-saviola-tevez

Posted from  India