Zanetti the best ON The field TODAY

He has been doing this for the past 10 years or so. He is one of the most consistent players in the world ( if not the most). Very good defensively and classy when going up front. This is the guy that can provide Crespo with much needed support. The sad thing is that he hasnt won anything…yet. He deserves to win something, more than any other player. I hope he does bring back the cup this year.

If pekerman watched this game, this is what should be his back four in Germany:

Zanetti-Ayala-Heinze-Sorin

Gonzalo, G.Militio and Samuel as reserve. I think I am repeating myself a bit .. :p

Posted from  Canada

Completely agree, particularly given Coloccini’s really bad form lately. The inimitable Quique Wolf also accurately pointed out that when (inspired by his excellent ventures up field) Mancini moved him up to the midfield - he lost his space to maneuver. In other words - he’s more dangerous on offense when he plays deep defense…I also very much liked Gonzalo’s performance. He shut down Martins and Adriano very effectively. Both goals were Peña’s fault - not his.

Lastly, Riquelme is just so damned slow he’s really starting to make me nervous - in spite of the occasionally deadly ball.

Posted from  Argentina

Riquelme is slow…this is nothing new. I am not worried about Riquelme’s performances. He is not 100% physically but he will be comes the World Cup.

Look at the Villareal squad. It is a very small squad with very few good players. They played 3 games in 1 week. They dont have the luxury of Inter, they dont have players to rotate between la liga and CL.

Veron had a better game than Riquelme. But that is because he has much more support than him. Cambiasso, Zanetti, Stankovic, Martins, Adriano…the list can go on.

What support does Riquelme have ? Sorin, who just came back from injury. Thats all. The Villareal players are really average.

Riquelme with the selection has all the support he needs, you will see a complete shift in his game.

Posted from  Canada

I agree lol….Riquelme is slow, but with the national team he does not need to be fast, just himself and the results will come.

As for Zanetti, oh man, what a game he had. I know Martins played well but I wish that Zanetti got a goal to show for his efforts. Between him, Stankovic and Adriano, the score should have been more like 4:1.

I also watched today’s game. Javier Zanetti must be the classiest gentlemen that ever set foot on the pitch. I have been saying this for the past 10 years to every soccer fan. Today was just another day in the office for him, he is such a modest guy, he’s remarkable. Like i said before, he is the only one that i really TRUST with the ball. I have no doubt in my mind that JP will NOT leave him out of the squad, if he does that is suicide. Here is my analysis of the Argentinos in today’s game.
1. Zanetti: player of the game
2. Sorin: He played pretty well but not his best.
3. Riquelme: He didn’t do much, but he wasn’t terrible. We know he is slow but i think that’s okay.
4. Gonzalo Rodriguez: I hope JP includes this lad in the squad because he is a work worse - reminds me a lot like Heinze.
5. Walter Samuel: He did his job, i wasn’t disappointed.
6. Veron: He played a bit better then Riquelme, but not by a lot.
7. Cambiasso: He had a great game, he is also consistent most of the time.

Am I missing anyone? They didn’t put on Cruz, or Solari.

Any other thoughts?

I actually think that Veron would be a good backup for Riquelme. I mean he is nowhere near the level that he had in his early days in Italy but he is still playing good. Actually he is in better form than 4 years ago. He plays good fast one touch passes and keep the game flowing. Fits the playing style of the NT perfectly. Just a thought.

Posted from  Canada

I thought Riquelme had a much better game than Veron; hitting the bar, having a hand in the goal. Sure, you can’t have a whole team of Riquelme’s but surrounding him wuth guys with speed (Messi, Aimar, Tevez) and his ability will shine. He rarely loses the ball and holds up play superbly. He really is a quality player; I dunno what you guys are saying.
Oh, and of course Zanetti has to go to Germany.

Posted from  United Kingdom

Yes, Phil. For Argentina to shine in WC, the supporting guys need to balance the game for Riquelme to exploit. Otherwise, Riquelme will be a lonely guy, just like yesterday’s game. IMO, for Villarreal to win the 2nd leg, Senna needs to play better at defensive midfield role.

I’m not sure what to think about Sorin’s game. 2 goals came from his side. Hope it’s temporary.

Zanetti - man of the match

Posted from  Malaysia

What a fantastic match by Zanetti! If JP does not use him on the right back in the world cup,he is crazy and I will lose all my respect for him. For me Zanetti is as important as Crespo,Ayala and Riquelme to the team. He is just pure class.
Another player that really shines this season is Cambiasso. He had a great game yesterday.
Riquelme and Veron was OK, but not impressive. Same goes for Sorin, Gonzalo and Samuel. About Riquelme`s speed…he will always be a bit slow, but as long as you put some speedy players around him, that is not going to be a problem.
As i said before, I would love it if JP brings in Veron as a back up for Riquelme and Aimar.

Posted from  Norway

Can someone tell me how Kily played against Villareal. The guy used to be a player of great strength and determination. Whats he like nowadays and should he go to the world cup??

Posted from  United Kingdom

What do we need veron for? He is an excellent passer of the ball but his time has gone and newer talent has come through. We have players who can pass just as well as him and also have a better workrate such as lucho, cambiasso etc. We can only take 23 players-

Ustari,Lux,Franco

Ayala,Coloccini,Gonzalo,Samuel, Heinze,Placente,Milito

Zanetti, Sorin, Riquelme, Aimar,Cambiasso,Mascherano,Maxi Rodriguez,Lucho

Messi,Tevez,Crespo,Aguero,Saviola

That sounds perfect.

Posted from  United Kingdom

I could not have waited more for yesterday’s game. So many of our players. You people are so very correct in the analysis, but here are my 2 cents.

1. I think Veron was pumped up as he was up against Riquelme and wanted to prove a point. IMHO, Veron was always a player who tried too many fancy passing options and lose the ball when he could have dome something simpler and useful. We can keep him out so that there is no tension in the dressing room.

2. Riquelme, had a regular game I think. Nothing bad, nothing great. The free-kick, should we call it great, he sort of does that everyday.

3. Sorin, made me doubtful for the first time. Hope it is his injury. Otherwise, he is so dedicated and perhaps has 2 lungs.

4. Walter Samuel, either the ball goes by him or the man, but not both. He will surely be suspended in the WC, so must have a solid backup.I liked the idea above of Zanetti, Ayala, Heinze, Sorin.

5. Gonzalo, lets just get him in the team. Why leave out a great guy for Coloccini, Burdisso etc.

6. Cambiasso, always the unsung hero. He will be there. He is a darling.

7. ZANETTI - To be honest I love him from the day he scored the second goal against England. Did not notice him much earlier. Great to see a player who goes past 3-4 defenders 5-6 times in a game and does not dive. He leads from the front. Can’t remember him doing anything wrong ever. He is such a great ambassador. Cannot say the same about Sorin. I would like to see him as the captain of Argentina team. Enough said, am I qualified enough to talk about this great man? I guess NO. God knows what Pekerman will do, you do not need to be wise to include him.

Posted from  United States

Agree with all you said Kris. Here is an interesting topic…

Is Sorin a good choice for captain? How about Zanetti?

Posted from  Pakistan

Sorin was coming back from injury and all. It is obvious that this game is not his standard. He played in a defensive position because some of Villareal players were injured so he couldnt go forward too much.

Posted from  Canada

Captain belongs with the player on the team that earns the most respect from the rest of his team. Its the guy that when he says something its going to mean something and stick with a player. I dont know if Sorin is that guy or not. But in my opinion i never thought being a captain was a big deal.

Posted from  United States

Zanetti to me is the captain. He should be a role model to the rest of the guys. What class…

I think Zanetti should be the captain. No question about that.
He is so consistent, I think I`ve never seen him play badly.

About Kily…he came on late in the game and didn`t do much.

Here are my 23 man squad:

Franco,Abbondanzieri,Ustari

Ayala,Burdisso,Gonzalo,Samuel, Heinze,Milito

Zanetti, Sorin, Riquelme, Aimar,Cambiasso,Mascherano,Maxi Rodriguez,Lucho,Veron

Messi,Tevez,Crespo,Cruz,Saviola

I think Aguero is to young for this world cup.

I actually think we need Cruz. Because if Crespo gets injured we have to have a target man kinda guy to bring on. I don`t think it`s a good idea to play with only small players up front. We need a backup for Crespo.

Posted from  Norway

D.Militio is much better than Cruz. I actually think he is even better than Crespo.

Posted from  Canada

you guys that are putting these squads up are totally forgetting about demichelles, who is in the final 23 for certain. furthermore, wasnt zanetti captain in one of the recent cups. i actually think that amongst the 98 and 2002 cups, that batistuta and zanetti were just switching off being captain.

A bit off topic but interesting. go to this website, its in spanish, it is the top 20 most valuable players in the world…
http://www.ole.clarin.com/jsp/v4/pagina.jsp?pagId=1167940

Posted from  United States

I think Diego Simeone was captain during 1998?

To be honest, I was a bit surprised to see Sorin as captain. I know it doesn’t matter much on field, but to me it should be about consistency and inspiration.

Zanetti brings both those things to the table.

Posted from  Pakistan

Pekerman is quoted in La Nacion this morning as saying that players like Veron lack the all consuming desire he feels is necessary for anyone sporting the national jersey (I totally agree)…In the same interview he says Zanetti is NOT a lock for the squad…I think the comment on Zanetti is intended as a response to a comment earlier in the week from Zanetti saying that he considers himself ‘on the team’.

Posted from  Argentina

I think Pekerman is doing the right thing in this situation. A lil competition for your spot never hurt nobody. But he better not even be thinking that hes not gonna have Zanetti starting.

Posted from  United States

Simeone was the captain in 98. Ayala was the initial captain in 2002, but when he got injured right before the first game, Veron was the captain. Zanetti was actually the fifth choice as captain in 2002. Simeone and Batistuta also wore the captains armband before Zanetti was the captain in the dying minutes against Sweden when Bati had been substituted.

I actually don`t think we need Demichelis in the squad when we have mascherano and Cambiasso.

I know Diego Milito is the Argie striker who has scored most this season(in Europe), but I really think we need a player like Cruz because of his height and strength. But if Milito just keeps on scoring, maybe he should be in the squad.
By the way; I like the fact that Saviola is starting to score some goals again now. He still misses more than he scores, but he is starting to look a bit like himself again.

Messi could be back against Benfica tomorrow, but more realisticly he will be back against racing on Sunday.

And when it comes to Zanetti…If Pekerman does not include him in the squad and start every game with him as the right back; I think this is going sraight to Hell!

Posted from  Norway

No Zanetti in the squad….or Samuel. Pekerman and Sorin should both retire after this World Cup. Would be even better if they could earlier.

Posted from  United States