Argentina Book a Spot in the Quarters, and Apertura Kicks Off

small change in the group standings

Argentina 6
Côte d’Ivoire 3
Australia 1
Serbia 1

Messi might be rested tomoroww too.

PEOPLE,
I liked the game against Australia. Despite having a poor defensive system, we played very well. I loved to watch it. We were patient & played our traditional possession strategy. Winning 1-0 doesn’t bother me at all. Score first and make them run. Too bad we need to score a goal to gain some confidence and then make run our opponents.

DEBASISH,
You said : « Thats why people like Maxi Rodriguez, Lucho Gonzalez and Jonas Gutierrez etc. are important inclusions in the midfield. But there is no place for them. I do not see how we can field these players if we play the formation we play. I think it works out only with a 3-5-2”.

This kind of player is essential in a 4-3-1-2 or in 3-5-2 where these boys have a double job (attack/defend). 4-5-1 is more for the 2 wingers who have the same job to do.
However, players like Lucho & Maxi have a place in every system! They are excellent and polyvalent. And don’t forget Lucho Gonzalez first quality is the #8 role (like Gago & Banega), NOT a side midfielder like Maxi. He can play on the right side of a 4-3-1-2 midfield but where he’s the best is in front of his #5, being Riquelme’s supplier of balls (like Gago).

Concerning the 3-5-2 solution. I’ve been saying this since 2006 when international careers of Juanpi Sorin & Zanetti were ending. 3-5-2 could have been the solution (it can bring you in heaven, so wonderful to watch!) but Basile has proved us against Brazil (0-0) & Ecuador that he doesn’t know how to defend with this system (depending on our 2 #5, a bit like today at the Olympics). My words are a bit brutal but Basile doesn’t know to defend with any tactical system at all. Whatever the system he uses, only 7 players defend. It’s ridiculous and it might destroy our fabulous generation of talents. Sad. I don’t know what to hope now. Come back to 4-3-1-2? 4-5-1?

Concerning the #9 “issue”, I don’t think it’s useful to talk about this. Batista has chosen little rabbits upfront and we have no choice to stick to it. It’s the Olympics level, we won’t have problems in attack. The problem is the defence if we face Brazil.

ALFIO,
We have excellent strikers. Good enough to be selected in our NT. Cavenaghi, Denis & Lisandro are just asking to be tested. They have never been. Unfortunately, Basile has preferred to use experienced players to bring him confidence…

ALEXA,
Aguero is tired. I am excited about tiny Buonanotte too.

CHRISTIAN,
Thanks for deleting trolling posts! Now we can breath.

Is tomorrows game going to be played on telemundo?

Posted from  United States

Why would Aguero be tired? He’s 19-20 years old, and he’s had a month off since the end of La Liga.

I’m not saying that Aguero doesn’t need a rest ( i know that he didn’t have a rest last summer). Rather, I think that his “tiredness” is attributed to something other than straight out fatigue.

At Aguero’s age, overwork doesn’t present itself by “tiredness” rather than by injury. But thankfully he seems to not be injured. He just looks unhappy that he can’t figure out how to play well with the team.

Posted from  United States

Agüero won’t play against Serbia because he already has a yellow card and Batista wants to save him for the next round. (2 yellow cards would mean he misses the next game)

Posted from  United States

Ok, this is what Batista has in mind for the game against Serbia:

3-4-2-1, with Mascherano as a libero (!)
Pareja and Fazio as stoppers.
Zabaleta and Di María opening the lanes
Gago and Banega, double 5
Sosa and Buonanotte as a double enganche.
And Lavezzi as the only forward

—————Ustari——————
—Pareja Mascherano Fazio—
————Gago Banega—————
Zabaleta ————————Di Maria
————Sosa —Buonanotte
—————Lavezzi———————

Have fun

Posted from  United States

Forgot:
Messi and Garay need to rest.

Posted from  United States

yellow card issues reset at the start of the knock out rounds right?

sorry to go off topic… http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=807538

but Argentina is now ranked 7th in the world according to FIFA. We’re somehow behind Croatia (gasp!) who come in 5th place, with Brazil in 6th. And France is somehow in 12th. All of this movement b/c of the Euro. don’t get me wrong, Croatia, Turkey, Russia, Romania are nice teams but I can’t believe one tournament has so much sway over the rankings with all the aforementioned teams in the Top 11 in the world.

As we all pretty much agree, these rankings are useless. but as of right now, we’re the last seeded team for the WC. Our current crop of players are probably the most talented to wear the blue and white since 93/94 and yet, we’re in 7th? these rankings are just nonsense. We really need to go on a run in our qualifiers.

Posted from  Canada

11 out of these 13 players will start.

Oscar Ustari, Federico Fazio, Nicolas Pareja, Luciano Monzon, Jose Sosa, Fernando Gago, Javier Mascherano, Ever Banega, Angel di Maria, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Lionel Messi, Diego Buonanotte and Lautaro Acosta.

Posted from  United States

Lol a libero? When’s the last time a team has played with a libero.

I have been away for a some days so haven’t been able to post my thoughts on the Australia game……
The game was not good at all…..very low tempo….too many big chances missed….Messi played a poor game…showed flashes of his brilliance on some occations, but lost the ball so many times and his passing was just “off” in big parts of the game. Riquelme also had a poor game, but the biggest disapointment is Aguero….he seems completely out of it right now….
Masch was good as always, but like I have said many times before: I can not praise a player like him that much….he is a destroyer…Creaters/geniouses like Riquelme or Messi have a much more difficult task than Masch….it’s easier to destroy than to create something. But having said that, I have to add that I know Masch is very important to this team, and I think he is the best DM in the word.
Lavezzi was the best player for me in this game. He ran and ran…in the middle, on then left, on the right….and scored a great goal after a brilliant move involving Roman, Messi and Di Maria. Lavezzi is a very usefull player indeed.
—-Still, we have no good keeper or no good fullbacks…that is the truth.

Hope to see Buonanotte in the game tomorrow…..if we can get a draw, we are the group winners. We don’t need to beat Serbia to win our group…it’s enough with a draw. I feel pretty sure we will manage at least a draw tomorrow.

Thanks ALBO for the Batista news. This 3-5-2 will be nice to watch. I like coaches who aren’t afraid to change their system depending on the opponent they face. I wonder how he will defend. Will we defend 4-1-4-1, 5-3-3 or 5-2-3??? Please Batista, don’t choose the last system!

RUNE,
If we don’t have good fullbacks, then the solution is 3-5-2. I like what Batista is preparing for tomorrow.

fifa is european

Posted from  Canada

Mourinho on Nicolas Burdisso. Thats good to hear.

http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=106501

Posted from  United States

is the game on telemundo or online on nbc?

James, good question.
I think the last time a I saw a libero was beck when the italians used the “Catenaccio”.
But we have yet to see where Mascherano is actually going to place himself.

Posted from  United States

I reckon we could play 3-5-2 with Dimi as a libero & the likes of Zabaleta ,Monzon , Ansaldi ,Insua , Maidana as attacking FBs.

A draw is sufficient. Lets hope they just enjoy the game & dont pick up any injuries.

I know this offtopic but it is the Olympics . At last a win in the basketball but the team is heavily reliant on Ginobli,Scola,Oberto & Delfino.

The womens football lost again to potentila medallists China 2-0 but they are improving & do play some lovely passing football .

The Lions drew again surrendering a 2-0 lead once more. Lovely hockey gambettas from Aymar but she did lose the ball in dangerous areas.Might be a struggle for the top two.

And Julio Alsogaray leads his sailing class.Nalbandian made the second round in the tennis.

I guess you must be pretty excited Albo,Christian et al ?

Saludos.

Aurelius, actually I’m not too thrilled about the results of our argy athletes so far.
I think most of them could do much better.
But I’m very impressed by a young tennis player who is not in Beijing.
His name is Juan Martín Del Potro, and he is “giving the world notice”.
Coming from nowhere, he has won his 3 last tournaments and jumped to the 19th place in the ranking.

Sorry, back to football.

Posted from  United States

Can anyone tell me how to fullscreen the video on NBC olympics site…i was trying to run a test and the streaming is very good but it’s not getting full screen..can anyone help plz

Posted from  United States