Well Hello everyone! I am going to try my hand at updating the threads every week or so. I noticed that it hasn’t been updated for awhile, and I was getting tired of seeing the same old CHAMPIONS LEAGUE thing…how about you guys???

I think we should try to begin forgetting about Juan Roman Riquelme because I don’t think he will be back… Really guys, I know we all have mixed feelings about him, but it’s time to move on. It’s sad I know, but we should try to think positive, and make the best out of what we have. Let’s dedicate this thread to the Argentine National team.

So how about our qualifiers coming up? First against Venezuela on March 28 and then against Bolivia on April 1st. This is the REAL test for Maradona, it isn’t a friendly, it is for real. I have a feeling that we will do well. We have a pretty good record against Venezuela at home, I don’t think they have ever beaten us on home soil. Against Bolivia? Well again, we shouldn’t have a problem with them. What do you all think??? I want to read all your comments!

Another question… Now that we have the starting roster, and we know who will be playing, what do you think? Is it the same old, same old? or will it be totally different without Roman? Let’s not go off on a tangent about ROMAN (I know it’s hard to avoid, but we can do it!) Let’s think fresh! This is a new thread, it calls for it! )

Ok everyone, enjoy the blog! Take a look at the pictures… It fills me up with emotion and excitement! Now that I am in Buenos Aires, I feel it all around me!

Now let’s enjoy the thread!

-Julian

So to all regulars, trolls, spammers, and gambling sites – feel free to continue as always.

The game will again be shown live on GOL TV at 3:30PM ET/12:30PM PT. Please share your comments on the match below.

Remember the top 4 teams from the group qualify for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

Final Group:

Venezuela
Brazil
Colombia
Argentina
Uruguay
Paraguay

But before we completely shift our focus towards ‘09, let me take another opportunity to thank all of you again for making this site so successful. In looking at the traffic stats for the month of December, the Argentina blog was the second most popular site on the World Cup blog network, with nearly 9,000 total visitors. When you include Christmas and New Year’s, when traffic traditionally dips, that makes those numbers even more impressive.

In fact, the Argentina WCB has consistently finished in the top 5 most visited blogs on the site, with huge jumps in traffic during the qualifier against Brazil, the Olympics, and during the naming of Diego Maradona as NT coach.

What does that all mean? It means that Argentina, both on the national and club level, is as popular as ever, and that Argy players across South America, Europe, and even the U.S., are an integral part of the modern footballing world. Thus it seems that everyone out there has something to say, and thankfully for us, the WCB is for many the de-facto stop on the web to add to the discussion.

I realize this blog is far perfect, and over the past year there have been bumps along the way. The inactivity, the lack of posts (or in some cases, too many), the ever annoying trolls, and the occasional arguments that tend to get out of hand.

But I still see the same names who were here at the beginning of year still coming back every day, leaving comments, starting discussions, and making this site what it is. And I can’t express just how important their contribution is to this blog, and how we are all better off for it.

So whether you’re a daily visitor or the occasional reader, thank you again for your continued support. Let’s hope for a great year for your club, favorite player, and of course, the National team. And as promised, here’s my list of top moments from 2008, as well as some of yours as well. Enjoy.

*Best Game
The Olympic Final. The match against Brazil was arguably better and more exciting for obvious reasons, but it would have meant nothing without the gold.

* Worst or Most Disappointing Game
Take your pick – any of the 4 consecutive WCQ draws, or the 1-0 loss to Chile in October.

* Best Individual Performance
His red card in the United – Liverpool derby aside, I saw no better individual player over 2008 then Javier Mascherano.

* Best Goal
Sorry, you won’t be getting any objectivity from me here. Diego Buonanotte’s two goals in the Clausura final that gave River their 33rd league title.

* Breakout Player Award
Higuain, Di Maria, and Ricardo Noir a distant third

And for 2009:
*Predict What the Biggest Storyline Will Be
Without question, how will Maradona improve the national team through 8 rounds of qualifying. When will Tevez leave United? And can Messi stay healthy for the year to make his case for World Player of the year?

*Who Will Be the Next Big Player from Argentina
Again, Noir, though Buonanotte could be a revelation in Europe, assuming he isn’t a moron and goes to Qatar.

* Which Player Will Have the Most Impact
Messi no doubt, although if Tevez leaves United his absence will make a huge dent in United’s title hopes. Back in Argentina, Riquelme may be on his last legs with Boca, and rumors persist on Ariel Ortega’s return to River.

Here were some of yours:

Golazo

* Best Game
Argentina vs Netherlands in the olympics

* Worst or Most Disappointing Game
Argentina 0 – 0 Brazil for disappointing game
Ecuador 1 – 1 Argentina or Belarus 0-0 Argentina worst game

* Best Individual Performance
Mascherano in pretty much every game.

* Best Goal
buonattoe free kick

* Breakout Player Award
Angel Di Maria

Question I would like to post

*Most Underrated player
Maxi Rod

*Most overrated player
Cavenaghi

*Most essential
Mascherano

And for 2009:

* Predict What the Biggest Storyline Will Be
Tevez future

* Who Will Be the Next Big Player from Argentina
Brain Sarmeinto returning from loan to play for Racing

* Which Player Will Have the Most Impact
Garay

I would like to add

*Player to have break out seasons next year
Higuain

*Player to fade away next season
Riquelme =[

*Best player next year
Messi

*Surpise player to pop out of no where
Matías Delgado

————

MaxiLopez

*Best Game
ARG 3-0 BRA (without any doubts)

* Worst or Most Disappointing Game
ARG 1-1 Ecuador (all Basile games in general)

* Best Individual Performance
Mascherano

* Best Goal
Maxi Rodriguez (ARG-SCO)

* Breakout Player Award
Di Maria

And for 2009:

* Predict What the Biggest Storyline Will Be
Maradona trying to bring coordinated movement to our team

* Who Will Be the Next Big Player from Argentina
?

* Which Player Will Have the Most Impact
Mascherano

————

ajNYHC

*Best Game
ARG vs Netherlands – Messi’s through pass tore open the defense – like literally sliced open 6 players.

* Worst or Most Disappointing Game
ARG Vs Chile – We were decimated that game.

* Best Individual Performance
Riquelme in the earlier qualifying campaign with his amazing play and free kicks. But consistency goes to Mascherano.

* Best Goal
Any of Riquelme’s free kicks and/or Messi’s individual goal against Columbia.

* Breakout Player Award
Di Maria – no questions.

And for 2009:
* Predict What the Biggest Storyline Will Be
Tevez moving to Inter/Aguero moving to Barca.

* Who Will Be the Next Big Player from Argentina
Lucas Viatri – if he doesn’t end up in prison.

* Which Player Will Have the Most Impact
Messi.

————

Albo

I think that in 2008 Argentina didn’t merit any “best” tag in any field, except maybe their play during the olympic games and the excellent work of Javier Mascherano.

————

Debasish

* Best Game
Argentina 3 Brazil 0. I do not care about anything else. Have been waiting for too long, for that scoreline. As a matter of fact we also played a great tactical game.

* Worst or Most Disappointing Game
0-2 against Chile. I did not even make me sad. It looked we are standing up to get whipped.

* Best Individual Performance
Messi & Mascherano.

* Best Goal
Maxi Rodriguez against Scotland

* Breakout Player Award
Gonzalo Higuain

And for 2009:
* Predict What the Biggest Storyline Will Be
Tevez transfer & MESSI. Messi will rule 2009.

* Who Will Be the Next Big Player from Argentina
?

* Which Player Will Have the Most Impact
MESSI

————

Rune

* Best Game
-Argentina-Brazil 3-0(in the olympics)

* Worst or Most Disappointing Game
-Chile-Argentina…One of the worst games EVER

* Best Individual Performance
-Messi, by far

* Best Goal
-Messi against Columbia

* Breakout Player Award
-Angel Di Maria

And for 2009:
* Predict What the Biggest Storyline Will Be
-Maradona resigns and Messi’s injuries

* Who Will Be the Next Big Player from Argentina
-Viatri

* Which Player Will Have the Most Impact
-Mascherano

————

toddutah

* Best Game
-Argentina-Brazil 3-0 Sweet

* Worst or Most Disappointing Game
-Chile-Argentina… On a positive note it got basile out.

* Best Individual Performance
-Messi, Messi, Messi

* Best Goal
-Di Maria in Final Nice chip and most important

* Breakout Player Award
-Angel Di Maria

And for 2009:
* Predict What the Biggest Storyline Will Be
-Messi as the clear leader of Argentina and Riquleme not starting

* Who Will Be the Next Big Player from Argentina
- Lavenzzi on the NT level will becoem very important

* Which Player Will Have the Most Impact
-Messi Messi Messi

2009 will be the year of Messi and Barcelona. By the end it will be clear that messi is the dominant player of his generation.

————

munshi

* Best Game
Argentina vs Brazil – way overdue, made my year

* Worst or Most Disappointing Game
Chile vs Argentina – broke my heart

* Best Individual Performance
Messi/Mascherano

* Best Goal
Di Maria in olympics final – what a relief

* Breakout Player Award
Di Maria.

And for 2009:

* Predict What the Biggest Storyline Will Be
Maradona Messi fallout

* Who Will Be the Next Big Player from Argentina
Facundo Sebastián Roncaglia and Pablo Mouche

* Which Player Will Have the Most Impact
Gago

————

aimar 10

* best game
3-0 vs braazil, i wanted that one so bad

* worst game
losing 2-0 to chile they beat us in every aspect of the game

* best individual performance
definately messi, though macherano is more consistant he has the help of gago or cambiasso in the midfield. messi is more individualistic.

* best goal angel
di-maria against nigeria it is the goal which one us the tournament in those extreme conditions.

* break out player
lavezzi

* biggest story line
messi officially becomes the focal point of our team and not riquelme any more

* the next big player from argentina
i have so say lavezzi this guy has so much potential, he is just a joy to watch, if he can only start winning some trophies.

* the player with the most impact
macherano, maradonna has said he is the player who secured a spot, which leads me to believe he will play just about every game, therefore he will have the most impact.

————

day1star

*Best game for me:
Without a doubt has to be the 3-0 Argentina v Brazil game.

*Worst game for me:
All the matches that we lost in were bad but the Chile game was probably the worst, coz there were no excuses for losing.

*Best Individual Performance:
Hard to pick out one particular player.

*Best Goal:
Another one that’s really hard to pick, there were a lot of good goals scored in the past year. But the most vital was Di Maria’s against Nigeria, which got us Olympic gold.

*Breakout player award:
I think Di Maria, although Lavezzi has also been good.

*Biggest storyline will be:
The rise and rise of Messi, with Aguero following in his footsteps.

*Next big player from Argentina:
There are too many players who may become the next big thing to mention.

*Player who will have the most impact:
I have to say it’s a toss up between Messi and Aguero, it could be either of them.

Let’s just hope the next year is a good one for all our players, and Diego gets a lot of selection headaches.

So as before, please post your choices on the following topics:

* Best Game
* Worst or Most Disappointing Game
* Best Individual Performance
* Best Goal
* Breakout Player Award

And for 2009:
* Predict What the Biggest Storyline Will Be
* Who Will Be the Next Big Player from Argentina
* Which Player Will Have the Most Impact

The above topics are just a guide, please feel free to include any other points you wish. Your answers can include either national and club football, but obvioulsy, please keep it Argentina-focused. Have fun!

Let’s talk some MLS. No, really.

Yes, I realize that we are a week away from Diego’s first game in charge against Scotland. I know the news about Mascherano captaining his first game, and Riquelme’s absence from the squad, is dominating the headlines. And I also know that for most of you (really, most of us), watching MLS or even thinking about it at this time of year in practically unthinkable. So I get it.

But regardless of your feelings about Major League Soccer, it’s hard to not be impressed by the contribution of Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the former Boca Juniors legend who, since his move to the States last year, has become one of the finest players in league, almost singlehandedly leading the Columbus Crew to a semifinal match up this Thursday against the Chicago Fire in MLS Cup.

For years, the Crew were an afterthought in the league, but they now find themselves only two wins away from a league title, and el Mellizo, whose stellar performance this season has made him the leading candidate for MVP honors, has been largely responsible for their success. But perhaps more importantly then helping the Crew, he has been credited with bringing a newfound respect and heightened visibility on a league that has struggled to find its voice.

So yes, I will admit it, as a Chicagoan AND a River Plate fan, I’ll be pulling for Guille this Thursday. He’s one of the most decorated, most successful players to ever come from Argentina, and I think it’s great to see him transfer those skills here to the U.S. It’s a wonderful representation of the best of Argentina, and it will bring nothing but good to soccer in this country, and frankly I think it’s a honor to see such a great player still performing a such a level.

On a personal note, let me extend my congratulations to longtime visitor Rune on the birth of his new baby girl, Ariela. And to everyone else, thanks for all of your posts these past few weeks. They’ve been a joy to read, and I can’t wait until next week. Chau chau.

By all accounts, it appears that Carlos Bianchi is right now the odds-on favorite to succeed Alfio Basile, and has now pulled ahead of the other candidates that include Diego Maradona, Miguel Angel Russo, and Sergio Batista.

Meanwhile, the only definitive choice that has come out from AFA this week is that Sergio Batista will likely be in charge for the upcoming friendly against Scotland on November 19th.

Want to learn more about the 4 potential candidates? Jeremy on The Argentina Offside has a fine breakdown of each of the names being called as possible replacements for Basile. As always, post your thoughts below.

If you check out the new Argentina Offside page, you’ll get a breakdown of the blogs currently active. In the Primera, Scott keeps us up to date with Argentinos Juniors, and Jeremy, aside from updating the Argentina mainpage, covers Newell’s Old Boys.

As you all well know, I do double duty with my River Plate blog, and Dave Martinez, clearly looking to get under my skin, tracks that other big club from Buenos Aires, Boca Juniors.

And the hardest working man in the blogosphere, Mauro, has been doing an excellent job covering South America’s two international cup competitions, the Copa Libertadores, and the Copa Sudamericana, where I’m sure he has never make the mistake of picking Liga over Estudiantes.

So please feel free to visit any of these fine sites. As for the WC blog, the numbers for the past few months have been amazing; we’ve consistently been one of the most visited blogs on the network, and almost always in the top 5. So thanks to all of you for your continued support, and thanks to all the new posters who have visited in the past few weeks. I look forward to reading all your great comments as the year winds down.

Riding a 5 game winless streak, with one loss and 4 consecutive draws, and questions of turmoil in the dressing room revolving around one of the squad’s most talented yet erratic stars, Alfo Basile’s squad is finding itself in a position that almost no one saw coming – desperately needing a victory to stop the bleeding. While many Argentina fans, myself included, may have assumed that Argentina’s main challenge during this qualifying group for South Africa was whether los albicelestes would finish ahead of Brazil for top stop, now, with strong performances from current leaders Paraguay, and a resurgent Uruguay and Chile (the last two representing Argentina’s next opponents during this international break), the question now seems to be if Argentina can comfortable finish within the top four spots that will qualify directly to the World Cup.

So what are your thoughts on tomorrow’s game – does it represent a must win for Argentina? Are you worried that if there is a real collapse over these next two games, that there will a chance that Argentina may struggle to even advance to the WC? Is Basile playing for his job, or is he practically out the door? And finally, should Riquelme be left in the squad?

The match will be played live tomorrow at 5PM ET/2PM PT. Please check back for the live blog here at the Argentina World Cup Blog, and look for links to the match prior to kickoff. Thanks for your continued support of this website, and good luck to all tomorrow.