In light of the Brazil loss.

[TKORL]

Don't worry boys, Mauro Zarate will lead the senior team to glory!

The world will tremble under his collective might!

Bitches.

[TKORL]

Throughout the tournament, even in the games Argentina dominated, there was one thing that kept nagging: even though we kept posession as per our strategy, we surrounded the box, but in the way of chances, we couldn't really create chances regularly until later on, when the opposing defenses tired and started making mistakes. Whenever our opponents massed up the defense in the box, we could always pass the ball around the box and wait for the defense to open up, but today, the best team we faced, Brazil didn't open up. When the other defense does not give up openings, we run out of ideas.


Beautiful football, my ass.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

If his finishing and set pieces are even half as good as Rolando's then you have a star. I say that because I have yet to see a lot of Mauro yet.

[Fgiriun]

Los argentinos siempre piensa en la seleccion argentina, cunda ganan todo esta bien, cuando pierde todo se cae al piso. Nosotros no devemos de calentarnos por eso, el pais fue formado mucho antes de que la seleccion esistiera. Los brazilenos tienen mucha ventaja sobre argentina , sobre todo por su poblaccion, i para el futbol la raza. Devemos de dejar a los brazilenos que se rompen al culo asiendo lo que saben mas, pero nosotros debemos de querer al pais, debemos de usar la intelligencia (algo que los argentinos tienen ventaja sobre los brazileros por la raza). Si todo este sufrimiento es por rivalidad con los brazilenos tenemos que dejar el futbol I buscar la falicidad advancando a este pais tecnologicamente I militarmente. Pero ustedes desidan, quieren mas a la seleccion o al pais? Yo me pregunto que ariamos si los brasilenos deciden invadirnos algun dia.

[DiVo0oNeH]

Throughout the tournament, even in the games Argentina dominated, there was one thing that kept nagging: even though we kept posession as per our strategy, we surrounded the box, but in the way of chances, we couldn't really create chances regularly until later on, when the opposing defenses tired and started making mistakes. Whenever our opponents massed up the defense in the box, we could always pass the ball around the box and wait for the defense to open up, but today, the best team we faced, Brazil didn't open up. When the other defense does not give up openings, we run out of ideas.


Beautiful football, my ass.


loooooool true

[Dr. Know]

If his finishing and set pieces are even half as good as Rolando's then you have a star. I say that because I have yet to see a lot of Mauro yet.

I think he was being sarcastic since there was a former poster that got banned who thought Zarate was the second coming of Christ.

At least I hope he was being sarcastic.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Thanks for the update. Since we are discussing Mauro, did he inherit finishing and set piece ability from his older brother?

[Dr. Know]

Thanks for the update. Since we are discussing Mauro, did he inherit finishing and set piece ability from his older brother?

Yes he did but he's way too selfish. He's young so he can fix that but still it's his biggest fault.

[afar]

The main problem was in the Argentine players' heads.......it was mostly a mental problem.......Argentine players just froze on the ocassion. That is exactly what set Maradona apart.....

Maradona was not just about skill ---- he was skill, heart, strength, determination......in Italia 90 (probably his worst world cup), playing on one leg, he drove past the Brazilians, he missed a penalty, came back to hit a penalty against Italy and on more than one occasion flew past 4-5 Italian tackles, and almost led a very inferior Argentina past Germany.

I remember what Caniggia said during one of his interviews.....he said that Maradona could just stand there in the middle of the park and do nothing, and his teammates would still get spirited to go on and play.

That was what Maradona was about. There was no way he would have let Argentina drop down their heads like they did yesterday.

But Messi is very young, and he may still become the fighter Argentina needs. Maradona himself won with Argentina after 25 years of age.
But there will be no Maradona again; Argentina just needs a TEAM of fighters.........and with their skill, they will win trophies, iA.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Cheers. I haven't been able to keep as up-to-date with the league as I previously did. :o :(

[Dr. Know]

Well he was excellent in the Apertura 2006 where he finished top scorer along with Palacio. He scored 12 goals in 18 games. But then last Clausura he was mediocre and his selfishness was really obvious. Now for some reason he decided to make a horrible career move by going to play in some club in Qatar.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

I think we all know the reason but it is still strange for a younger player to make the move.

[TKORL]

I don't blame him for the move.

He's 20 years old, rich, gets paid to kick a ball, probably will have an obscenely attractive trophy wife soon.

Poor guy.

[TKORL]

Now that it's the next morning, we can really start thinking clearly about what went wrong yesterday. The first goal was a great goal, and it was just one of those moments. Second goal, a couple of things went wrong, first, no one marked Alves as he went down, and secondly, Ayala was too far upfield, and by the time he read the counterattack, he had to sprint back at top speed and slide...The third goal...our defenders could not mark. Period.

[TKORL]

Let me preface by saying that I think Riquelme is a good player and I enjoy watching him play his game as much as the next guy. However, I don't think he's good enough to lead the attack.

I'm actually going to go back to 06, because the same thing applies today.

The ideal Roman inspired goal would be the famous goal against S&M. But we have to realize that it was only a great goal, because it went IN! If the stars hadn't aligned properly, and Cambiasso had fluffed it, we just passed the ball around the field with no end product. The great thing about the goal was that we kept possession from the opposition, and waited and waited until the defense made some mistakes and went for it. But say we go down a goal or two, and we now have a very inefficient way of playing. As for Roman's role in that play was not that of a playmaker. Why? He didn't create the chance. Roman was instrumental in keeping possession of the ball and distributing it well throughout the field, but all of our players are technically skilled enough to pass the ball around the field. The role of the playmaker was to take the passing move, and turn it into a goalscoring opportunity. Did he do that? NO. The player who created the chance from the passing move was Saviola, who instinctively broke for goal and created the chance.

Throughout this Copa, we've seen the same thing, pass the ball and wait for an opening, but the job of the playmaker is to actually go and create an opening! Anyone can pass the ball around. If we play a traditional enganche, he has to essentially do everything, keep possession through passing, cause disruption by dribbling through defenses, create scoring chances, and finish them off. Riquelme cannot do all that. In addition, if we keep insisting on a slow passing game, we're reduced to working the ball up the field, for ONE chance, and if it doesn't work, we go and try it again. In terms of efficiency, it's arguably the one of the least efficient ways of playing (along with hitting long balls upfield).

Throughout this Copa, 95% of Romans passes have been sideways or backwards, with only 5% being forward passes. How can we have a CAM who doesn't pass the ball forward? There's nothing wrong with passing the ball back or sideways, but WE DON"T NEED TO PLAY AN ENGANCHE FOR THAT PURPOSE.

Argentina's strength has been producing a lot of short, quick guys with great ball skills. Why don't we use this to our advantage? I'd much rather we played physical central midfielder with good distribution who could move the ball up quickly, with creativity coming from the likes of Messi, Saviola, and Aimar.

If you look at some of the succesful teams of today, almost none have a dictating playmaker like of old. Milan has Kaka, but he's not exactly a playmaker, he's fast, physical, good dribbler, and can create and finish scoring opportunities, but his passing and distribution are nothing like Zidane or Riquelme. Same for Seedorf. As for Barca, their game involves Xavi and Iniesta as the orchestrators who quickly move the ball upfield and can regularly get the ball to the attack. Liverpool relies on a commanding CM in Gerrard surrounded by quick players in Xabi, Garcia, Kuyt. ManU relies on very fast wingplay from Giggs and Ronaldo, while aided by Carrick's good distribution, and of course Scholes' commanding presence.

I would much rather have creativity in the attack come from all directions, midfield, forwards, wings, and even defense, rather than concentrating it on one player. And if anyone is capable of that it is the Argentine NT.


I think we should send the traditional enganche the way of the sweeper.

[BigSoccer Bot]

En Venezuela la Selección argentina volvió a ilusionar, como otras veces, con muy buen juego y goles. Y nuevamente se quedó con las manos vacías. Consultado por Clarín, opina el mundo del fútbol.

More... (http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/07/17/deportes/d-1459033.htm)