Thats all true - but this group looks to him as their leader either way. We need him to mature and grow up - or someone else to emerge with a steadier leadership but that individual would have to earn it too...
You guys all make good points but at the end of the day James is who we got cause besides Falcao and Ospina there's nobody else. I do think that James sometimes shows immaturity but look what Messi did. He's about to get suspended and nobody questions his maturity.
i know we are critical at times of our beloved NT, but it pales in comparison to Argentina's internal struggles. How do you muster just one goal off a penalty last game when you have Aguero, Messi, Higuain and Di Maria on the pitch at the same time? they have one less goal than we do over 13 games... the AFA is their own worst enemy....i like to think of them as the South American version of England. A NT that excludes players like Cambiasso/Zanetti from the world cup (2010) and freezes out a playmaker like Riquelme (2010), and can't find a way to utilize players like Javier Pastore is beyond me. it's no wonder they have not won anything since 1991
i agree. it's great that Falcao has regained his form at the club level; but he needs to regain his form with the NT as well and be a healthy enough to be reliable for us. at least the opportunity will be there for Falcao given Bacca's sub-par run during the 2018 WCQs. Even if Bacca has a hat trick today, Falcao will likely be given an opportunity to start and lead the NT come August/September...
I think he was going to start on the bench. He might start now but regardless that altitude is going to be very hard to overcome. Bolivia saved 8 players just for this match. I really think Bolivia can get at least a tie here.
I don't agree. I don't think that James or Ospina have what it takes to be the captain. La Roca, Aguilar or Cuadrado for me are much more suitable for the job. So we do have other options but I accept the fact that since he is our most valuable player, then the players also consider him as a leader.
I don't think at this point Aguilar has a chance to be a captain.. He was absent for way too long and he's not getting any younger. I also can't see Cuadrado in that role. He hasn't shown that character but it doesn't mean that he can develop it at some point.
Argentina like us have been shitty for a long time just real lucky. They weren't that great at the WC or either Copa America. They got to the final but pretty lucky
i think there was a time during the 2010 and 2014 WCQs when Argentina played better without messi, but during the 2018 WCQ's it is amazing how the numbers compare with/without Messi http://www.cbssports.com/soccer/new...without-banned-messi-in-world-cup-qualifying/
It's Bauza. The guy was hired so as to coax Messi into coming back, probably giving Messi a direct say in the call ups and lineups. Bauza's no more than figurehead, and the center piece is now gone. Love it
I think Baal somewhat addressed this in the Ecuador thread but I personally want to see Falcao start with someone who can disbalance a defensive back line with speed, skill and agility. Someone like an Izzy in Belgium or Marlos if he can somehow get playing time. I think that is still lacking from this squad. Someone who can attack and do some funky moves to create for the main striker. That said, the lineup we saw yesterday can be effective on the road. Also a lineup with Muriel starting can also be effective. Just want some more dynamic players and versatility.
JAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA este par están dementes, mucho amarlos vida perra. 😂😂😂 https://t.co/VcXm48dYFv— Futbol Sin Cracks (@FutbolSinCrack) March 29, 2017
I just want to make the observation that if we win two of our last four matches we will end up with the same amount of points we did last qualification cycle. (30) Pretty impressive and should be doable. Get another positive result somewhere and we will be in better position than we were 4 years ago. (Of course we played more games this cycle with Brazil being involved so it does skew things a bit, but still.)
Forgetting WC product, with the exception of the 2010 WCQ, where we tied for 6th place with Ecuador but they had a leg up on GS, would haven meant a WC tix for us for 2002, 2006 and with something to fight for 2010. Looking at it from just a qualification standpoint, it would mean a very good chance for teams like Colombia to make the WC each 4 years and it will keep aspirations in tact for more nations in Conmebol that would be great to watch (Peru for example). For example with 4 games to go, Vzla who is in last place with 6 pts would still be technically in the running. Not that much different than our own local Colombian Primer A where the system plays not 1 but 2 championships a year that also include entry for almost 50% of it's teams competing in the 1st place. But yes a watered down WC in it's 1st phase.
To not qualify for a world cup under the new structure would require gross mismanagement and underachieving over a 2 year period. Assuming the top seeds of the group will continue to be based on FIFA rankings, it will be less difficult to accomplish since there will be 12 groups which means top 11 and home nation get a Pot A slot... Half glass full view: we can probably test more players in these "official" matches to see who can fill out a 23-man roster. personally, i'd like to see FIFA do away with the 3-GKs per team. 2 is enough. the number of times a 3rd keeper is used in WC history or WCQ history for that matter is probably less than 1% of all matches.
What sucks about about this is that Conmebol would apparently change the qualifying format and they would go back to breaking up the qualifying into two groups of 5 and let the top 3 teams from each group qualify. That would really kill all the excitement of qualifying.
Yup that would suck. The possibilities of getting an Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Chile and Bolivia group would grow exponentially. We almost always get Uruguay in the group. And Brazil, as always would get the "easiest" group.