Argentina squad of 23 for the World Cup

spot on

 

We had something back then that we dont have now. You cant expect Messi to carry this team the way that Maradona carried them. Not only that, but he shouldnt have to do it because of the immense talent we have. I still admire your optimism and maybe after the first game I'll get some of that! I wouldnt mind winning ugly as you suggest we have been doing, but I am not seeing that still. I'm just seeing us win through luck and moments of individual brilliance, and that isn't going to win the world cup alone.

 

I dont know you have 3 strikers that can create for themselves and ppl around them then you got a CM that can pull some strings in midfield if that doesnt work you have a winger that can make plays in Sosa another winger that can send in some passes in Lavezzi and a heck of a playmaker in Pastore

To me the midfield is rock solid other than Banega not being there. I dont see anyone else being better options than those guys.

 

The foreigner hates are gonna hate. Maradona means well, so let's see where he brings us.

 

They create for themselves when they have the ball, which is not enough. And a CM that barely creates anything. My hope is that Pastore gets to play for most of the tournament for one reason or another. That is the only chance that our amazing strikers will have at getting the ball.

 

Lavezzi and Di Maria do not create for themselves bro Di Maria has been Argentina's best creator since the olympics and Messi is in a slump with the NT thats all otherwise both of those guys will create chances for themselves and others. Same goes to Jose Sosa whos a playmaking side midfielder and yet Sergio Aguero is a creator when playing his role which is behind a lone striker like he did vs Russia.

Pastore is the best playmaker in Argentina right now and Jose Sosa is the best player in Estu which is the best team in SA right now so i dont know who you fans are asking for or what you're asking for.

Riquelme is injured so drop the Riquelme crap and Aimar is not the same Aimar bro and for some reason all of a sudden everyone is asking for D`alessandro? you guys are kidding me right?

 

Maradona has still picked the best attack in the world but the midfield is a concern and I must admit that I don't know much about your defence aside from the Serie A players.

I don't know how Demichelis is for Argentina but I'm not a fan of him as a defender. At Bayern, I thought he was at his best as a DM. Otamendi is rated highly from what I've read of him. Heinze has a big name but I don't know what most people think of him now. I'd only pick him because he has experience but he isn't like Samuel, Burdisso and Zanetti, who have been in form and involved in the Serie A title race. Heinze has won the French title with Marseille so at least he's in a winning team.

I'll agree with the notion that Messi can't carry this team and that he shouldn't need to.

 

Sing along with me:

Vamos Vamos Argentina!!!!

Vamos Vamos a ganar!!!!!

 

bah! lets really get the songs going! Some news songs, maybe fix the `86. My spanish writing skills are average at best, one of my cousins wife corrects me when I'm writing to her in msn chat. Hey but I learned everything myself with no schooling, how to read, write and speak Spanish. Pretty impressive huh!
























There's 4-5 names in the list of 30 that shouldn't be there, most reason here that it's because they'll offer heart and grit and are home based. That's nice, too bad none of these even featured in important matches that can remember. When he puts these type of players in and omits strong players he's been using, you can say he's an idiot in that sense.

 

The 1986 team was very defensive. It's easy to forget because one sees mostly the goals.

The defense was el Tata Brown, el Cuchu Cuciuffo, el Cabezon Ruggeri and Olarticoechea, with two defensive mids: Checho Batista and Ricardo Giusti.

Then, el Negro Enrique and Diego were playmakers with refensive duties. You could see Diego running back all the way to the DM position when Batista or Giusti had added themselves to the defense. Same with el Negro.

It was a very defensive teams, with the defenders staying put (except for Olarticoechea). Burruchaga was not a pure striker, but mostly a withdrawn striker, he even played as as attacking mid often.

Compared to that, this team is much more attacking. But the creators then (Maradona and Enrique) were forward in the field than the expected creators now (Masche and Veron). I guess Diego expects Messi to assume the role of creator, as well.

Or to bring in one of Pastore or Sosa to sub in for Veron in the second half.

 

Yeah even up to 2002, All Argentina World Cup teams were defensively sound. There always was that hard, strong, fighting work ethic. However, things changed a bit.

 

Wow.

Crazy day, but i can scarcely remember a "call up" day when there was not a serious discontent from a large and loud sector of hinchas regarding the makeup of the provisional squad.

The Bad:

Zanetti is inexcusable, and simply down to phat fu(k not liking him. There is nothing - NOTHING - Heinze does which is superior to that which Zanetti does/can do. You leave home a very well respected locker room player who can back it up on the field. Maradumass should be ashamed of himself for this. He isn't. Cara dura to the tee.

There is a young, 6-1 goal scoring CF born Argentino in Germany playing for Borussia Dortmund who would have ben a superior choice to over-the-hill Palermo. His inclusion would have merely necessitated calling him up one time. But now Lucass Barrios is a Guarani, and we have a Palermo whom has never done anything worth a sh1t at the international level. It is not a coincidence that three - THREE - national team managers have passed on the slow, lumbering languid Palermo. But not sober-for-6-years Diego.

I'm a Newell's guy. Love La Lepra, I am very proud of them. But if we stick to the local scene, Cellay or De Sabato from Estudiantes are both playing as well if not better than Insa and Clemente, and the former duo have big game (Copa Lib/World Club Cup) experience where they have excelled. Insaurallde is a very good PROMISING young player whom will figure into the Albiceleste in the future.

Just not now.

Otamendi, sorry, is in the same boat. I've seen him as nothing but a liability. If fat a55 is basing much of his decision making on the "finest hour" Germany game, Otamndi was a liability through out. Don't beleive me, watch the game again if you can find it.

Burdisso plays hard, but he is a fouling machine. His nickname should be the "Ginsu knife" the way he chops everything down. He will be a liability in the WC, where refs more often call it MUCH tighter than they do in their leagues.

If you take a flier on the talent and POTENTIAL of Otamendi, Insaurralde, Pastore - guys who WILL feature in several WCs in the future - why not do the same for Barrios now, and lock in a stud?

In the mind of Mr. Bolivian-Marching-Powder Maradona, Cambiasso has the great misfortune of not being as good a defender as Mascherano, and not as accomplished or precise an attacking player as Veron. If the middle can't inlcude guys like Banega, D'Alessandro (who's really, really playing very well in Brasil) then how can it include someone who excels at nothing better than other players? Personally, Banega can do it all better than ANY midfielder we have out there, and Cambiasso can do anything that is asked of him. I'll also say that a guy like Cholo Guinazu could perform the role of Mascherano as well as anyone called up to be the supposed backup.

The Good:

No one has a better front seven than Argentina. No one. Lots of deserving guys left out, with the exception of Palermo, and he is certainly a proven big CF. Even with that, if Veron and whomever else will be called upon to dispense the sphere when Veron gets hurt/tired can find and set up the guys in front of him, there are proven finishers/ "assasins" through out the front seven.

Tired, hitting the sack.

Charlamos mas manana.





If he takes anyone from Newell's, I would have taken Formica. Has pacem good touch, on fire lately. In the place of another former Leproso whom i love, Maxi. But Maxi shouldn't be on this squad in the place of other players. Not tough to admit.

 

Just consider that perhaps he talked to players like Zanetti and Cambiasso and told them it was not likely that they were going, and whether they'd prefer to be left out right away or to try to earn their chance (even if it was a slim one to begin with) in camp.

I can see big names just telling Diego, "che, si no voy a ir al fin de cuentas, ¿para que me llevás a la concentración?"

 

Demi has been solid for the NT so far and im sure Heinze will step up Zanetti was in Maradona's plans for a while but got exposed easily in a couple of matches where he had to defend some fast players and was killed during those matches which made Diego drop him from the NT.

I really dont see the midfield being a problem ill tell you why

- Mascherano, Di Maria, Jonas, Pastore are no concern for people so ill discuss the others.

- Mario Bolatti: Yes he has been terrible for Fiorentena but he did score a goal that sent us to the wc and played well in those crucial matches when no other CM or DM decided to step up

- Juan Mercier: Even though many dont really like him he plays in Argentinos and as of right now his team is leading the Clasura! so that should tell you something about their stopper in midfield no? maybe not the best but is a solid DM

- Jesus Datolo: Remember what i said about Jonas? he plays like crap for his team but whenever he puts on the NT jersey hes a different human? this guy has had an impact in almost every game he has played for the NT so far.

- Jose Sosa: He was playing very well for Bayern before they loaned him to Estu he was their creator and last second sub in every game and started to play very well then they loaned him and continued his superb form.

- Maxi Rod: Hes there because hes been to the 06 WC and has been in good form with Liverpool.

- Seba Blanco: This kid is talented as good as a playmaker you'll get hes young and inexperienced but i always thought hed be my choice behind Pastore however hes only on this list incase of an injury so i doubt he makes the final 23

Better options? Yea Banega is better than Mercier and Gago is currently playing better than Bolatti but other than that you can't really argue about the rest of the selections in midfield

 

All this talk about Messi winning Argentina the World Cup is ridiculous. He's 22 and this isn't the 60's where things like that were capable. I don't give a crap what Pele fanatics claim. I've watched Pele eterno and the difference beteween tactics, defenses, etc.... is completely obvious. Noboy nowadays with the advances in the game is going to expect a 22 year old to win his country everything.

Simply put this pressure on Messi is ridiculous and as someone said it shouldn't be that way since if picked correctly Argentina has enough talent ALL AROUND to win the cup without having ot rely on a single player.

I don't care what Diego says in some press conference, I care about what I see on the pitch and what I see is a team that's 1) Not organized and 2) Has a coach who simply knows very little of tactics and what it actually means to be a coach.

Sorry to be pessimistic but simply put untill I see otherwise I'm going to go with what's painfully obvious to anyone who doesn't blindly support Diego. Sorry but one friendly aginst Germany is not going to make me forget all the crap performances the team has put up for the past year.

 

The thing is though, I don't mean players like Cambiasso or Zanetti. How did some of those home based players make the squad anyway, I don't even remember them playing in the non-fifa sanctioned friendlies.

 

Yes, you are absoutely correct. and with the exception of Maradon's personal fluffer NYCCosmos , most here will agree.

But - to use an expression i otherwise loathe - It is what it is. I can only presume that the choices which he made are related to some form of strategy for this ENTIRE squad.

Just looking at the fullback depth chart makes me want to throw up.

 

We can all look at the list and know instantly who's going and who isn't, maybe with one exception. But the real reason he included some of those home based players is two fold. One it doesn't raise undue expectations with players like Zanetti and Cambiasso and secondly it keeps other teams guessing.

They all expect Maradona to truly be considering those players when in reality we all know they are smoke screens.

 

Wow, everyone on here is being so optimistic and cheerful.

Funny, but when Pekerman did not pick Zanetti (or Saumel or Demichelis) I can't remember there being such a fuss about it on this board, in fact certain posters were claiming it was the right thing to do as Zanetti was "cursed" and Scaloni made people laugh.

Seriously though, very dissapointed that Banega did not make that list, he deserved to on merit. Also what is it with Coloccini, Argentina manager after Argentina manager has picked this guy and I can't think of a single thing he has ever done for the NT, or at club level to be honest, where for Newcatsle he has been a joke.

 

Pekerman left Zanetti off the squad in 06, so I really don't see the outrage that everyone is spewing.

Cambiasso, well maybe the guy just has a bad ********ing attitude and doesn't like following orders. Who knows why Diego doesn't like Cuchu. It's obvious that he's a great player but he just doesn't fit into the system or the group which is probably worse.

That's it, it's done, they aren't going. Let's move on and concentrate on the people who are going.

 

Banega was the biggest upset for me, I was expecting either him or lucho to go they could've been a big help to our midfield but now the pressure lies on bolatti and or mercier.......

I don't think colocinni should've beenp picked but he's not a flop at newcastle he was voted the player of the season for them.

 

Thank you very much this is exactly what im trying to say and other than banega in midfield im not that dissapointed about other callups even though i thought 1 more RB should have been included but its fine since Jonas can play there as well.

As far as Pekerman not picking Zanetti the dude picked Cruz ahead of a young Millito and Zanetti was still in his prime!!!!!!!!!!! and i still remember ppl not even complaining about those picks

 

Meathead Maradona has stated he is going to defend utilizing four center backs. Not sure what Colochinni does better than G Milito, Schiavi or even De Sabato, except for commit his fouls further away from the box.

I agree with Ardiles, this team will not get out of the first round ... or win the whole thing.

Hope its the latter.

 

No offense, but flaco, but you were not on this board at the time of both those selections and the subsequent world cup. So let me assure all of you who seem to think no stink was raised from the exclusion of Zanetti and Samuel, that you are very, very wrong. The vast majority were bitchin about it, quite often and quite pointedly.

Anyone who says otherwise was not on the BS forums at the time.

 

I heard were gonna play a lateral and Diego might change up the formation in the 2nd or 3rd game so what are wee looking at here? 4-2-2-2 or 4-3-3 like we did against Catalunya? id really wanna see one of those two

----------Romero
Jonas--Demi---Samuel--Heinze

-------Masche--Veron
Lavezzi/Sosa
-----------------------------Di Maria
------------Messi
------------------Higuain

Or

---------Romero
Jonas--Demi---Samuel--Heinze
--------Masche--Bolatti

------------Pastore
Messi--------------------Di Maria
------------Higuain