Once again the Intercontinental Cup will be held in Tokyo. Despite the fact that Tevez is currently injured and has legal problems to play, he should be at the match. Three years ago Boca beat Real Madrid 2-1. The following year they lost to Bayern 0-1 with a golden goal. They come back to Tokyo for the third time in four years, with the same coach who took them there the previous 2 times, Bianchi. This Boca team is a solid team. The team work brought them to raise the Libertadores Cup. The same solid team work will give them the Argentinian tournament tomorrow, provided they win, with three games to go. I see Boca defeating Milan in this final. Furtheremore, Tevez is the closest to Maradona I've seen. And has already won more titles than Diego. My forecast: Boca 3 - Milan 1
I can tell you dont watch European soccer ..but thats ok cause I dont have the means to watch South American soccer (i.e nobody shows it). This match should be a game and a half, with that said I can confidently assert that the odds of European teams winning this annual match have been slightly better and so I think Milan will have the upper hand. I am very anxious to see Tevez play, because there has been so much talk about him and that he is supposedly a "maradonna" in the making which I find a little hard to believe, but nevertheless he is very well spoken of. Can't wait to see it, and I hope Boca will have all their players so they can provide a great fight. FOZA MILAN!
Re: Re: Boca - Milan ... Sunday December 14 @ 5am EST I do watch European soccer. Actually, nowadays the EPL and Spanish league must be the most entertaining soccer we have been able to witness in along time. The Serie A is a great tournament as well. Less spectacular, much more tactical. I'm a Juve fan, so don't be surprised by my forecast in my previous post. But nontheless, Milan is certainly a team to respect, as second to Juventus, LOL. The reasoning behind my post is merely based on the will to win the game. For Boca, this game means a real World Final. For Milan is another trophy. In my forecast I include that element that distinguishes this games. The desire. In this, few teams can rival Boca. Boca is Boca afterall. Who is going to stop Tevez? Remember the Napoli or the Argentina of Maradona? I can see Maldini on his knees trying to determine if it says #11 or not, beacuase Tevez has that ability to get passed the defense with a couple wiggles. With this I need to add that Milna is a highly respectful adversary. It lacks the hunger of Boca thou. We'll see on the 14th. Good luck. Not!
Boca will win it legally and ask for the abolition of the Pekerman Law. Can't wait to watch this game. As good as it gets, now that finally European clubs are paying full attention to this Cup.
Tevez apealed to the justice to avoid going to the Youth World Cup, after being nominated and given #10. According to a law from 1999, players called to the National Team have to go. If they don't go, they can't play with their teams while the tournament is going on. In this case, the Intercontinental happens during the WC. The judge ruled for Tevez based on liberty to work. Blatter has warned Tevez under influence of Grondona. Boca will eventually seek the abolition of the law as interfering the freedom to work, while all the other Argentinian clubs support the AFA. It is lame. A coach should talk to his player, and understand. Why force a player with the future of Tevez to miss the Intercontinental. They forget Boca is representing Argentinian soccer as well. Blame poor re-scheduling of the WC.
That's a bunch of garbage. And FIFA actually supports this? OK, if this law is true than answer this question. What would happen if Gabriele Batistuta was called up to the national team tomorrow and refused to go because he is retired from the national team. Could they restrict him from playing for his club in qatar? Or is it just limited to clubs in Argentina? And why is Tevez obligated to play for Argentina? What if he had a second passport to say Spain and said he wants to play for them? This whole issue brings up alot of questions.
Tevez is already capped, he's not able to play for another country, no matter what category (U15, U17 U20) once you played for "x" country you're not able to play for another one, no matter your second citizenship or multiple citizenship. Tevez is obbligated to play for Argentina because he already lead them to win the "Sudamericano" (southamerican tournament to determine who qualifies for the WC), a rejection to the call up might end up in a ban to the major NT, its an unwritten law. And the ban to play for his club it's AFA's, it applies only to argentinean clubs.
let's clarify this before we mix up two different things here, the punishment to refuse a call up and the AFA's restriction/regulation. To answer your question yes, an uncapped player wouldn't have any retaliation if he refuses to play for the NT, it happened last year to Marcelo Delgado, former Boca player and now in mexican club Cruz Azul, Bielsa called him up and he refused to play for them since he realized it was a "domestic" 11,(a "B" team if you will) argentinean based players who were called up due to a previous commitment of the AFA, Delgado knew he wouldnt be part of the "foreign" 11 or european based players (an "A" team if you will) that actually take part of the WCQ. So basicly if a player rejects to be part of the NT he wouldnt be called up again that's all, now AFA's normative penalizes if a player refuses to be part of the NT (in this case Tevez claimed he was still injured) then the rule is that since he didnt join the albiceleste, he wouldnt be allowed to play for his club while the NT plays in the tournament that the player didnt want to go to, the ICC its on december 14th and the WC will still be on, therefore the ban is still in effect. I think this is stupid since a player should be able to choose if he wants to play for his club or his NT, he has been quoted as "I dont want to be forced to choose, just let me play and I'll do it gladly in either the seleccion or Boca" but he knows deep inside him that he wants to win the ICC with his club, it is challenging to win an international award over a powerhouse like Milan and claim tobe World Champions since they beat the european's best club. I hope this clarifies the scenario.
2 problems I see: 1) The dates for the Youth WC. FIFA was forced to change them to December. 2) The Pekerman Law. It was created in 1999, when Pekerman was in charge of the Argentinian National teams. It reflects a philosophy that intends to avoid cases like Redondo's. Tevez played the Sudamericano for Argentina. Being capped is relative only. They wanted him, and didn't consider the ICC. It is mostly politics. Why call him if he preferred to play the ICC?
Re: Tevez Sits on Bench For Entire WYC Game vs. Spain He didn't travel with the team. He stayed in Buenos Aires.
Re: Re: Tevez Sits on Bench For Entire WYC Game vs. Spain Tevez will play against milan. Be sure of that. 100% sure
i don't know what is the problem in playing in both tournaments? the ICC match is in 14 Dec and that is 1 day b4 the semis and 2 days b4 the quarter finals according 2 the world cup schedule. i think he could have come 2 the WC and played the 1st and 2nd round given that he is not injured of course and then travel 2 japan and then return 2 play the final or 3rd place match if argentina reached the semis. and i don't know why winning the ICC is more important than winning the world cup even if it is 4 under 20? looking at former winners like saviola and d'alesandro and b4 them like samuel and aimar and what they have achieved after winning the cup, he should have choosen 2 play 4 the NT but i think that boca pressured him 2 play 4 them and not going with the NT!
You are right in the schedule part. He could had missed a game or two in quarters and semis to go to Tokyo. The reasoning is politics inside Argentinian football. Now, in terms of which tournament is more important, there is no way Tevez would swap the ICC for the Youth WC. He is a hardcore Boca fan. For him, the maximum glory would be to list the trophie in Tokyo. Unless it is the 2006/2010/2014 World Cups. For Boca, and specially for their fans, the Libertadores is as important as the ICC. I believe so too. Afterall, this is the only match between a European and South American club which is played for any "glory". The importance of the game is growing in countries like Spain. I'll post this article which appeared around this time last year in Madrid's Diario AS. It's in Spanish, and illustrates the voice of one of Madrid's most influential newspapers. The fans read, and you know what happens after ... Diario AS, Madrid December 02, 2002 JUANMA TRUEBA Viajar tiene ventajas, aprendes cosas. A fuerza de viajar a *#*#*#ón hemos terminado por aprender la importancia de una Copa que despreciamos por no ganarla. Por no jugarla, más bien. Copa Toyota, dijimos, ni siquiera Mercedes; tantos años sin mandar en Europa que nos dio acidez. Sin embargo, cuando el Real Madrid ganó la Intercontinental en 1998, después de 38 años de vuelos domésticos, descubrimos, sorprendidos, que la congoja de los derrotados, el Vasco de Gama, era casi superior a la alegría de los triunfadores. En América ganar esta Copa es ser campeón del mundo, dijo alguien para explicarlo. Y se comprobó hace dos años, cuando se vio festejar el título al Boca Juniors, hasta Palermo reía. Ese día empezó a doler el torneo. Y a gustar. Campeón del mundo. Sonaba bonito. Y Europa se quedaba corta. Y el Toyota es un buen coche. Y aquí nos hallamos. Con el Madrid de un lado y el Olimpia de otro. A los primeros les cabe cualquier adjetivo, de galácticos a somnolientos; en busca del triplete que añadir a Champions y Supercopa. De los segundos sólo se puede decir que son paraguayos. Lucha desigual, y por ello, para no ser prepotentes, hay que buscar razones para el respeto, quizá Benítez, quizá que habitan entre Argentina y Brasil y de esa mezcla podría salir el jugador perfecto, mitad dóberman mitad cisne. Pero la humildad dura poco. El pasado reciente nos enseña que este Madrid es un equipo que, por tenerlo todo, sólo se motiva para estos partidos con premio directo, tan distraído en una Liga que se gana recortando cupones. Exactamente esa es la razón por la que se espera hoy a Ronaldo, imposible disculparle más, primero fueron los bollos, luego el poco rodaje y al final la gripe: le falta quedarse embarazado. Otra excusa sería absentismo laboral y el resto del equipo parece sentirlo de la misma forma. De momento, hay señales para el optimismo: al genio ya se le notan los pómulos y nunca ha ganado este trofeo, al igual que Figo. Luego está *#*#*#ón y el estadio de Yokohama, lugar de su resurrección. Pero tal vez como una treta para que el Madrid se confíe, pocas horas antes del partido se anuncia que el Olimpia pondrá el autobús, que los paraguayos se quejan del tamaño de la hierba, tan cortada como un green. Ellos preferían un pasto, con cocodrilos, a ser posible, porque su única opción es convertir en un enredo cualquier atisbo de partido pijo: que no ruede el balón, que rueden ellos. Ahora que por fin entendemos la importancia de la intercontinental sabemos que la gloria que espera sólo es comparable al dolor que causaría el batacazo. Pero el riesgo compensa.
Re: Re: Re: Tevez Sits on Bench For Entire WYC Game vs. Spain He wont. Boca has no chance of beating Milan without Tevez. Boca has been having trouble scoring lately and I just don't see them scoring without Tevez against a team with such a good defense as Milan. Schellotto barely started playing again, Darley does he ever score? Boca either scores first or they won't win the game. I don't see them scoring 2 goals against Milan without Tevez. If they score first they can counterattack and sit on the lead. milan 2 - boca 0
Re: Re: Re: Re: Tevez Sits on Bench For Entire WYC Game vs. Spain Tevez WILL play. Tevez's lawyer retired their case from courts today. This was asked by Grondona, AFA president. With Boca champion of the Apertura, and the fact that he won't play in the local tournament (something the other clubs would had objected), the feasibility of Tevez being allowed by AFA to play in Tokyo is almost 100%. The reason given to FIFA by AFA of why Tevez didn't go to EAU is injury. This protects Tevez from Blatter's comments a few days back in which Blatter said Tevez could end up playing football in the moon. Lastly, don't forget Boca is representing Argentinian football in Tokyo. AFA won't strip them of their best player. ------------------------------------ Article in today's Ole-Argentina: Tevez está más cerca de jugar contra el Milan Juan José Etala, el abogado que patrocinó a Tevez en el recurso de amparo, retiró la presentación judicial y accedió a los pedidos de Grondona, quién había dicho que de no quitar el amparo creía que Carlitos “no podría jugar en *#*#*#ón”. Ayer a la noche, durante una reunión en la AFA con Tevez y sus allegados, Grondona dejó bien en claro una cuestión: no habría posibilidad de negociar que Carlitos juegue contra el Milan mientras no se retirase el recurso de amparo presentado ante la justicia laboral. Hoy, Juan José Etala, el abogado del jugador, accedió al pedido y retiró dicho amparo. Así, la salida política empezó a manejarse. Por lo pronto, Jorge Baptista, vocero de la FIFA, quien se encuentra en Emiratos Arabes presenciando el Mundial Sub 20, señaló que “las autoridades del fútbol argentino comunicaron que Tevez está lesionado y que fue por eso que no pudo venir''. De esta manera, puso paños fríos a las declaraciones de Blatter, quien había dicho el miércoles que Carlitos “podía terminar jugando al fútbol en la Luna, o en un tribunal”. Por otra parte, el mismo Grondona admitió que a esta altura “es imposible que Tevez vaya a Emiratos”. Con el campeonato ya resuelto (lo que evita un foco de conflicto con los equipos que sí cedieron a sus jugadores), la puerta para que Carlitos esté en *#*#*#ón está cada vez más abierta.
I hope Tevez plays as well. The ICC would lose something if he wasn't there. Here's my take on the game. Boca will not score on Milan. This Boca side has never come up against a defense like this Milan squad. I don't think this Boca is as good as the 2000 version. They don't have enough creativity in midfield to break down Milan. And if they throw caution to the wind and attack Milan they will get burned on the counter. I see a 1-0 win for Milan with Pippo getting the lone goal.
Bianchi is too smart to throw caution to the wind. I think they will pressure in midfield, but keep a defensive formation. They will play conservative and try to win by betting on the individual creativity from Tevez, Iarley or Barros Schelotto. Or maybe a header on a free kick or corner kick from Schiavi or one of the other defenders. But you are right about Milan's defense. For example, the speed of a player like Clemente Rodriguez creates problems in Argentina, but it will not be something the Italians aren't used to. If Milan plays the way they usually play, it will probably a match about as exciting as the Champion's cup final. But as a typical myopic fan I have a strong faith that Boca will find a way to win.
Totally agree with the quotes above. I have always believed that the South American club always had more of a desire to win this match than the Europeans, mainly because I feel that the South Americans want to show all of Europe that their clubs are just as strong. Also, the South American players know that with Europe watching, this may be their one opportunity to showcase their talents in the hope that a European club will show some interest in buying them. (That is, players who don't play on their national teams.) As much as I love to watch the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A, I ALWAYS root for the South American champ in this match... especially when it's Boca!
So in summary ... European teams ... in this case Milan, minimize this game because of the embarrassment of losing? They'll need to minimize it then.