It was an open secret really. COCO gave ROMAN the captain arm-band for the first game in his new tenure (against Brazil in London, when we lost 3-0).
Soon after that, RIQUELME announced his retirement from International football but the reasons he gave for taking that measure (his mother´s health), plus the fact that before making it public, he called the manager to let him know first-hand, kept the manager from being mad or angry at RIQUELME and most importantly, the door remained wide open.
Now, with a renewed interest from ROMAN to be a part of the team that will go and play the Copa America in Venezuela (June-July 2007), Alfio BASILE will embrace him once again as he considers RIQUELME a great playmaker and an important member of his squad.
Where will VERON stand in this? Well...I don´t think we should really compare VERON with RIQUELME. Or make them compete for the playmaker spot as I think BASILE will see VERON more as a right midfielder (probably) rather than have him sitting behind the two strikers as he´ll like to see ROMAN.
Plus...according to BASILE, there is never an excess of talented footballers. That´s a rule in his book.
Many managers will be scared to bring to a World Cup many offensive players (take a look at Sven Goran Eriksson with England (he took an unfit Michael OWEN, an injured Wayne ROONEY and an unkwown Theo WALCOTT to join the only game-ready forward he had Peter CROUCH. So just four attacking men! Too little!).
BASILE in 94 used Claudio CANIGGIA, Gabriel BATISTUTA, Abel BALBO, Diego MARADONA and he even had offensive midfielders Leonardo RODRIGUEZ, substitute forward Ramón MEDINA BELLO and a young Ariel ORTEGA in the mix.
I see no reason for VERON and RIQUELME to co-exist in the team. Of course, I don´t want them to be picked because of their names. I want them to perform in order to deserve the call.
VERON did it last season by becoming one of the best players of the tournament, helping his team of moderate budget (Estudiantes de La Plata) beat millonaires Boca Juniors to the title.
Will RIQUELME do the same this time around?
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4 comments:
If you look at Veron's situation, he was dumped out of the national team at the peak of his career, mostly for the sake of Riqulme. Yet he never gives up hope to play for the national team and sometime I have the feeling that he sacrificed his self-esteem and begged Pekerman to call him.
Riquelme's situation is the other extreme. He is the absolute center of the national team in the last two years, Pekerman sacrifized many great players for his sake (Veron, Zanetti, etc.). Yet he behaved like a spoilt brat and quitted national team with riduculous reason.
If Coco called Riquleme it is his choice. But for me if he does that he is announcing to the world he will keep on spoiling Riquleme, as if the earth will stop rotating without him, which is an absolute joke for me.
In part you´re right Lucy, but the real reason why VERON was not present under PEKERMAN was because the manager was a big fan of SORIN and VERON and SORIN hate each other.
SORIN was PEKERMAN´s captain and he couldn´t have VERON knowing they can´t stand each other.
Now I don´t like when personal arguments, rifts or stuff like those get in the way of the team´s benefit and I think it was an error from PEKERMAN to be unable to solve the situation and move forward.
It won´t be the same with COCO. If he thinks a player is beneficial for the team and he is enemies with another player he wants to have in his national team, he´ll sort their difference and have them to co-exist for the good of the group.
Thank you Seba for your information.
One reason I don't like Pekerman is that he spoiled his favorite players too much (Sorin, Riquelme, etc) and dumped great players too easy (Veron, Zanetti, Samuel). I see absolute no reason he should dump Zanetti and Samuel and took guys like Scaloni, Coloccini and Cufre. The only reason I heard is that Pekerman's favorites don't like them (just the way they don't like Veron) so Pekerman dumped them to avoid any internal problem.
If you see the way Klinsman treated Lehmann and Kahn, and the way two gaolkeepers shaked hands before the penalty kick-out, you know the difference. And it is not surprising Klinsman beat Pekerman.
It is all history now, but I hope the following managers can learn the hard leson.
Frankly speaking, I don't like the way Riquelme treated the national team. He is almost like a spoilt 5-year-old who threw a tamper tandrum whenver he wants to.
Let's look at the heroes who actually brought world cup back to Argentina: Passarella, Kempes, Maradona, Valdano, Burruchaga, they all gave everything they had to the national team, I didn't see anyone who is so spoilt and selfish like him.
Maradona might have many shortcomings but whenever national team called him he gave his whole heart and soal. So who does Riquelme think he is? God???
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