Sunday, October 11, 2009

This is what happens to me with PALERMO

It's not that I hate him. I don't. I've never liked him as a football player, but I've learned to respect him.

It's not that I have anything against him. No. He seems to be a very calmed and humble guy who has achieved a lot of things in his career and none of those things came easy to him. He worked for them. He works very hard for all the good things that happen to him all the time and he worked even more when things didn't go his way.

He has had plenty of rough patches during his career:

- Three penalty-kicks misses in one match with Argentina, something for what he's been crucified. In fact, many people in the world simply know him as 'the guy who missed three penalties in one match'.

- A brick wall collapsed on his leg while celebrating a goal for Villarreal in Spain.

- He damaged his knees more than once and his career was on the line many times.

He came back stronger from all those blows and some more that have to do with his private life.

My problem with PALERMO is that I feel that, for whatever reason, his time with the national team shouldn't be now. Not with the number of quality strikers that are currently shining in Europe and never got a decent chance to play for Argentina.

One other big reason for me to take this position is that I've always liked my forwards to be good players. To be skilful. To be complete. My all-time favourite is not Argentine, is Dutch: Marco VAN BASTEN.

That's why I can respect a guy with a zillion goals scored in his career, but it'd be very very difficult to me to worship a player like that. Respect him? Yes. Fear him? Sometimes, yes. But loved him to bits? That's a whole different matter to me.

Even the great Batigol was not the most gifted player and it took a long time before I started feeling some love for him. Though I think Gabriel BATISTUTA was a much better player than PALERMO.

To help me explain where I'm coming from, I feel Argentina should be playing a more fluent kind of football. I feel we shouldn't be in such a desperate situation, which of course, calls for desperate measure (and that's where PALERMO comes in).

We've been struggling to find a proper system or a reliable lineup and we've been seeing how both BASILE and MARADONA tried different options to no success.

By rescuing our national team last night, PALERMO (as innocent as he is in this whole mess) is somehow validating what GRONDONA did by appointing MARADONA and what MARADONA did by taking our national team to the desperate situation we are now.

That's my problem with PALERMO. I still thank him for scoring that goal, but frankly, it kills me because I know he'll now become a regular and he'll prevent us from seeing better, faster and more complete players.

I'm writing this when the PALERMOMANIA is hitting an all-time high in Argentina. Doubt PALERMO and you'll be ridiculed in any public forum where football is discussed in this country.

They are probably right. Results are everything in modern football to many people.

Not for me. I still have pretty clear in my mind the horrendous second half we played last night. I'm still pretty worried about the fact that playing like this, we won't get too many wins down the road.

I'm not one of those many Argentina fans who are now committing to God and resting assured that PALERMO or The Beard himself will eventually save Argentina.

I'm tired of riding our luck and having to depend on other results. And oh boy we've been having an incredible luck with results from other matches lately. I think of Venezuela 2-2 Uruguay; Peru 2-1 Uruguay; Chile winning in Colombia for the first time ever! Paraguay, with nothing to play for, beating Venezuela away.

Lady Fortune will smile at a different team tomorrow and we'll be left empty-handed.

Until we start preparing accordingly for our matches and we start showing some team-work, some tactical awareness and some gameplan, I'll keep talking about luck because that's all we've got now.

As for PALERMO? Thank you, Martín. But you ask if I want to see you playing for us again on Wednesday or in an eventual World Cup? Well...no Martín. Thanks for asking. But I think I'll pass.

38 comments:

white n blue said...

Haha, Seba! Well, I know u (and off course we are) love beautiful football. I don't know, I love Argie very much. But, in the other side, we all know, beautiful football and result doesn't always come in the same way.
Argentina is one team in the planet gifted with abundant of talented player. No doubt! Since Maradona retire, Argentina handled by experiance and good tactician coach (Bielsa, Pakerman, Passarela). We enjoy some beautiful football with them (Basile too, in Copa America).
In last 3 qualifier campaign, we did it superbly. Reaching WC with outstanding result. But in WC round, result always different!
I mean like this, in this circumstances, it seems Argentina don't have many option. Win the qualification campaign with good result and beautiful game??? Far from hope.
Well, we only have one final game against Uruguay. The one thing make me scare is, we are lost.
In this situation, i don't care wheather we play bad, as long we can reach minimum points (draw).
Sometimes i starting to realize, maybe Maradona is the best answer for Argentina in crisis.
Do not depend on luck or God intervene?? Hmmm...In football, these kind of things always exist.
Maradona is 'our luck'. After we qualifed, there still a time to rebuild the team. And in South Africa? I believe we still need luck and (off course) beautiful games, if both could come in same way.

white n blue said...

Seba, read www.clarin.com. It seems argentina press begin to build propaganda about how bad Messi playing in NT. Some say, Messi prove he is not a leader in NT. He never show his incredible appeareance in Barca and transmit it in NT. Messi is untouchable!! Wow..very disturbing agenda! Do you think Maradona will put Messi on the bench??? Just hope, he's not.
I agree with Pep Guardiola, Argentina public must be patience with Messi.
Now, it seems public/press in Argentina lost their confidence with Messi. And they start to press Maradona to put aside Messi. Poor Maradona! Like Franz Beckenbauer said, 'pressure to Maradona almost INHUMAN'

Vedran Agovic said...

I like your posts and you do a great job covering the national team. I do not however agree with you here. As much I would love to see Aguero, Tevez, Lavezzi, López or whoever else, fact is that some of these players could not produce when it counted. Palermo seems to be at the right place and the right time to score those goals when needed whether for Boca or whoever else. He deserves to have his time in the light after all these years and the ups and downs. As long as he can contribute, which I know he can, he should be on the squad. He has worked harder than most people to get to where he is at. Long live Saint Palermo.

Anonymous said...

Just wondering when the next podcast will be, I love listening to them! GREAT ANALYST by all.

Anonymous said...

Some so called forwards shining in Europe just doesn't produce in the NT. Cruz and Millito are two fine examples of that.

Mohd said...

Seba, WOOOOW

i never thought i would here it from you! your best striker is not the one and only Batigol??!!!

ok so this is no the right time to debate it, but i would prefer Batistuta to Van Basten any day of the week. so yes Van Basten is more tricky that Batigol, but so is Ibrahimivic, hell so is Aguero!!
but Batistuta gives to his team is something - In my humble opinion - never given by any other striker in recent history: PERSONALITY. He is a predator in front of goal, a true leader, passionate, great with head, links amazingly with his support players, has a killer shot with both feet even meters away from the penalty area, and a great ball control (oh yes he has, although he rarely gets credited for it).

and finally, just like the debate of Maradona-Pele is settled down by the question, would Pele have done to Napoli what Maradona did? to be - although not exactly the same - i would ask would Van Basten carried an average Fiorentina to UEFA cup and Italy Cup and almost a Seria A? I think no...

sorry for the long post, but yoou have mentioned my second favorite player of all times: BATIGOL. (of the first is that dump Maradona :))

Forza_albicelestes said...

so true mohd ........so true....Football isnt just about fancy flicks and back volleys....If that was the case denilson and robinho would be the best players today....Batigol was wat u call a complete number 9.There was no one better and there never will be........What he lacked in flair he made up in technique,speed,strength and many other attributes so much more needed for a no 9 to succeed......And comparing Batigol to Palermo is actually a insult.....

I would take batigol over any other striker in the world any day of the week

Anonymous said...

It looks like this is da team that start agianst URUGUAY acording to this wbsite http://www.infobae.com/contenidos/477200-100909-0-Para-el-Centenariazo-un-equipo-aguerrido

romero
pareja,heinze,shiavi,insua

jonas,veron,mascherano,di maria

messi, higuain

maradona back to a 4-4-2 formation again.but where is aimar,why heinze and shiavi starting again,GOD help us thats all i can say.

there is no way we gona win or draw with this formation.lets just hope CHILIwill beat ECUADOR,i will b very happy if we end up in to playoffs,i will definetly take that.

Anonymous said...

my starting line up will be like this.


romero

jonas,micho,pareja/otamendi,insua

mascherano,bolati/lucho,dmaria

aimar

messi,higuain

Sebastian said...

Mohd, don't get me wrong, I love Bati more than I love VAN BASTEN.

I'm just saying and letting you know what kind of number nine is my favourite kind.

I'd go to war with someone like BATISTUTA! Never seen a heart like that (which was still second to MARADONA's).

Please, please, please, don't think I don't like Bati!

I was just trying to establish a comparison when it comes to style and I guess what I wanted was to let you all know which kind of centreforward I prefer.

In present time, it's Fernando TORRES. See there's a trend there. He REALLY knows what to do with the ball at his feet and he's got all the tools.

Samuel ETO'O ranks up there too and I think he's got more heart than Niño, but I still prefer the Spanish number 9.

Regarding other Argentine number nines...well...I'll never agree with anyone who tells me Diego MILITO has had his fair chances because I've published here many many times all the facts that prove he didn't play enough minutes.

I'm happy to continue arguing about that. Any time. Any place.

He continues to be my first choice as centre forward until I'm proved I'm wrong.

Believe me...I wish I could be proved wrong. I'd feel better than what I'm feeling now when I just think he didn't have enough chances to prove what he can do.

It's better to know for sure and to accept that he is not good enough (having the evidence to say that) than to be left with the doubt.

All I ask is for MILITO to get a full match and for other players to pass him the ball every now and then.

Not in vain MILITO is one of the best strikers in the world right now.

Anonymous said...

at lest i am not the only one who think MLITO is one of da best stikers in da world.MARADONa and many peole in here dont see it that way.we gonna regret that big time because he is f***ing good striker.

Batigol9 said...

In my 20 years of watching football,Batistuta is with no doubt one of the best strikers I ever seen.His only mistake is that he joined a bad team like fiorentina and had to sacrifice winning big trophies like Messi is doing now.Anyway,regardless of what is being said about Palermo,the fact remains that he is 35 years old!Can he play 90 minutes in a do or die match?no,can he win us the World Cup?No.
That's way i think that it's a big mistake to put higuain on the bench and give Palermo the start.Again,i hope i am mistaken but I am just using my common sense here.Also,if veron,heinze and schiavi are starting the game then we are in deep sh*t.

Batigol9 said...

In my 20 years of watching football,Batistuta is with no doubt one of the best strikers I ever seen.His only mistake is that he joined a bad team like fiorentina and had to sacrifice winning big trophies like Messi is doing now.Anyway,regardless of what is being said about Palermo,the fact remains that he is 35 years old!Can he play 90 minutes in a do or die match?no,can he win us the World Cup?No.
That's way i think that it's a big mistake to put higuain on the bench and give Palermo the start.Again,i hope i am mistaken but I am just using my common sense here.Also,if veron,heinze and schiavi are starting the game then we are in deep sh*t.

Unknown said...

TEVEZ,AGUERO,PALACIO,LAVEZZI,LOPEZ,CRESPO,MILITO,CRUZ,ZARATE,SOSA.........and still a 35yr old PALERMO is needed? good for now(qualification) but the aforementioned have to deliver in the World Cup

picktherightteam said...

i agree with you Seba...palermo has done his service and deserves to be reconized...but in this day and age compared to other strikers in the world and specifally compared to what argentina has at is disposal he is not equal or not needed..their are players with his exact qualities and more...Milito can do everything palermo can do and much more...he is a pocher like palermo..a great header of the ball...more importantly than anything he can dribble and playmake for his fellow teammates... On the bati gol comment...batistuta is a great striker but you have to separate the differnet type of strikers...bati gol is a pure scorer out and out scorer..but is not the complete forward like van basten..i love bati gol and is my second favorite player...bati wasnt a dribbler or a complete forward who can score or set up goals...so he is one dimensional in the sense he has a super traite which is scoring and a high rate...great example of this cassano of italy...he can score goals and create and cause havoc for any team in the world...compare cassano to a anelka who is a just a scorer not saying he cant playmake but doesnt do much of isnt fair...going back to the real subject..argentina is suffering from defensive and midfield issues...regardless of what forwards one puts with no midfield almost all great forwards will starve..combine a okay midfield with palermo and ur asking for trouble...combinged with liability and calmity heinze and schiava...sorry for the long message

picktherightteam said...

my new dream line up...with this line up and bench you have the flexiblity to dessimate teams..

Romero
Zablate Samuel Diemchilis Zanetti
Macherano
Messi Di Maria
Riquelme
Milito Zarate
Bench:Cambiasso,Tevez,Aguero,Aimar, Diego Perotta, Gago, Gonzago, Garay

Allan said...

If we must have a proven centre forward in the team, then I'd rather take Crespo than Palermo.

I think Messi is finding it hard with the two striker formation. He is more used to have two other strikers up front with him like he gets a Barca.

Anonymous said...

Stop it with the dream lineups, in a few days it is REALITY not a dream.It could be a nightmare. And stop it until we go to SA. Makes no sense at all. We have to live with the players that take the bench. If I had a nickle for somebody posting a "dream lineup" for Argentina I would make Bill Gates look like a poor man!

Tonymed said...

Good opinion ,Seba
I too ,don"t want Palermo to be the starter but thanks him for the winning goal

Mohd said...

Seba-->
agree with you about Milito. I admit i did not like him before. but the guy has even set the San Siro on fire. he surely deserves his chance. and that would be 2-3 matches in a row. why would Tevez and Aguero be any better?

and regarding Batigol-Van Basten debate; yes Van Basten is more skillful, but it is just one advantage. Batigol have other advantages. both great players but i would rather have Batigol on my team...

picktherightteam-->

PLEASE, PLEASE do not call Batigol "one dimensional". you are talking about a striker who can:
--shoot rockets from outside the penalty area
--shoot these rockets with both his feet
--shoot great free kicks
--plays great with his head
--amazing sense in front of goal
--physical strength
--very fast (many does not believe so, but review his games before hitting his 30's...he was a like a bullet)
....trust me the list goes on.

Batigol9-->
i agree with you. had Batistuta played with teams like millan, juve, barca, real..he would have no doubt picked up world player of the year at least once. Proof: at 32 years old he played with Roma who had other great players, and what was the result: Scudetto and he was 3rd in Fifa player of the year!

Anonymous said...

Mohd you are wrong about Batigol being 32 and being voted 3rd for FWPOTY. He was 30 and was still with Fiorentina. From 96-2000 he was in the top 10 in voting.

Anonymous said...

+ His stock continued to fall after leaving Fiorentina. Granted he did have 1 more 20+ goal season but after that he went to Inter and was it the UAE? Hell can you blame him, god paid very well and ALL TAX FREE! But Bati regardless was God. But in my eyes, greatest footballer I ever saw (A bit too young to see Diego) was Ronaldo. Man was he ever a beast, had the speed of a flash and the power of a tiger.

Anonymous said...

Nope! He went to Qatar.

Mohd said...

yes you are correct. he was voted third in 1999.
as for after his first season with roma, well from there he entered his final years of his career and this happens to all players.

i even believe the biggest mistake in 2002 WC was starting Batistuta ahead of Crespo who was at his great peak.

Batigol9 said...

Batistuta was 3rd in 1999 but he was 30 by then.That just shows how much of a gr8t player he was,to be recognized 3rd playing for a team like Fiorentina.Also,he joined Roma two years later and still managed to be their top scorer and deliver the Serie A after 18 years of waiting.His carrer went downhill after 2002 but he was 33 by then so that was normal as most players loose their sharpness by this age.By that time he had produced top quality displays for over 11 years which shows his amazing consistency.

Sebastian said...

This is what I said exactly after Argentina scored the first goal against Perú (those of you who were chatting with me will testify).

Again, I'm 100% in agreement with Tim 'The Legendinho' VICKERY.

This is a man who knows his football and he depicts with perfection what happened on Saturday in Buenos Aires:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2009/10/as_the_heavens_opened_in.html

johnny said...

An interesting read. Thanks for that Seba. So, it looks like Veron on Wednesday. Hmmm....

Mohd said...

if Palermo starts then we are in deep trouble. but the main disaster remains the defence. i am truly terrified by the Shiavi-Hienzi combination against Urguay.

i mean i understand if Maradona does not know tactics. but is it that hard to see how the defence is torn about every time the opposition attacks?!

for the million time, i just wish there will be some preasure from "somewhere" that would force maradona change the defence lineup. or else lets be realistic: Chile and Bielsa are our only hope.

Anonymous said...

According to the afa site Palermo is injured and is out for the game on wednesday

Anonymous said...

According to the afa site Palermo is injured and is out for the game on wednesday

Anonymous said...

According to the afa site Palermo is injured and is out for the game on wednesday

Anonymous said...

oh no not veron,shavi and heinze.
what does it take for diego to realist these 3 are not good enough for the nt

picktherightteam said...

Mohd

I maybe used the wrong word is saying one dimensional but batistuta in not the complete forward like Van basten..regardless batistuta is a legend and a beast but van basten is more of complete forward...


What do you guys think of Diego Perrotta of seville?

Anonymous said...

I read that article and Mr Vickery knows his stuff. I like how he said Diego made the mistake about being out numbered in the mf 3/5 then had to bring in Demi for Higuain. Also he said Veron could pick apart Uruguay if he is on. Glad he is on our side.

Jack!

johnny said...

The Titan played nearly the entire second half with a broken nose. The Titan !

Mohd said...

picktherightteam-->

Diego Perrotta is doing really good this season. IF HE CARRIES ON AND IMPROVES, he could be the alternative for Di Maria on the left.

p2bn said...

I completely agree with you Seba.

Vamos Argentina

Anonymous said...

Basten is good. But his way of ending the career got too much point for his rating. And He is not better than Baggio, who plays like Mradona, just not that good.