Argentina vs. Germany - Dave P. Player Ratings

Great victory tonight...here are my ratings:

Great team victory tonight for Argentina. Happy to get a little revenge over Germany even-though the match means pretty much nothing, but good to beat a top national team. This game was very interesting, it was good to see Veron play alongside Messi and Higuain, and the defense consisting of 4 CB's worked out extremely well. In the first half we kept possession very well, unlike any game I have seen from us in a long tine. We were moving it well between our defenders and midfielders with confidence, and whenever we lost the ball our defense was 100% organized and solid. In terms of offense we did not have much, as always Di Maria was our main attacking spark, who set up our only gol from Higuain.

In the second half it was more of the same we were content with possession, especially with the lead. Veron never ventured too far forward to get involved in the attack so whenever Higuain or Messi had the ball they had about 4 Germans surrounding them and not teammates to pass too, which was frustrating. But the main take away from this game is that our defense played excellent, and we kept possession with confidence completely shutting down any chances the Germans had. Overall a very good victory and some key defensive performances that give me more confidence in our back line as we get close to SA. Here are the ratings.....

Romero 7: Great game versus a top oppoenet today for our starting GK. Early on did not have much to deal with but he was always quick off his line to the ball. In the 8th min had bad communication with Heinze who headed it backwards but was quick to react. Just like when Otamendi passed it back to him he was very fast to sprint of his line and beat Podolski to the ball. Very confident in the air with every ball into the box and very safe hands in the air. Our defensive line was very solid and Romero only had to save 2 or 3 shots, but was there every time. Great positioning on set pieces and great clean sheet.

Otamendi 7: In the beginning of this game everyone was questioing how Otamendi would do, and he played very well. He setteled in the game quickly and was never found out of position. He worked hard to get forward a few times and hustle back to his postion. Had 2 or 3 last second tackles to stop counter attacks by the Germans. Made one sloppy move in the back which Samuel cleaned up getting a Yellow card. But Otamendi has proven he deserves a spot on the NT and in South Africa. A Very composed performance by the youngster.

Demichelis 7.5: Excellent performance by the heart of our central defense. Demi was everywhere with his typical no nonsense tackles and brick wall mentality. He came out in the first half full of energy which set the tone for our defense the rest of our game. Demi saved Heinze from a sloppy miss up in the back, and was smart in getting a yellow card or else Germany would have had a 1 on 1. Whenever there was a counter Demi was their to stop the ball or slow down the attack to get more players back behind the ball. Unfortunate to get injuried with a BALLACK knee to the eye, hopefully he will be ok. Looking forward to more gritty performances by Demi.

Burdisso (sub in 56 min or Demichelis) 7: Subbed in for Demichelis’ injury, and slotted in perfectly. Was in perfect position playing alongside Samuel and carried on playing like Demi. Great timed tackles, and there was a time when he got beat but sprinted back only to win the ball back and clear it out of danger. Burdisso is getting better and with his time at ROMA has proven he is a solid defensive player. Unlucky not to get a touch on Veron’s ball in the last 5 mins to score.

Samuel 7: Welcome back to the NT Walter. Like the rest of our defense a very solid performance from the Wall. Had many good one on one tackles on Klose and Podoloski, organized the back line well and never caught out of postion, a very obedianet defensive display. He understands how to use his body perfectly to maneuver attackers off the ball. In the second half was more quiet but went about his job very effeicently made no mistakes.

Heinze 6: Not much to say about Heinze for this game, had a few good tackles but with the Germans not really attacking down the wings he did not have much to do defensively. He did attempt to get forward a few times but nothing came out of it. Made one mistake that could have costed us but Demichelis was their to save him. Good game by Heinze overall. Was injuried in the 47th min. Hopefully it is nothing serious, but I know many of you guys hope it is = (.

Clemente (sub in 47 min for Heinze) 5.5: Came in for Heinze once he was injuried. Pushed forward immediately and showcased his fast pace. He looked to play with his teammate Veron and did this well, however, he was caught out of postion 3 times I counted. There were a few crosses when he let his player get in behind him. Decent performance but I feel Heinze was more confident at LB.

Jonas 8: Wow what can I say, everytime he puts on the Argentina colors he transforms into a work horse. In the beginning of the game he pushed forward to look for Messi and Higuain however, we were lacking in attack creativity as usual. Like always he got back in defense and helped out Otamendi. As the game moved into the second half he was everywhere. He stopped atleast 10 German attacks, winning the ball from Lahm and other midfielders. Jonas is a solid workhorse and deserves his spot on the NT with the "never stop working" attitude he has. One of the best tracking back performances I have seen by a outside midfielder. Absolute beast.

Mascherano 7: The captain has be out of form in his past couple NT performances, however, I am glad to say that he is back to his bulldog ways after watching him tonight. Masche hustled all night shutting down the German attack as well as Ballack. He is another one of the main reasons why our defense was so organized tonight. He did nothing in the attack end of things, however he really made the Germans look terrible in their own attack by busting up passes and tackling balls away which is what he was put on the field to do, solid performance.

Verón 6.5: Played great alongside Mascherano and was always looking for an intricate pass up front but never really played any dangerous attacking balls. He did combine well a few times with Di Maria and Messi, however, there were many times when he would force the ball to a spot on the pitch which would cause a 50/50 battle. In the second half he slowed down completely with pushing forward and was content with holding possession which he did very well. Good match by Veron but would have liked to see more movement and combination with our
attacking players. Maybe sub in Pastore for him because he was getting very tired after 70 mins.

Di María 7.5: Angél is an attacking gem. He was always looking to push forward but never recklessly. He has immense pace and showed it well against the Germans tonight, he beat many of them with touches of magic and would look to combine with Messi and Higuain. There was a moment when Higuain played him in but was offside and missed his opportunity. Then there was his other opportunity where he beat two germans on the top of the box to have his open shot get touched by Adler and deflect off the crossbar. Great attacking presence, and got his assist with a beautiful over the top counter attacking ball that set Higuain in to score. In the second half we were possessing more so he did not see as much action but still Di Maria is full of tricks and attacking prowess. There were times where he looked like the Barcelona Messi that we see week in and week out, great game.

Higuaín 5.5: What can I say, he always seems to find the back of the net when you think that he is having a bad game. In the first half he probably touched the ball only 4 or 5 times, but one was a good ball to Di Maria, and another consisted of a very eloquent move around the German keeper to a precise finish. Higuain looked to combine well with Di maria, but not really well with Messi. There was a time when he was pushing forward and Messi was to his left, but he took it himself and got stuffed. As the game went on you could see that he was getting frustrated. He has all the smarts to be a brilliant striker, and great body awareness but was not getting supplied the ball. Great game winner by El Pipita and looking forward to seeing him shine in South Africa.

Tevez (sub in 62 min for Higuain) N/A: Subbed in with about 30 mins to showcase himself but did nothing. He was running hard everywhere, but when you don't get any balls played to you and your striking partner (Messi) is frustrated and tired then nothing really happens. Good to see him run hard for 30 mins though.

Messi 5: Pretty quiet night for Messi on the NT is beginning to sound like a broken record, but it is true. Messi played ok tonight, with all his talent he always makes 3 or 4 mesmerizing runs where he beats
3 or 4 players. But all these runs ended in being fouled or not having anyone to lay the ball of too. There was one great little combination between Messi, Higuain, and Di Maria which lacked a finishing touch but when it happened it looked amazing. Messi all game was checking back behind the half line to receive the ball, like past games he has no one to combine with other than Veron, but he is playing to deep to
get involved with the attack. Waiting for that one game where Messi will shine and score 1 or 2 goles. Overall a frustating performance from Messi.