Tuesday, June 29, 2010

So many things to write about! Where do I start?

I'll start with an apology for not posting that much in the aftermath of our Mexico match. You know I wanted. I just couldn't. But here I am again to see if together we can ease some of the nervousness we are all feeling ahead of our clash with Germany.

It's the late hours of Tuesday, 29 June and even though most of you will read this on the 30th, I can't ignore the fact that 24 years ago today, Argentina defeated West Germany 3-2 at the Azteca Stadium to win the 1986 Mexico World Cup. How many times have we watched those images and how many frustrations have we lived since then? 24 years later, it's Germany in our way again and we need to stop with this painful streak against them. It still hurts to remember how they beat us in the final in 1990 and how they eliminated us on penalties four years ago. It's time to stop them now.

And what would be the best way to do so?

Frankly, I'm not so sure. Do we try to beat them at their own game? Or do we try to play our way?

What do I mean?

Simple. Do we play with wide midfielders (Maxi, Jonas or DI MARIA for example) to run their dangerous offensive midfielders down the flanks and try to beat them at their game? With pace and power?

Or do we play possession midfielders (VERON, BOLATTI, PASTORE plus MASCHERANO)?

Both ways could work. Both could fail.

I heard Jonas could be playing instead of DI MARIA and the rest of the team would be unchanged from our starting XI v. Mexico.

I see then Maxi on the right (chasing Lukas PODOLSKI and helping Nicolás OTAMENDI) and Jonas on the left (going after Mesut ÖZIL and giving Gabriel HEINZE a hand). Thomas MULLER plays more of a free role and roams around the entire 3/4 when they attack, so I'm thinking MASCHERANO could be minding his runs.

That formation and lineup would probably keep us covered at the back. I use the word 'probably' because with the talent Germany have (especially up front) you are never sure of cover for all of their weapons. They could be thinking the same, of course.

That's the other matter. How will we attack them? MESSI, TEVEZ and HIGUAIN should all start, but if we really are playing with Maxi and Jonas together with MASCHERANO in midfield, my fear is: who would provide our three forwards with the ball?

That's why I'm also thinking of the other option (not that MARADONA has it in mind -as far as I know-). What if we forget about what Germany do and concentrate on keeping the ball a la Spain and attack them instead?

I know we won't get to the same level of beautiful passing game Spain have shown since even before they won the Euro 2008. But we could try to frustrate Germany by denying them of the chance to enjoy a lot of possession.

I would be playing a fast RB like Clemente RODRIGUEZ instead of OTAMENDI (though I don't have a problem with the way Nicolás is playing, I would incline on using Clement because of his speed) and sticking with Gabriel HEINZE on the left (no, I'm not a fan of him overnight, but I have to give him credit for playing a very solid World Cup so far and I need my LB to defend exclusively if I'm going to use a midfield with more possession and attacking mentality).

My two CB, by the way, would be Nicolás BURDISSO and Walter SAMUEL. I'm not trusting Martín DEMICHELIS so far. I'm sorry.

In front of them, I would go with a combo of holding midfielders with MASCHERANO and Mario BOLATTI. Both could turn into defensive mode if we lose the ball and both could link up well with passing the ball around (especially BOLATTI). A little bit forward and just behind MESSI and TEVEZ, I'd use Javier PASTORE.

He would create mis-matches all over the pitch for Germany. Playing together with MESSI and knowing that TEVEZ could drop back a little bit every now and then, our rivals wouldn't know who to mark and where to mark him. Yes, we could risk being a little exposed on the flanks, but if Germany attack us from the wings, BOLATTI and MASCHERANO could give some support to whoever needs it. Just the thought of thinking of the creative mind of PASTORE linking up with MESSI and both benefiting from TEVEZ's X-factor and HIGUAIN's movement, makes me dream of great things.

That's why I keep asking myself. Do we play them at their game? Or do we play our traditional style?

I don't know. I keep playing this game over and over in my head. It's killing me.

How is this match developing in your brain and in your heart?

61 comments:

ROB said...

I think you meant mario bolatti haha but I agree on starting Pastore and burdisso over demichelis. Demi seems to have at least one major mistake every game, and germany could very easily take one of these chances.

I would line up like this:

Romero
Otamendi Burdisso Samuel Heinze
Mascherano Bolatti
Pastore
Messi Tevez
Higuain

the dual holding midfield role will be crucial in stopping ozil and mueller. Masch could also provide help to one of the wings and bolatti the other. These two win the ball back and feed it to pastore, who they provides messi/tevez/ higuain.

I'm thinking pastore is vital to this match. We all saw that in the mexico game when we were starved of possession in the second half messi had to drop deeper and deeper to get the ball, which limited his effectiveness. I really hope maradona thinks in the same way, or else I'm afraid to say the germans will kill us!

Anonymous said...

I agree with most of your sentiments, Seba... But I do feel that, despite his cartoonish performance earlier, this could be the game where we really need Demichelis. He knows how German players better than anyone else in the squad. He might have a better instinctive defense against them than others.

Anonymous said...

Start with a dictionary...it's "where," not "were."

Anonymous said...

Great post, Seba. I too think ARG needs to take a bold tactical risk and dictate the tempo of the match. ARG has better skill players, and Germany's players need to fear them - I think Pastore makes sense. I think an early lead is paramount in this match.

Daniela said...

My nerves, my nerves! Yes, there was '86 but all I've been thinking about is '90. Can't get these images of Dezotti's red card & Maradona crying out of my head. Ok, ok...deep breath. I can't wait for Saturday!!

gebrihell said...

seba maybe we could do both at one instance. as they say in my place, drink water while you're diving hehehehe. anyways, i was thinking about your post, and i agree with what you say. our 3 fowards are very very good. but we need someone to feed them too. it's too bad messi hasn't turned into a maradona yet, so pastore will definitely have to help him. since we dont have riquelme, he's the man that could do the job for us. as for the defensive side, the 3 attacking players (ozil,podolski and )must be stopped. can veron do the job? i don't think so. so it's up to bollati and masche to sort them out. and klose will be really isolated if both of them do their jobs really really well.

by doing this, we would have controlled the tempo of the game. we would have dictated the play. by halftime, if this were to go on, the germans will think of penalties already. so, later we can call up di maria, veron or aguero to finish them off!!!

Anonymous said...

demechilis must be in start up..coz he knows german player than anyone in team... and he is used to face them....

Allan Ng said...

Are we wearing our white and light blue stripes? I hope so because the last time we did we beat them in Mexico. Hey, every little thing counts!

Mesut Ozil is really dangerous with his speed. We all saw how Gareth Barry gave up on chasing him. We need a fast and tireless right back.

I think Pastore and Burdisso should start but I feel Maradona will play Veron and Demechelis. I think it will be the make or break game for Demechelis. He should know the opponents well but on the same token, they know him well, too.

Anonymous said...

I love it. I'll readily admit that I'm not an expert on this German squad, but Seba's line-up looks perfect to me. I worry that we won't win if Veron and (to a lesser extent) Demichelis start. I don't trust Demichelis enough against a team that will punish any mistakes, even slight ones. Burdisso has won something like 19 club trophies--he can play in big games. His WC performances so far have been quietly solid, which is good.

Germany is a very quick, young, and skillful team that passes well. Veron is a legend, but he won't be able to cope against Germany. We need someone who can cut off passing lanes and chase down the ball. Pastore is just as talented as any of the German youngsters and a creative passer. I think we need him to start.

Hopefully we'll go with Seba's justified line-up and bring on Milito, Aguero, or Di Maria to punish the Germans even more in the second half.

Vamos Argentina!

Anonymous said...

Following up from my post immediately above:
Sorry, I meant Rob's line-up from the first comment posted.

Romero
Otamendi Burdisso Samuel Heinze
Mascherano Bolatti
Pastore
Messi Tevez
Higuain

Brilliant! Smart stuff, Rob. Go Pastore!

bombonera said...

i wonder how most of u agree the trio mache,bolatti & pastore at the centre!!!!!!!!!!!
it wont be balanced at all.how dare r we goin to play Ger a team attacking throu flanks while we lack players such as Jonas N Maxi? Enough to learn 4rm the Eng defeats.Eng Had Barry,Lampard & Gerard, all central midfield and what was the result??
Sorry guys that waz my opinion,plz advise me if am wrong

Argentina4life said...

i cant ubderstand who is this so called "Octopus" and every where in all soccer blogs everyone are saying that everything he predicted were all correct till now and now it has predicted argentina will crash out against germany!!! and all are really believing it coz he predicted germany will win against england so they won and it even predicted germany will lose against serbia so they did .... but man whats going on?? yesterday my mood was off due to the news that argentina camp is unrest due to some players who were protesting for lack of time play and as i was getting better this moring another horrible news came!!! oh god whats going on????

Anonymous said...

The so called Octopus is a real Octopus, friend.... The thing is that bugger has been wrong before ;). During Euro 2008, it seems it only got 80% of its predictions correct. If Germany loses to Argentina, that 80% record will be intact. Plus, I think, the Octopus is very familiar with the German coloured mussels... that's why it keeps picking those mussels.

bombonera said...

i wud like to see this;

ROMERO

OTAMENDI BURDISO SAMUEL HEINZE

MAXI MASCHERANO JONAS

PASTORE

MESSI TEVEZ

Pastore wil give inspiration to each and everybody in the team, he wil control the game and u'll never regret why we mis Requlme..jonas and maxi will be active throughout the match.Reason? both wil always be expecting balls 4rm Pastore unlike wen Messi takes that position. dont thnk our striking force wil reduce its strength, am sure there is gona be team-work attacking style rather than individualism,and this is wat we lack so far

Anonymous said...

i m really depressed because of this octopus

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know any good octopus recipes?

I am in the mood for chilly garlic octopus tonight :)

gebrihell said...

guys, guys!!! forget about the octopus, he's just an animal that lives underwater for god's sake. the game is going to be decided within 90 mins or 120 mins. as i said before, the only thing that can help the players besides themselves is all of us must be positive 100% that we will triumph! so now let's all just do that. of course we can have opinions on the line ups, have our fav players, bash the coach or praise him, but to believe in this 8 legged creature and feel depressed? the more you believe it, the truer it can become. so just don't believe it ok? do our team a favor, please people! i beg you. hell with the octopus man!!!

by the way, bombonera has a point. but in my opinion, england were too afraid to play even from the start. in fact, they had a disastrous world cup. 0-0 againts algeria? 1-0 againts slovenia? and then keeping the ball at the cornerflag to waste time? againts slovenia my friends. the england team was totally crap. we, on the other hand, are the scorers of 10 goals! yes, i believe we can fight germany and beat them! i believe we'll advance to the semi finals. i believe my wait for 20 years will be over the moment masche lifts the glorious cup!!! vamos, vamos argentina!!! vamoooooooooooosssssss!!!!!!!

Argentina_fan_from_India said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FW607BORN4

this is utter nonsense!

Mohd said...

i do not think Mascherano and Bolatti should play together in this match. i prefer Jonas for two reasons:

1- Jonas will feel more at home when moving to the flanks to cover for Germany attacks.

2- both Bolatti and Mascherano are at yellow cards so it would be a huge blow if both take another yellow and this match is a perfect candidate for a bunch of bookings

gebrihell said...

both masche and bolatti will have erased their yellows when the quarter finals come. so everyone starts with clean slate. u could be right with your point 1, but they have too many attackers in the middle, we should take extra care over there. heinze can cover their left attacking midfielder.

point is mohd, i prefer us to dictate the tempo. so we wouldn't be worried about their strength so much. just imagine the other day england were so superior and germany were so worried who to mark, what formation to play and all, i bet the germans wouldn't get 4-1 win.

i know they are worried about us too, so we shouldn't be changing too much because we'll only acoomodate defending their attacks, but what about our overall game play? for sure i think maxi and veron shouldn't play. maxi has been used in central positions, he's a winger actually. i know he has played in the center in WC2006, but when u have a engineer, why call up a technician, right? it really depends on the formation. then we can discuss which player to use. but in my opinion, seba's lineup pleases me. we defend, and also pose attacking prowess. veron's too useless to depend on, who's left? bolatti and pastore.

Mohd said...

gebrihell -->

i am almost sure that the yellow cards will be erased for the teams that reach the semis so that no players miss the final. but yellow cards will still stand during the quarter final match. so if masche and bollati do not get yellow cards and we hopefully reach the semis then they will start clean. like i said i am 95% sure...

and i agree about your point for us taking our game to them. that's whay i would prefer Jonas. Jonas has the mix between defense and attack. frankly i do not know much about bollati except the minutes he played against Urguay in the qualifiers and against Greece, so i do not know if he possess decent ball skills or if he is fast because i know Jonas has both..he's not flashy but he gets the job done.

either way if we go with:
romero
otamendi,samuel,burdisso,heinzi
jonas/bollati,masche
pastore
messi,tevez
higuain

then i will feel very confident. of at least if Maradona wants to play Veron in the first half but then throw in Pastore early in the second because he can confuse the Germans with Messi.

one more thing: Tevez defensive duties are needed in this match more than ever. not necessarly playing a mascherano role but at least keep schweinsteiger and khedira under constant preasure. and Messi also has to participate because i did not like his attitude in the second half of the last game.

i said since day one: germany result against engalnd is deceicing. enlgand were so poor. we are much better but Maradona must do these changes to set up a Spain meeting.

Mohd said...

deceicing --> deceiving

messidona19 said...

----------Romero --------
Otamendi---Burdisso---Samuel---Heinze

-----------Mascherano-------Jonas
Pastore---------------------------
-------------Messi----------------
------------------------Tevez--
------------Higuain

This is the best team to line up against Germany.
Although it would be a huge risk to include Pastore instead of Maxi, but I would like to see if Messi would flourish with him by his side. I would give him 55-60 minutes, If he does not do anything then I'd sub him for Maxi. I know it's a big risk but Messi needs to have his space to do his magic, If Pastore frees up that space for him on the right flank, then Messi will be able to roam easily.
Another important thing, There's no room for misses! Higuain needs to take his chances! Jonas needs to be a powerhorse with Tevez on the left where Lahm plays.
If we badly need a goal in the second half then we could substitute Jonas for Di Maria who has his last chance to prove himself. I would also like to see Diego Milito, Aguero or even Palermo to give us that extra push. If we need some height for aerial balls, then Palermo's our man. If we need another linkman with Messi, then Aguero would be explosive if he shows his form when he came on against Canada and South Korea as a sub.
All in All, I feel like the World Cup's just gotten much much much harder for us since we have to beat the 3 best teams in the world to win it! starting with the 3rd best team Germany, then the 2nd best Spain, and onto the final the best team Brazil!
Now is Messi's chance to bury his chances in the net and stamp his authority on our team...
Vamos Argentina!!!!

gebrihell said...

good point mohd, looking at your lineup, i feel that would do too. likewise i didn't like messi's attitude neither. he looked as if he didn't care much. i'd be more than happy to see messi trying to help the team instead of trying to help himself. that said, he's a wonderful player, the closest i've ever seen to diego.

true, tevez needs to break the middle of germany i.e khadera and bastian to make sure both of them don't hurt our macherano. khedira esp likes to join the forwards. so if Mr.T can show them he's in charge, masche can worry less. if heinze, tevez and jonas play, then we'll have 3 attack dogs running around the field. that's very good for our chances. whatever line up diego's gonna come up with, he better exclude demi. sorry, but after 4 games, that is it for me.

Anonymous said...

Di Maria doesn't fit to the system, unless Maradona plays 4-4-2. It means, Tevez need to sacrifice. Maradona still consider using Demichelis or replaced him with Burdisso. Demi experiences playing in Bundesliga is advantages. But saw him play and several mistakes which ended with goals (south korea and mexico) make coaching staff unimpressed. The hardest task right now is building solid midfield like we beat Germany in friendly match. In that game, German players difficult to find a space too shoot or penetrate to penalty box.

Note: If we wins, Maradona probably gonna eat that octopuss

- charlie -

gebrihell said...

ok maybe this is a little good news, but Arne Friedrich, Khedira, Bastian, Mezut Oezil, Thomas Mueller, and Lahm all have yellows so if they pick up 1 more, they'll be out of semi (although i think they won't reach there). i just hope at least 10% in their heart they'll think twice before making a tackle. on the other side, heinze and masche have 1 each. Bolatti too.

Argentina4life said...

WOW!!!! i absolutely love this blog because all the people here are wornderful... simply wonderful!!!!my best best frin and u guys helped me to get over the octopus!!!! and the anonymous guy in the mood for chilly garlic octopus tonight ur comment was wonderful :D

Anonymous said...

A lot of ppl here underestimate Di Maria. Can't believe that. Just because he doesn't play the way he did in Benfica doesn't mean he's been playing bad. Let me repeat, he plays Javier Zanetti's role of Inter before he was moved to left back in March-June 2010. The position is called midfielder left. Yes, it's a new position, but he's been doing great defensively. How many dangers from his side we received in 4 games? None! He plays the role of Gutierrez before Gutierrez was moved to right side midfielder or right back better than Jonas himself. Jonas did work hard but no offense helps at all. Di Maria did equally as good defense but was still a threat occassionally from the left.

Don't forget about 5 other things:
1. Di Maria was the MAN OF THE MATCH in the last friendly against Germany, that will have 9 of the same starters on saturday, 3 months ago. He had an assist and hit the post once!
2. If Di Maria starts, Lahm wouldn't brutally go forwards he must also watch Di Maria's pace. That means Mueller (Germany forward right) will be less efficient.
3. If we start with Masch, Veron, Bolatti, or Maxi/Gutierrez as some ppl here suggest, are we a threat on counter attacks to Germany? Answer yourself!
4. Never concede the goal first. Why? Because we haven't been in that situation since our loss to Spain 1-2. We're not used to that.
5. Starting Di Maria would be perfect because he will give us bigger chances of: quick counter attacks, early goals, better possessions. Plus, he's not a good PK taker, so if it's a draw game, as Di Maria gets tired, THEN subs him for a better PK taker like Veron or Maxi.

I would be really upset if he's sacrificed. For me Veron must be a sub...especially if we lead the game in the second half because he controls the tempoa and a good PK taker.

My line up with their exacts positions:
-----------------Romero
--Otamendi----Burdisso-Samuel-----Heinze
---------------Mascherano
-------Gutierrez
---------------------------Di Maria
-----------Messi
------------------------Tevez
----------------Higuain

Bring on Germany!

Principee

Varghese Mangalath said...

A line up wit Bollatti and Masche seems that we are repeating the mistake of 2006. Germany was not in the picture till Riquelme was called back from the pitch.This year the world is behind Germans just because of the show they displayed against England.

We didn't play a great game against Mexico which doesn't mean that we are out from the world cup. The media is behind the off side goal of Tevez which ultimately affect the confidence of that player.

Now, let's look into our strengths and weaknesses. Without any doubt our strength is our attacking and the weakness is our defense. I do agree that our defense was shaky, but we have conceded only 2 goals (one offered for Korea) in our 4 matches. With all respect to the German attack, I believe that we got sufficient talent to defend the Germans. Instead of utilizing our strengths, we are thinking of adopting a tactics we are not comfortable with.

I need only one change in the side for the match against Germany- Pastore in the midfield. I am so sure that an attacking side with Pastore- Di Maria-Messi- Tevez- Higuain will be better than a defensive side with Masche- Bolatti- Gutierrez.

Stop under rating our players- we are good enough to beat Germans,at least believe that we are as good as Serbia. Cheers to all.

Mohd said...

Principee-->

with your formation it will be Mexico's error all over again. the midfield will be choked to death, Messi will have to drop way back into a position he's not good at and the team will collapse. it did not work against Mexico and it sure will not work against Germany.

A ball handler in the midfield is required. and althought everyone in this blog seems convinced that this should be Pastore for all known reasons, Maradona does not seem to agree. in that case, i will at least "have" to settle for Veron althought i really dislike him. He's simple our only option if Pastore does not start.

but in that case either DiMaria or Tevez will have to be sacrificed. if you ask me before Mexico match i would vote for benching Tevez, but a rule thumb says do not bench a player on fire. so DiMaria has to be sacrificed.

still he will be a great second half option.

hugo said...

Maybe time to go to a 4-4-2....I did not like Messi vs Greece or Mexico. He can't go to get the ball to the midfield, and at the same time we need a strong defensive position there. So, a combination of two lateral MFs with Masche-Veron at centre may work. Sacrificing Tevez/Higuain may sound heretic, but is time to go for a kill.

Majumdar said...

I am not sure that recalling Riquelme was a bad thing. Apart from the corner which gave Argies the goal he was ordinary. The mistake was who he was replaced with. Cambiasso, rather than Messi or Aimar. Same with Crespo replacing him with Cruz rather than Saviola. Once the duo were gone and the equaliser came, it was pretty clear that Argies were never going to score.

But getting Messi, Aimar or Saviola on for JR/Crespo wud have reqd a big heart.

Regards

Anonymous said...

the key is slow down the game and take the ball away from ze germans. we played in 2006 till ayala's goal. i don't know if we can play the same way this time.

but i tell you: ALL OF THIS DOESN'T MATTER! we will win it, 100%. germany can play their best and dominate the game, but we will win it. we have the spirit of 1986 and 1990, and they won't break it.

Vitalij

Anonymous said...

and i think set pieces will play a big role, and here we are superior. this is our biggest weapon i think.

Vitalij

Anonymous said...

What I'm thingking whether Messi will end his goal draught and show dazzle performance in big matches just like Maradona. Will he score? Will he inspired his team just like Maradona inspire Argentina ini quartel-semi-final? We'll wait.

- charlie -

Anonymous said...

ok, i wanna heinze or rodriguez kill schweinsteiger before, during, or after the game. he is talking about how argentina try to put pressure on the referee even before the game, i hate this scumbag.

he talks about how argentina provocate other players and how aggressive they are. schweinsteiger injured many players in his career, and deserved a red card in the serbia game. in 2006 he stepped on rodriguez leg, referee saw it, nothing happened of course.

maradona should also talk about how the referees help germany, and that messi is the most fouled player of the tournament. we must really make sure the ref doesn't help the germany again, this is my biggest fear.

by the way: romero drank one liter coca-cola yesterday at the press-conference! no joke, they showed in on german television! i think he is a better keeper than manuel neuer from germany! germany doesn't have a oliver kahn or lehmann this year.

Vitalij

Anonymous said...

by the way: the boss of the referees is spanish! so he (and some others) chooses the referees.

i think, spain would prefer germany over argentina in the semis. so i am afraid he chooses a ref who is german-friendly.

really, i think about the ref all the time! this is more important than all tactics line-ups. i fear only the ref, the past gives enough reasons.

but still, i am 100% convinced we will win. not 95%, but 100%.

Vitalij

Mike said...

---------------------Romero-------------------
Otamendi---Burdisso---Samuel---Heinze

-----------Mascherano-------Jonas
Pastore---------------------------
-------------Messi----------------
------------------------Tevez--
------------Higuain

Messidona19, I totaly agree with this line up. Demichellis has had his chance. And as much as I like Di Maria he has simply not met expectations. I think Di Maria would make a great substitute against Germany if we need some pace on the left flank.

This formation allows both messi and tevez to roam. Once they are roaming around freely they will attract more than one defender, thus leaving higuain, pastore, or Jonas wide open to finish.

We will need to use tevez and messi's speed on the counter. Germany likes to attack, and I think we could beat them at their own game when they do attack hard.

I can't wait for saturday..
Bring on the Germans!! Bring on the world!!!
VAMOS VAMOS

Anonymous said...

"We have found weaknesses in their side, but I will keep that information for my players." - German Coach

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8776932.stm?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Mohd said...

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010/2010/06/30/2003126/germanys-bastian-schweinsteiger-slams-past-and-present-argentina-

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010/2010/06/30/2003085/world-cup-2010-brazilian-press-tear-into-argentine

i doubt that second report is true. but clearly the mind games begin!

Anonymous said...

the talent germany have up front are you smoking crack klose has scored 3 goals all season

this is just fluky shit vs mino's we are going to rape them

Anonymous said...

hay everyone pastore should be bout in for argentinas biggest game

and there midfield general of more experiance than any other player at world cup should be dropped

OPINION SHOULD BE BANNED above get mental help!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

i see a messi masterclass its so writen in the stars

i do not fear germany one tiny bit

Anonymous said...

Dan said,
Enough talk...This game couldn't be soon enough. We will beat them. Those who have fear need mind games Schweinsteiger...
Also, why don't the Germans get a few more f' ing foreigners on their team...Lets see, by last count, they had a brazilian, a turk, and two polish players...a disgrace to a footballing nation that claims to grow its own talent.
We will stick their "manshaft" up their own asses.
Also, their coach Low needs to stop eating his own boogers. Look at Clarin for the video.

johnny said...

Amazing. If Argentina can't beat a team led by a booger eater, well....

I prefer our wacky coach Diego to a booger eater.

John said...

Time for me to let go things that I have in my chest!

Well what can I say? After a four years cycle, it’s the German’s again that stands in our way. But you know what people? I got this feeling that this could be our turn. It has to be. Simply because it’s about time we start beating them in the World Cup. I will thank the Germans for one thing, which is for putting the English out of this tournament once and for all. In return, I do wish them the best but NOT IN THIS WORLD CUP. The time has come for us to put things right and that time is NOW.

I believe in Diego and this team. I stand behind this team 100%. At this precious moment, this is what we as fans should do. We can argue about the rest once the referee blows the victory whistle after this weekend.

By the way, this goes out Gabrielhell,

Nice to meet another fan of Argentina from Malaysia. For your information, I’m from Klang. Let me know if you want to meet up someday for a glass of teh tarik, we can discuss more about Argentina.

Anonymous said...

Mohd, you mentioned abt Arg-Mex. First of all, I don't think our midfield was bad. Second of all, if you wanna know the worst performance of our midfield in 4 games is the 3rd game against Greece! Maxi-Bolatti-Veron. What a joke? I respect all of them, but those 3 made us look like England --which coincidentally was the opponent that made Germany look so good-- England focused on the middle. Lampard n Gerrard can never play good on the wing. Milner, their only winger was overrated.

So now, most of us want Masche-Bolatti/Maxi-Gutierrez/Veron??? So we want the midfielder trio that is similar to the Greece one in that we have 3 midfielders who can pass, shoot, defend, but have no dribbling ability. Come on?

I like Pastore. I do agree he deserves to start. Check out the Canada game where we won 5-0. Masche-Di Maria-Pastore-Maxi made us look very balanced. There u had players who is a playmaker, someone who can dribble, someone who can defend, and someone who loves to cut inside. I would be happy if both he and Di Maria start. That would scare German, although Maradona wouldn't do that.

One more thing, why do we seem to be scared at them? Why do we need to change our best line up just to match them. It's Germany who needs to be scared of us! If Loew think like us, he would probably change Podolski or Mueller or Klose or Ozil to appear more defensive because Messi-Tevez-Higuain are too scarry. So maybe Germany need an extra DM or defender...NO! Loew has so much pride that he wouldn't do that! So why would we do that? When Brazil or France won the WC, they didn't change their "fantastic four". The same went to France. They had a solid starting 11. Now we, as Argentina fans, think that we need to be defensive when facing the talented Germans. That's not winning mentality.

Play like Argentina n beat them...

Principee

Unknown said...

Brilliant analysis Seba. Thank you!

I felt like i got a breath of fresh air. I really liked the final part of your analysis, which made me vision how we shall beat Germany.

I was so confused, and constantly on the dropping from euphoria to depression!

Clemente-Bolatti injection is the key!

By the way we are craving for a podcast here my friend. :)

Cheers

Hamdi

@thinkingzombie said...

100% behind the team.
For once lets put our trust in the team and in Diego.
Vini, Vidi Vici...
5-0 win against the pathetic, mercenary team (germans).
Its they who resort to the octopus, to the mind games..
lets just get out there, enjoy ourselves, play to our best and beat the hell out of them.
Lets make a statement !!!

@thinkingzombie said...

I am absolutely torn about how to pick the team to win against Germany.
We all have our favorites in the team.
I have been hearing many many great things about Pastore. I frankly havent seen him play much and so am in no way a judge of how good he is. Even if I just go by what all of you guys seem to suggest about his brilliance.
I have only one concern, he is young. And in a crucial game like this, experience is what will count. Experience begets confidence from team members and provides leadership on the pitch.
The only reason I am slightly inclined for Veron is because from what I hear and see Messi will listen to veron. veron will calm his nerves. Veron may be able to rein messi and make him more useful by making him aware that he doesnt have to do it alone. (i saw flashes in teh greece & mexico game in which Messi seemed always over-eager to do it by himself).
So as I said, I incline towards Veron more because what he can get out of Messi (mentally & on the pitch) than Pastore (who is young and no doubt a good player).
Its always a risk to throw in a young blood in such a crucial match.
I will have this line-up

Romero
Burdisso Demi Walter Heinze

Mascherano
Veron
Pastore/DiMaria

Tevez Higuain Messi

Subs:
Maxi for Veron
Bolatti for Pastore

Aguero for Tevez (after 70 mins)

Anonymous said...

All great ideas are dangerous. Yours are really ones. ;-)

Anonymous said...

"It is always brave to say what everyone thinks." And you really did it!

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