After a lot of speculation and minutes after his Boca Juniors team defeated Independiente 1-0, Alfio BASILE has finally delivered his first list of players for Argentina's next Saturday's friendly match against Brazil in London.
Goalkeepers:
Roberto ABBONDANZIERI,
Leo FRANCO
Defense:
Fabricio COLOCCINI
Pablo ZABALETA
Gabriel MILITO
Walter SAMUEL
Clemente RODRÍGUEZ
Fabricio FUENTES
Hugo IBARRA
Midfield:
Maxi RODRÍGUEZ
Javier MASCHERANO
Juan Román RIQUELME
Leandro SOMOZA
Lucho GONZÁLEZ
Federico INSÚA
Daniel BILOS
Offense:
Cesar DELGADO
Carlos TEVEZ
Lionel MESSI
Sergio AGÜERO
Very few surprises, some comebacks and only one player competing in Argentina (Hugo IBARRA).
Javier ZANETTI is ignored once again and his future with the Albiceleste looks complicated (to say the least). COCO preferred to take IBARRA to play right back (he is an impressive player, I must say) and with this sign I can't see ZANETTI coming back to our national team if IBARRA does well.
One ray of hope for Javier would be the fact that there is only one player competing in Italy on this list (Walter SAMUEL) and fitness is a worry for COCO because the Italian league is far from the starting point.
Juan Pablo SORIN is another of those historic players being ignored by COCO. In his case, the fact that he is yet to find a club to play for this season might have an influence on BASILE's decision. Same thing happens with SAVIOLA. I'm sure both players could be on COCO's plans in the future if they get a good first team run anywhere.
Walter SAMUEL makes a surprising return after being ignored by PEKERMAN before and during the World Cup.
Another couple of comeback kids are Clemente RODRIGUEZ (used to play with BIELSA) and Federico INSUA (has a couple of caps in the past).
Juan Roman RIQUELME gets the call and he will again become the play-maker. I don't think, however, that he is going to be untouchable as he was for PEKERMAN.
Surprise, Surprise!
Fabricio FUENTES used to play for Velez Sarsfield and now he does it for Atlas, Mexico. He is a tough central defender with good heading skills and leadership. He only played one friendly when BIELSA was Argentina's manager.
Knowing BASILE this next player is hardly a surprise. He had him last couple of seasons with Boca and was one of his key players. Now he plays for Saint Ettiene in France and will join Argentina only because he refused to play for Croatia before the last World Cup when he was tempted by their manager because he holds a Croatian passport. We are talking about Daniel BILOS. A former very tall centre forward who now plays in midfield. Is good on the ball and very fast.
Dream debut
If he sees some action, it'll represent his absolute international debut. We are talking about Leandro SOMOZA (25 years old). Recent signing for Villarreal, he is a fighting midfielder who plays with a lot of heart and commitment. He runs behind MASCHERANO and GAGO in the fight for the center midfielder role, but apparentely and judging by the looks of this list, he is before Martin DEMICHELIS in the pecking order.
The future is bright!
And the future is here! Lionel MESSI, Carlos TEVEZ and Sergio AGÜERO will be the main attractions in Argentina for years to come. BASILE has decided to used them from the start and that's the reason why I think this national team can be a joy to watch.
There are also votes of confidence for Javier MASCHERANO
A good core to surround the stars
And in some cases, these core players can also be called stars.
Having Maxi RODRIGUEZ is a luxury for any team in the World. Lucho GONZALEZ and Gabriel MILITO are also very important footballers and it is a good thing to see them staying put with a change of manager.
Starting eleven?
Provided they are all travelling to London with their respective clubs permissions, I think the most probable starting eleven is the following:
Roberto ABBONDANZIERI
Hugo IBARRA (right back)
Gabriel MILITO (central defender)
Walter SAMUEL (central defender)
Clemente RODRIGUEZ (left back)
Javier MASCHERANO (central midfielder
Maxi RODRIGUEZ (right hand side midfielder)
Federico INSUA (left hand side midfielder)
Juan Román RIQUELME (just behind the 2 strikers as a play-maker)
Lionel MESSI
Carlos TEVEZ
Let's discuss about this list and see what happens in the week before that exciting friendly against Brazil.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Argentina 80 - France 70
A solid team effort with moments of brilliance and some struggle during the third period, Argentina started off their World Championships campaign with a 80-70 win against a Tony PARKER-less France.
Manu GINOBILI, the top scorer with 25, was clinical from the start and helped out a lot also on defense.
Great game by Ruben WOLKOWYSKI and Andres NOCIONI (18 pts).
Next opponent will be the Lebanon who defeated Venezuela 82-75.
In the first major surprise of the tournament, Nigeria defeated Serbia and Montenegro 82-75 (same result as Lebanon vs. Venezuela). This result make Argentina the heavy favourite to win Group A and if Team USA does the same thing in their group, both teams can only meet in the final game (provided they both get there).
Other scores (at the time of writing):
USA 111 - 100 Puerto Rico
Brazil 77 - 83 Australia
Germany 81 - 70 Japan
Angola 83 - 70 Panama
Spain 86 - 70 New Zealand
Greece 84 - 64 Qatar
Slovenia 96- 79 Senegal
Manu GINOBILI, the top scorer with 25, was clinical from the start and helped out a lot also on defense.
Great game by Ruben WOLKOWYSKI and Andres NOCIONI (18 pts).
Next opponent will be the Lebanon who defeated Venezuela 82-75.
In the first major surprise of the tournament, Nigeria defeated Serbia and Montenegro 82-75 (same result as Lebanon vs. Venezuela). This result make Argentina the heavy favourite to win Group A and if Team USA does the same thing in their group, both teams can only meet in the final game (provided they both get there).
Other scores (at the time of writing):
USA 111 - 100 Puerto Rico
Brazil 77 - 83 Australia
Germany 81 - 70 Japan
Angola 83 - 70 Panama
Spain 86 - 70 New Zealand
Greece 84 - 64 Qatar
Slovenia 96- 79 Senegal
Friday, August 18, 2006
The other World Cup
The basketball World Championships in Japan are a reality now!
There will be plenty of action in the first day with the following fixtures:
Germany vs. Japan
Venezuela vs. Lebanon
Brazil vs. Australia
USA vs. Puerto Rico
Serbia and Montenegro vs. Nigeria
Angola vs. Panama
Greece vs. Qatar
Slovenia vs. Senegal
Spain vs. New Zealand
China vs. Italy
Turkey vs. Lithuania
But the main course for us is the very early encounter between Argentina and France (7 AM on Saturday -Buenos Aires time-).
The expectation is huge in Argentina. Just like it was 4 years ago when the football team was tragically eliminated from the World Cup and the sports fans in this country started to watch the basketball World Championships in Indianapolis and that heroic silver medal after defeating Team USA for the first time in history since they compete with a team formed by NBA stars.
The biggest piece of news before this game is Tony PARKER's injury and absence from the tournament. He broke a finger and was ruled out just hours before the match.
Manu GINOBILI knows the French point guard very well as they have won 2 NBA rings together with San Antonio Spurs and the Argentine star said it's is a tragic loss for the tournament and also a problem for Argentina because "we've been preparing a lot to play against Tony and now we've got to change our plans".
I'm sure France are the team who will have to adjust more after losing their best player.
Argentina is at full strenght and the players have a great belief in themselves. They want to leave the horrible defeats against Spain and Serbia in the past as they were part of the preparation. They know that when the business is serious and victory matters they will make themselves hear.
Just like I did a few months ago with MESSI, TEVEZ and RIQUELME instead of Manu GINOBILI, NOCIONI and SCOLA, I want to shout a big VAMOS ARGENTINA!
See you all here, commenting during and after the match.
There will be plenty of action in the first day with the following fixtures:
Germany vs. Japan
Venezuela vs. Lebanon
Brazil vs. Australia
USA vs. Puerto Rico
Serbia and Montenegro vs. Nigeria
Angola vs. Panama
Greece vs. Qatar
Slovenia vs. Senegal
Spain vs. New Zealand
China vs. Italy
Turkey vs. Lithuania
But the main course for us is the very early encounter between Argentina and France (7 AM on Saturday -Buenos Aires time-).
The expectation is huge in Argentina. Just like it was 4 years ago when the football team was tragically eliminated from the World Cup and the sports fans in this country started to watch the basketball World Championships in Indianapolis and that heroic silver medal after defeating Team USA for the first time in history since they compete with a team formed by NBA stars.
The biggest piece of news before this game is Tony PARKER's injury and absence from the tournament. He broke a finger and was ruled out just hours before the match.
Manu GINOBILI knows the French point guard very well as they have won 2 NBA rings together with San Antonio Spurs and the Argentine star said it's is a tragic loss for the tournament and also a problem for Argentina because "we've been preparing a lot to play against Tony and now we've got to change our plans".
I'm sure France are the team who will have to adjust more after losing their best player.
Argentina is at full strenght and the players have a great belief in themselves. They want to leave the horrible defeats against Spain and Serbia in the past as they were part of the preparation. They know that when the business is serious and victory matters they will make themselves hear.
Just like I did a few months ago with MESSI, TEVEZ and RIQUELME instead of Manu GINOBILI, NOCIONI and SCOLA, I want to shout a big VAMOS ARGENTINA!
See you all here, commenting during and after the match.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
BASILE making some long distance calls
With less than 2 weeks for his debut against Brazil, Alfio BASILE is one of the busiest men in the World of Football right now.
He has a crucial game against Independiente on Saturday (his Boca Juniors side and Independiente are both leading the league with 6 points after the first two weeks of the season) and hours before that match, he has to name the full list of players he will call up for an attractive international friendly against DUNGA's Brazil.
He is not publicly speaking about it, but sources from both sides (the AFA and the players) are spreading rumours that help us to make an initial approach on the names that will be on that list. It is a known fact that, not being a FIFA date, teams from South America and Mexico are not forced to let their international players to join Argentina.
In this particular scenario, Carlos TEVEZ and Javier MASCHERANO could both miss this friendly as they are vital for Corinthians, Brazil in their fight against relegation. Both of these players are in BASILE's mind.
Speedy winger Cesar DELGADO is in the same situation but his club -Cruz Azul, Mexico- could let him make the trip to London.
COCO is also taking note of the amount of minutes the top Argentine stars have in their legs. Spain and Italy are yet to kick-off their leagues, while England will do it this coming weekend. That's another obstacle for him to define his list.
So far, this is the probable starting eleven (according to different sources and rumours):
Roberto ABBONDANZIERI (Getafe) on goal. BASILE knows him very well when they both were at Boca.
It's a known fact that BASILE likes to play with 4 at the back, with two traditional full-backs and two central defenders. So the return of one of the most capped players in the history of Argentina is a huge possibility: Javier ZANETTI (Internazionale) will fight for a place at right back with up and coming star Pablo ZABALETA (Espanyol).
Leandro PONZIO (Zaragoza) is running a little bit behind these two, but Hugo IBARRA (Boca Juniors) is COCO's favourite and looks like he is going to be our future regular right back.
Gabriel MILITO (Zaragoza) will play in central defense with one from Gonzalo RODRIGUEZ (Villarreal) or Nicolas BURDISSO (Internazionale).
Gabriel HEINZE and Roberto AYALA will remain on the manager’s mind but he will pass on them for this one because he thinks they need more time to get fit (HEINZE is coming back from a World Cup played before reaching a 100% level of fitness and his season with Manchester United will be just started at the time of the match against Brazil. AYALA is fighting a long fight against the Valencia’s staff and his future is uncertain). Gabriel PALETTA could be a surprising call for COCO.
PEKERMAN’s skipper, Juan Pablo SORIN, is still waiting for his mobile phone to ring. But BASILE is very unlikely to dial his number. He is another player with his future on hold (unwanted by Villarreal and yet to secure a move elsewhere) and COCO is not a fan of him. The left-back position will be covered by Clemente RODRIGUEZ (Spartak Moscow).
If MASCHERANO is not allowed by Corinthians to play on this game, then we’ll see the full international debut for Leandro SOMOZA (Villarreal). The former Velez Sarsfield player will step up and play in a central midfielder position. However, for the big picture in the future, MASCHERANO and Fernando GAGO (Boca Juniors) will be the two men fighting for that position.
And now is when things get really interesting:
Maxi RODRIGUEZ (Atletico Madrid) will give the team his usual 90-minutes-non-stop-running and will be helping the team on defense and offense. I like the idea of Maxi becoming a key player for Argentina.
Juan Roman RIQUELME (Villarreal) will again be our playmaker. Up until this point there are no major surprises, but the thing I welcome with joy is the fact that Federico INSUA (Borussia Moenchengladbach) will also feature in the starting eleven. That means we’ll have 2 playmakers instead of just one. INSUA is faster and helps out a little bit more on defense and I think they will play well together. For those who never saw INSUA playing, I can tell you he has an incredible touch with his left foot and he is a player of great finesse. This midfield looks impressive!
Up front?
Lionel MESSI will start!!!! FINALLY! The FC Barcelona star is one of BASILE’s favourite and there are no doubts he will become our icon from now on!
But the Atomic Flea needs a partner. Who will he be this time?
Carlos TEVEZ! He is another of BASILE’s soft spots and just the thought of having Carlitos and Messi together looks like a dream for him. BUT, if Corinthians want TEVEZ to stay, we’ll use one of our luxuries: a substitute like Sergio ‘KUN’ AGÜERO!
The Atletico Madrid’s star is on fire this pre-season and will become another vital player in our quest to become the next World Champions.
I think BASILE is sending out a message. He will ‘gamble’ with the little fellows. Forget about having a player like Julio CRUZ only because he is tall. I don’t have anything against CRUZ, I’m just giving an example. I don’t want to listen to a manager that gives height more importance than technique or first touch. If there is a tall player with flair, then I’ll welcome him. If not, then give me a ‘midget’ with magic feet and I’ll be a happy man.
And just to point out, I’ve used the word ‘gamble’ when referring to the use of the likes of MESSI, TEVEZ and AGÜERO. I apologise for using that word. With players like those, it’s not called ‘gamble’ it’s simply called ‘strategy’.
He has a crucial game against Independiente on Saturday (his Boca Juniors side and Independiente are both leading the league with 6 points after the first two weeks of the season) and hours before that match, he has to name the full list of players he will call up for an attractive international friendly against DUNGA's Brazil.
He is not publicly speaking about it, but sources from both sides (the AFA and the players) are spreading rumours that help us to make an initial approach on the names that will be on that list. It is a known fact that, not being a FIFA date, teams from South America and Mexico are not forced to let their international players to join Argentina.
In this particular scenario, Carlos TEVEZ and Javier MASCHERANO could both miss this friendly as they are vital for Corinthians, Brazil in their fight against relegation. Both of these players are in BASILE's mind.
Speedy winger Cesar DELGADO is in the same situation but his club -Cruz Azul, Mexico- could let him make the trip to London.
COCO is also taking note of the amount of minutes the top Argentine stars have in their legs. Spain and Italy are yet to kick-off their leagues, while England will do it this coming weekend. That's another obstacle for him to define his list.
So far, this is the probable starting eleven (according to different sources and rumours):
Roberto ABBONDANZIERI (Getafe) on goal. BASILE knows him very well when they both were at Boca.
It's a known fact that BASILE likes to play with 4 at the back, with two traditional full-backs and two central defenders. So the return of one of the most capped players in the history of Argentina is a huge possibility: Javier ZANETTI (Internazionale) will fight for a place at right back with up and coming star Pablo ZABALETA (Espanyol).
Leandro PONZIO (Zaragoza) is running a little bit behind these two, but Hugo IBARRA (Boca Juniors) is COCO's favourite and looks like he is going to be our future regular right back.
Gabriel MILITO (Zaragoza) will play in central defense with one from Gonzalo RODRIGUEZ (Villarreal) or Nicolas BURDISSO (Internazionale).
Gabriel HEINZE and Roberto AYALA will remain on the manager’s mind but he will pass on them for this one because he thinks they need more time to get fit (HEINZE is coming back from a World Cup played before reaching a 100% level of fitness and his season with Manchester United will be just started at the time of the match against Brazil. AYALA is fighting a long fight against the Valencia’s staff and his future is uncertain). Gabriel PALETTA could be a surprising call for COCO.
PEKERMAN’s skipper, Juan Pablo SORIN, is still waiting for his mobile phone to ring. But BASILE is very unlikely to dial his number. He is another player with his future on hold (unwanted by Villarreal and yet to secure a move elsewhere) and COCO is not a fan of him. The left-back position will be covered by Clemente RODRIGUEZ (Spartak Moscow).
If MASCHERANO is not allowed by Corinthians to play on this game, then we’ll see the full international debut for Leandro SOMOZA (Villarreal). The former Velez Sarsfield player will step up and play in a central midfielder position. However, for the big picture in the future, MASCHERANO and Fernando GAGO (Boca Juniors) will be the two men fighting for that position.
And now is when things get really interesting:
Maxi RODRIGUEZ (Atletico Madrid) will give the team his usual 90-minutes-non-stop-running and will be helping the team on defense and offense. I like the idea of Maxi becoming a key player for Argentina.
Juan Roman RIQUELME (Villarreal) will again be our playmaker. Up until this point there are no major surprises, but the thing I welcome with joy is the fact that Federico INSUA (Borussia Moenchengladbach) will also feature in the starting eleven. That means we’ll have 2 playmakers instead of just one. INSUA is faster and helps out a little bit more on defense and I think they will play well together. For those who never saw INSUA playing, I can tell you he has an incredible touch with his left foot and he is a player of great finesse. This midfield looks impressive!
Up front?
Lionel MESSI will start!!!! FINALLY! The FC Barcelona star is one of BASILE’s favourite and there are no doubts he will become our icon from now on!
But the Atomic Flea needs a partner. Who will he be this time?
Carlos TEVEZ! He is another of BASILE’s soft spots and just the thought of having Carlitos and Messi together looks like a dream for him. BUT, if Corinthians want TEVEZ to stay, we’ll use one of our luxuries: a substitute like Sergio ‘KUN’ AGÜERO!
The Atletico Madrid’s star is on fire this pre-season and will become another vital player in our quest to become the next World Champions.
I think BASILE is sending out a message. He will ‘gamble’ with the little fellows. Forget about having a player like Julio CRUZ only because he is tall. I don’t have anything against CRUZ, I’m just giving an example. I don’t want to listen to a manager that gives height more importance than technique or first touch. If there is a tall player with flair, then I’ll welcome him. If not, then give me a ‘midget’ with magic feet and I’ll be a happy man.
And just to point out, I’ve used the word ‘gamble’ when referring to the use of the likes of MESSI, TEVEZ and AGÜERO. I apologise for using that word. With players like those, it’s not called ‘gamble’ it’s simply called ‘strategy’.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Another defeat, another victory
The warm up friendlies before the basketball World Championships in Japan are about to get to an end for Argentina.
Our trip to Singapore gave us a scare when we lost 83-64 against Serbia & Montenegro (one of our rivals in the group stage). The Europeans are competing with only one of their NBA players (Darko MILICIC) and I was surprised to see them winning so easily over HERNANDEZ's men.
Blame it on the jet-lag. Blame it on being a little bit out of form in a process in which the enphasis is on the physical tune-up. The truth is that losing so badly against the Serbs, after being clearly defeated by Spain a few days earlier, was not a good sign.
But this Saturday, Argentina pulled their act together defeating Slovenia 94-72.
Luis SCOLA (21) and Andrés NOCIONI (17) were our top scorer and tomorrow we'll have a chance to redeem ourselves in another match against Spain, a team who defeated Serbia with a score of 80-65.
Our trip to Singapore gave us a scare when we lost 83-64 against Serbia & Montenegro (one of our rivals in the group stage). The Europeans are competing with only one of their NBA players (Darko MILICIC) and I was surprised to see them winning so easily over HERNANDEZ's men.
Blame it on the jet-lag. Blame it on being a little bit out of form in a process in which the enphasis is on the physical tune-up. The truth is that losing so badly against the Serbs, after being clearly defeated by Spain a few days earlier, was not a good sign.
But this Saturday, Argentina pulled their act together defeating Slovenia 94-72.
Luis SCOLA (21) and Andrés NOCIONI (17) were our top scorer and tomorrow we'll have a chance to redeem ourselves in another match against Spain, a team who defeated Serbia with a score of 80-65.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Argentina stars find it difficult at club level
With the season already started in several countries and about to start in Germany, England, Spain and Italy, there are still a lot of Argentine footballers, who represented their country at the last World Cup, struggling to secure a place in the starting lineup at club level.
Different reasons. Various clubs. Unique situations. But there is one thing in common: they don't know if they will play regularely this season and so their future as international footballers look not so bright anymore.
Let´s take a look at some of them:
Javier SAVIOLA: The 'Little Rabbitt' is still uncertain about his next moves. After a great
World Cup and a summer of endless rumours and 'interested clubs' (PSV, Bolton, Newcastle, Arsenal, Panathinaikos, Sevilla, Mallorca, Villarreal and so on) he joined FC Barcelona's pre-season tour of Mexico and USA and the latest news is that he scored in the last friendly against America (4-4 draw). If he stays, he will face a hard competition for places in a very crowded Blaugrana attack but at the moment he is presenting his credentials. Will Rijkaard use him? Will he stay despite not featuring in the starting 11? Will some of those clubs finally put the money where their mouth is and take him for good?
Roberto AYALA: Crisis. His excellent World Cup performances are a distant memory now. At least for people in Valencia. They are accussing him of 'money-seeker' (like no other footballer, right?) and he was rumoured to be leaving for Villarreal. The Valencia board is not happy with him wanting to leave and yesterday one of the possibilities for AYALA was to sit down for a whole season waiting for his contract to run out and then leave the club with his fate in his own hands. But he re-joined Valencia for their training camp and there are question marks all over the place. It'll be hard to keep AYALA at Valencia with clubs the like of Torino (newly promoted to Serie A) and Tottenham Hotspurs desperately wanting to sign him up for this season.
Juan Pablo SORIN: Sam ALLARDYCE wanted the Argentina skipper to join his Bolton side for the season. They got in contact with Villarreal and both clubs agreed a fee for 'Juampi'. The Yellow Submarine have signed Robert PIRES and the Frenchman will play in SORIN's position. So the Argentine went to Bolton to talk with ALLARDYCE and they failed to agree on a weekly fee. Bolton offered 25.000 British pounds per week, SORIN wanted 35.000.
Bottomline? He is back at Villarreal and now faces a difficult destiny being relegated to a back-up role. Will he be happy? Will another club come after him after all the money he is asking?
Lionel SCALONI: Virtually at war against Deportivo La Coruña's board and manager. He said this week: 'If the manager doesn't want me, that's fine by me. But they have to pay me up to the last penny they owe me'. SCALONI played 6 month on loan at West Ham but when he was to re-join Deportivo, the manager Joaquín CAPARROS decided he doesn't want him. Now it remains to be seen what will happen to him.
All these cases led me to a question I can't answer: Just how important is for a player to perform at a high level in a World Cup?
In SAVIOLA and AYALA's cases, it doesn't seem to be crucial. They played at a very high level, even scoring important goals, but they are still struggling to find a spot in a European club.
SORIN had a decent World Cup but he didn't shine. He is, however, a great option. A player with experience in many leagues and with a lot to give. He can play in defense and midfield and he can also have a presence in both areas.
SCALONI is a different kind of animal. I'm not surprise he is not taken into consideration by many big clubs, but still, he should find a job somewhere.
It's sad to see these things happening as I think it affects the general status of Argentine football and in consequence, our national team. I don't see the same with players from the Brazilian, Italian, French or German national teams.
On the other hand we've got high-profile players and new arrivals to Europe and they provide us with a good balance and hopes for a bright future. Will we have 22 or 23 of them in four years time?
Different reasons. Various clubs. Unique situations. But there is one thing in common: they don't know if they will play regularely this season and so their future as international footballers look not so bright anymore.
Let´s take a look at some of them:
Javier SAVIOLA: The 'Little Rabbitt' is still uncertain about his next moves. After a great
World Cup and a summer of endless rumours and 'interested clubs' (PSV, Bolton, Newcastle, Arsenal, Panathinaikos, Sevilla, Mallorca, Villarreal and so on) he joined FC Barcelona's pre-season tour of Mexico and USA and the latest news is that he scored in the last friendly against America (4-4 draw). If he stays, he will face a hard competition for places in a very crowded Blaugrana attack but at the moment he is presenting his credentials. Will Rijkaard use him? Will he stay despite not featuring in the starting 11? Will some of those clubs finally put the money where their mouth is and take him for good?Roberto AYALA: Crisis. His excellent World Cup performances are a distant memory now. At least for people in Valencia. They are accussing him of 'money-seeker' (like no other footballer, right?) and he was rumoured to be leaving for Villarreal. The Valencia board is not happy with him wanting to leave and yesterday one of the possibilities for AYALA was to sit down for a whole season waiting for his contract to run out and then leave the club with his fate in his own hands. But he re-joined Valencia for their training camp and there are question marks all over the place. It'll be hard to keep AYALA at Valencia with clubs the like of Torino (newly promoted to Serie A) and Tottenham Hotspurs desperately wanting to sign him up for this season.
Juan Pablo SORIN: Sam ALLARDYCE wanted the Argentina skipper to join his Bolton side for the season. They got in contact with Villarreal and both clubs agreed a fee for 'Juampi'. The Yellow Submarine have signed Robert PIRES and the Frenchman will play in SORIN's position. So the Argentine went to Bolton to talk with ALLARDYCE and they failed to agree on a weekly fee. Bolton offered 25.000 British pounds per week, SORIN wanted 35.000.
Bottomline? He is back at Villarreal and now faces a difficult destiny being relegated to a back-up role. Will he be happy? Will another club come after him after all the money he is asking?
Lionel SCALONI: Virtually at war against Deportivo La Coruña's board and manager. He said this week: 'If the manager doesn't want me, that's fine by me. But they have to pay me up to the last penny they owe me'. SCALONI played 6 month on loan at West Ham but when he was to re-join Deportivo, the manager Joaquín CAPARROS decided he doesn't want him. Now it remains to be seen what will happen to him.
All these cases led me to a question I can't answer: Just how important is for a player to perform at a high level in a World Cup?
In SAVIOLA and AYALA's cases, it doesn't seem to be crucial. They played at a very high level, even scoring important goals, but they are still struggling to find a spot in a European club.
SORIN had a decent World Cup but he didn't shine. He is, however, a great option. A player with experience in many leagues and with a lot to give. He can play in defense and midfield and he can also have a presence in both areas.
SCALONI is a different kind of animal. I'm not surprise he is not taken into consideration by many big clubs, but still, he should find a job somewhere.
It's sad to see these things happening as I think it affects the general status of Argentine football and in consequence, our national team. I don't see the same with players from the Brazilian, Italian, French or German national teams.
On the other hand we've got high-profile players and new arrivals to Europe and they provide us with a good balance and hopes for a bright future. Will we have 22 or 23 of them in four years time?
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Wednesday's NewsWrap
ARGENTINA TO FACE CHINA AND JAPAN
After Alfio BASILE's debut friendly match against Brazil in Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London (Sept. 3rd) there is more information regarding the future friendlies for the remainder of this year. And it is with great enthusiasm that I have to let you know that Argentina will be playing a friendly match against both, China and Japan! Argentina will visit Asia and will play on October 7th and 11th. Venues and other details are yet to be confirmed.
PROBABLE NAMES AGAINST BRAZIL
It is known that BASILE has a lot of favourite players still competing in our local league (Fernando GAGO, Sebastián BATTAGLIA, Hugo IBARRA and Rodrigo PALACIO to name a few), but for the friendly against Brazil in London, he will call up a team formed exclusively by footballers playing outside Argentina, mostly in Europe, of course. There is another little thing to that, BASILE will not only pay attention to La Liga and Serie A. He’ll concentrate in other leagues because he wants to have players with a little bit more activity. Of course there’ll be exceptions to this and I hope to see MESSI and AGÜERO, to name just two. With this scenario, the names dancing in COCO’s head are:
Clemente RODRIGUEZ (left back) and Fernando CAVENAGHI (centre forward) –both playing for Spartak Moscow-
Daniel BILOS (midfielder-forward, playing for Saint Ettiene in France);
Federico INSUA (playmaker, playing for Borussia Moengengladbach in Germany) and Martin DEMICHELIS (midfielder, Bayern Munich, Germany);
Gabriel HEINZE (defender, Manchester United, England) and Gabriel PALETTA (defender, Liverpool, England).
And finally the Corinthians duo Carlos TEVEZ and Javier MASCHERANO.
These look like certainties, but nothing is confirmed yet. We’ll have to wait and see. And of course, due to the contract signed by AFA with the Russian company (RENOVA), BASILE will have to call up 8 players from the World Cup squad plus: Germán LUX, Gonzalo RODRIGUEZ, Leandro SOMOZA, Hernan PELLERANO, Fernando GAGO, Federico INSUA and Fernando BELLUSCHI.
After Alfio BASILE's debut friendly match against Brazil in Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London (Sept. 3rd) there is more information regarding the future friendlies for the remainder of this year. And it is with great enthusiasm that I have to let you know that Argentina will be playing a friendly match against both, China and Japan! Argentina will visit Asia and will play on October 7th and 11th. Venues and other details are yet to be confirmed.
PROBABLE NAMES AGAINST BRAZIL
It is known that BASILE has a lot of favourite players still competing in our local league (Fernando GAGO, Sebastián BATTAGLIA, Hugo IBARRA and Rodrigo PALACIO to name a few), but for the friendly against Brazil in London, he will call up a team formed exclusively by footballers playing outside Argentina, mostly in Europe, of course. There is another little thing to that, BASILE will not only pay attention to La Liga and Serie A. He’ll concentrate in other leagues because he wants to have players with a little bit more activity. Of course there’ll be exceptions to this and I hope to see MESSI and AGÜERO, to name just two. With this scenario, the names dancing in COCO’s head are:
Clemente RODRIGUEZ (left back) and Fernando CAVENAGHI (centre forward) –both playing for Spartak Moscow-
Daniel BILOS (midfielder-forward, playing for Saint Ettiene in France);
Federico INSUA (playmaker, playing for Borussia Moengengladbach in Germany) and Martin DEMICHELIS (midfielder, Bayern Munich, Germany);
Gabriel HEINZE (defender, Manchester United, England) and Gabriel PALETTA (defender, Liverpool, England).
And finally the Corinthians duo Carlos TEVEZ and Javier MASCHERANO.
These look like certainties, but nothing is confirmed yet. We’ll have to wait and see. And of course, due to the contract signed by AFA with the Russian company (RENOVA), BASILE will have to call up 8 players from the World Cup squad plus: Germán LUX, Gonzalo RODRIGUEZ, Leandro SOMOZA, Hernan PELLERANO, Fernando GAGO, Federico INSUA and Fernando BELLUSCHI.
BASKETBALL: Argentina to play in Singapore
BASKETBALL TEAM WILL PLAY THE MERLION CUP IN SINGAPORE
The next and final step in Argentina's warm up period before the World Championships in Japan will take place in Singapore. After a series of friendlies in Argentina and a friendly tournament in Spain (beating Lithuania and losing to Spain in the final), Manu GINOBILI and his team-mates will visit Singapore and will face Serbia & Montenegro this Friday in the start of the Merlion Cup. The game is scheduled for 6:15 PM local time (7:15 AM Buenos Aires).
Slovenia and Spain are the other two teams taking part of this four-team tournament.
In other news, in a poll conducted by FIBA in their official website (www.fiba.com), 54% of the 13.000 voters said that France have no chance of beating Argentina in both teams' debut in the World Championships. 41% said France will win it narrowly while the remaining 5% said they will win it easily.
HERRMANN BECOMES THE FIFTH ARGENTINE IN THE NBA
With Michael JORDAN's approval, the Charlotte Bobcats will announce sometime during the World Championships in Japan, the signing of small forward Walter HERRMANN for one season. He will have to fight for a place with rookie sensation Adam MORRISON and with Bernard ROBINSON and he will be lucky if he plays some quality time this season.
He joins Manu GINOBILI and Fabricio OBERTO (San Antonio Spurs); Andres NOCIONI (Chicago Bulls) and Carlos DELFINO (Detroit Pistons). But I feel particularly happy for Walter after all his personal tragedies in the past (his mother, his sister and his girlfriend die in a car accident on their way to watching him play in a match. That terrible tragedy happened just one year after his dad's death). Despite these horrible things, he kept fighting in every game. He shone in Spain's ACB and now he has his reward in joining the best league in the World. He is a true warrior (like his nickname in Spanish suggests: EL GUERRERO). So I'm sure he will keep it up!
VAMOS WALTER! Congratulations!
The next and final step in Argentina's warm up period before the World Championships in Japan will take place in Singapore. After a series of friendlies in Argentina and a friendly tournament in Spain (beating Lithuania and losing to Spain in the final), Manu GINOBILI and his team-mates will visit Singapore and will face Serbia & Montenegro this Friday in the start of the Merlion Cup. The game is scheduled for 6:15 PM local time (7:15 AM Buenos Aires).
Slovenia and Spain are the other two teams taking part of this four-team tournament.
In other news, in a poll conducted by FIBA in their official website (www.fiba.com), 54% of the 13.000 voters said that France have no chance of beating Argentina in both teams' debut in the World Championships. 41% said France will win it narrowly while the remaining 5% said they will win it easily.
HERRMANN BECOMES THE FIFTH ARGENTINE IN THE NBA
With Michael JORDAN's approval, the Charlotte Bobcats will announce sometime during the World Championships in Japan, the signing of small forward Walter HERRMANN for one season. He will have to fight for a place with rookie sensation Adam MORRISON and with Bernard ROBINSON and he will be lucky if he plays some quality time this season.
He joins Manu GINOBILI and Fabricio OBERTO (San Antonio Spurs); Andres NOCIONI (Chicago Bulls) and Carlos DELFINO (Detroit Pistons). But I feel particularly happy for Walter after all his personal tragedies in the past (his mother, his sister and his girlfriend die in a car accident on their way to watching him play in a match. That terrible tragedy happened just one year after his dad's death). Despite these horrible things, he kept fighting in every game. He shone in Spain's ACB and now he has his reward in joining the best league in the World. He is a true warrior (like his nickname in Spanish suggests: EL GUERRERO). So I'm sure he will keep it up!
VAMOS WALTER! Congratulations!
Under 20 begin their preparation tonight
After PEKERMAN's resignation there were changes in the AFA staff but some names remain the same. Hugo TOCALLI, PEKERMAN's assistant manager during the last World Cup takes control of the Under 20 National Team and he will have his debut tonight in a friendly match against Australia.
The 5-time Youth World Cup winning team (Japan '79 with MARADONA, Qatar '95, Malaysia '97, Argentina 2001 and Holland 2005) are preparing for the South American tournament (to be played in January 2007 in Paraguay). That competition will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the Under 20 World Cup in Canada.
But tonight, the brightest names won't be present for Argentina. Players like Lionel MESSI or Sergio AGÜERO will not be part of the team and it is a big doubt they will join TOCALLI's army in the near future.
MESSI has already won a Youth World Cup and he has a World Cup under his belt. It is very unlikely that he will go back to a youth level competition.
On the other hand, KUN will be granted the space and the freedom he needs to face his first season in La Liga, playing for Atletico Madrid. Besides, his situation could change if Alfio BASILE decides to call him up for the 'big boys'.
In any case, MESSI and KUN are very high profile names and it was pretty obvious for them not to play tonight in a game with nothing at stake. There are, however, a lot of well known players also ignored for tonight's match.
In fact, the game for tonight will be formed by virtually unknown players or young talents with no experience in the first division.
This is the probable starting eleven:
Goalkeeper:
Javier GARCIA
Defense:
Fabián CORONEL
Julián FAZIO
Matías CAHAIS
Gonzalo GARCIA
Midfield (with a lot to be confirmed)
TORRES or ACOSTA
YACOB or GONZALEZ
Sebastián BATTAGLIA (not the one playing in Boca Juniors for several years. He has the same name and surname!)
BRUNO or DE MARIA
Attack:
Juan ANTONIO
Emilio ZELAYA
Kick-off will be tonight at 9:30 PM (Buenos Aires) (1:30 AM London, 8:30 PM New York).
The 5-time Youth World Cup winning team (Japan '79 with MARADONA, Qatar '95, Malaysia '97, Argentina 2001 and Holland 2005) are preparing for the South American tournament (to be played in January 2007 in Paraguay). That competition will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the Under 20 World Cup in Canada.
But tonight, the brightest names won't be present for Argentina. Players like Lionel MESSI or Sergio AGÜERO will not be part of the team and it is a big doubt they will join TOCALLI's army in the near future.
MESSI has already won a Youth World Cup and he has a World Cup under his belt. It is very unlikely that he will go back to a youth level competition.
On the other hand, KUN will be granted the space and the freedom he needs to face his first season in La Liga, playing for Atletico Madrid. Besides, his situation could change if Alfio BASILE decides to call him up for the 'big boys'.
In any case, MESSI and KUN are very high profile names and it was pretty obvious for them not to play tonight in a game with nothing at stake. There are, however, a lot of well known players also ignored for tonight's match.
In fact, the game for tonight will be formed by virtually unknown players or young talents with no experience in the first division.
This is the probable starting eleven:
Goalkeeper:
Javier GARCIA
Defense:
Fabián CORONEL
Julián FAZIO
Matías CAHAIS
Gonzalo GARCIA
Midfield (with a lot to be confirmed)
TORRES or ACOSTA
YACOB or GONZALEZ
Sebastián BATTAGLIA (not the one playing in Boca Juniors for several years. He has the same name and surname!)
BRUNO or DE MARIA
Attack:
Juan ANTONIO
Emilio ZELAYA
Kick-off will be tonight at 9:30 PM (Buenos Aires) (1:30 AM London, 8:30 PM New York).
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Apertura - 1st Week
The first week of the season is over and with it we can see a little bit more of the same.
Boca and River have won their respective matches and will fight for the title like every six months.
In Argentina there are 5 clubs considered big powers. Historically these teams are the ones with more titles, more supporters and of course, more media coverage.
This weekend, all of them have won.
On Friday, Racing played horribly but managed to beat Nueva Chicago 2-0.
Saturday saw their bitter rivals, Independiente (the club where Kun AGÜERO used to play) beating Colon de Santa Fé. Independiente came from one goal behind to win 4-1 and send a message to all the other clubs.
Early on Sunday, San Lorenzo de Almagro (managed by Oscar RUGGERI) travelled to the north of our country to face the newly promoted Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy and they won 1-0 in a tricky venue.
Later on, Boca Juniors played to a goal-less first half against Banfield but Martin PALERMO (2) and Sebastián BATTAGLIA provided the fire for BASILE's team to win 3-0, with another fine performance by Fernando GAGO in the centre of midfield.
And to finish the weekend for the "5 Grandes", River Plate won away against Lanus. Ariel ORTEGA made a comeback for his former team but it was Gonzalo HIGUAIN who sent a cross for an own goal by VELAZQUEZ and then scored himself to put River 2-0 up.
In other news, Juan Sebastian VERON made his second coming for Estudiantes de La Plata and was active in the creative process for his team's one and only goal in their defeat of Quilmes.
Cristian 'KILY' GONZALEZ is another ex-Inter playing again in Argentina. But he had another kind of luck. His team, Rosario Central, lost against Belgrano de Córdoba and KILY saw the red card in his first match in Argentina after his European experience.
Newell's Old Boys shocked everyone by easily defeating Velez Sarsfield 3-0.
Argentinos Juniors (Diego MARADONA's first club) won 1-0 against new boys Godoy Cruz de Mendoza, while on Saturday, Arsenal (not the one from Highbury, of course!) defeated Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata 3-1.
Did you get to see any of the action?
What do you think of the start of this season in Argentina?
Boca and River have won their respective matches and will fight for the title like every six months.
In Argentina there are 5 clubs considered big powers. Historically these teams are the ones with more titles, more supporters and of course, more media coverage.
This weekend, all of them have won.
On Friday, Racing played horribly but managed to beat Nueva Chicago 2-0.
Saturday saw their bitter rivals, Independiente (the club where Kun AGÜERO used to play) beating Colon de Santa Fé. Independiente came from one goal behind to win 4-1 and send a message to all the other clubs.
Early on Sunday, San Lorenzo de Almagro (managed by Oscar RUGGERI) travelled to the north of our country to face the newly promoted Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy and they won 1-0 in a tricky venue.
Later on, Boca Juniors played to a goal-less first half against Banfield but Martin PALERMO (2) and Sebastián BATTAGLIA provided the fire for BASILE's team to win 3-0, with another fine performance by Fernando GAGO in the centre of midfield.
And to finish the weekend for the "5 Grandes", River Plate won away against Lanus. Ariel ORTEGA made a comeback for his former team but it was Gonzalo HIGUAIN who sent a cross for an own goal by VELAZQUEZ and then scored himself to put River 2-0 up.
In other news, Juan Sebastian VERON made his second coming for Estudiantes de La Plata and was active in the creative process for his team's one and only goal in their defeat of Quilmes.
Cristian 'KILY' GONZALEZ is another ex-Inter playing again in Argentina. But he had another kind of luck. His team, Rosario Central, lost against Belgrano de Córdoba and KILY saw the red card in his first match in Argentina after his European experience.
Newell's Old Boys shocked everyone by easily defeating Velez Sarsfield 3-0.
Argentinos Juniors (Diego MARADONA's first club) won 1-0 against new boys Godoy Cruz de Mendoza, while on Saturday, Arsenal (not the one from Highbury, of course!) defeated Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata 3-1.
Did you get to see any of the action?
What do you think of the start of this season in Argentina?
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