UCL & NBA Highlights

Atletico MAXI-mizing at Anfield


Lionel MESSI-merizing against Basle


Julio CRUZ in the Cyprus Shocker


NBA News...

Fabricio OBERTO was back in action for the San Antonio Spurs against their Texas rival the Dallas Mavericks. He missed the first two matches after having irregular heartbeat. However the Spurs are 0-3 after losing 81-98 with OBERTO posting just 2 points.

The Houston Rockets took on the defending champions Boston Celtics with Luis SCOLA having a big night. However the Rockets suffered their first defeat, losing 99-103. SCOLA posted 21 points, 9 rebounds & 1 steal.

MARADONA: "MASCHERANO will be my captain"

I will comment on the list and other things in due time.

What I want here is to give you the translation of the most important part of the press conference held just a few minutes ago at Ezeiza's AFA headquarters.

Julio GRONDONA opened up saying:

"Today is a day of great joy for me. Because I'm presenting two people that were with me during most of my 30 years as AFA president. Today, 4 November, is a day with another special meaning for me because my mother is turning 102 years old. And I'm sure she is watching this at home!"

"During the last few years, our national team have been lacking of those final 10 cents to make a full peso (Argentina currency). I'm hoping Diego MARADONA and Carlos BILARDO will help us get there."

The following is a summary of Diego MARADONA's best quotes as he got announced as Argentina national team manager.

"This is a dream come true for me and an honour to be with Carlos BILARDO on my side."

"I'll do my best for things to work out for the best for us."

"We are sure that we will wake up every morning and we will give the selección what it deserves and to make our national team better everyday."

"I want to thank Claudia (his ex-wife), my daughters and Vero (his girlfriend)"

"We still haven't decide how our coaching staff will look like. We know that BATISTA and BROWN are at our disposal and that is a great thing. But today we are here to announce the list of players to face Scotland and we will build a strong coaching staff in time."

"We are heading for Europe tonight. We will watch Real Madrid v. Juventus in Madrid to see some players in action and then we will talk to them."

"We will then tour around Europe to talk to as many players we can. We want them to know what we think and we want to see how they are and what they think."

"This dream has to continue with hard-work. If I stand here doing nothing, I won't be doing any good to our national team, but when I enter this place (AFA's Ezeiza training ground), my chest gets wide. It's the same feeling I had when I was a player".

"I think MASCHERANO is the Argentine players that embodies the most all the qualities of a great Argentina captain. I'm going to talk to him and convince him. He will be my captain."

"MESSI is not on our list because there is an agreement with FC Barcelona and Mr. LAPORTA was a true gentleman when he let MESSI play in the Olympics."

Then BILARDO said:

"I don't know if this is the right thing to say, but to me...the national team comes first. My family comes second. My wife knows it so I don't think she'll get mad at me. At least I hope!".

Diego MARADONA's first squad list

I have experienced some technical difficulties and I'm writing this from a bar with wi-fi.

So, the first thing I want to do is to give Mundo Albiceleste's readers, the squad list that MARADONA has announced a few minutes ago.

Just before he gave this list of names, he said this:

"I want to make sure that for my national team there are no friendly matches. We've got international matches and we need to take them very seriously."

1. Juan Pablo CARRIZO
2. Sergio ROMERO
3. Nicolás BURDISSO
4. Fabricio COLOCCINI
5. Javier MASCHERANO
6. Fernando GAGO
7. Jonas GUTIERREZ
8. Maxi RODRIGUEZ
9. Ezequiel LAVEZZI
10. Germán DENIS
11. Lisandro LOPEZ
12. Daniel DIAZ
13. Martín DEMICHELIS
14. Sergio AGUERO
15. Carlos TEVEZ
16. Luis "Lucho" GONZALEZ
17. José SOSA
18. Javier ZANETTI
19. Gabriel HEINZE
20. Angel DI MARIA

THE-Ego MARADONA gets in the way early on

If you allow me to use that (dubious) play of word on the headline, I've got a few things to inform you about.

Even before Diego is officially announced as Argentina boss (that will happen today at 5 PM Buenos Aires -7 PM London, 2 PM New York-), there are already some arguments and some controversies floating about.

What happens?

It would look like MARADONA wants Alejandro MANCUSO -a former Velez, Boca Juniors and Argentina player that is a friend of Diego for a long time now- and Oscar RUGGERI or Miguel BRINDISI as part of his coaching staff instead of Sergio BATISTA and José Luis BROWN.

Julio GRONDONA thinks just the opposite and is adamant in saying the Olympic Gold medal-winning duo will take part of this new process.

GRONDONA even said: "Diego has not signed his contract yet". And I don't know what is he implying by that.

It's clear that GRONDONA is the boss of everyone. Diego, BILARDO, BATISTA, BROWN and everyone around the AFA. But it is also well-known that MARADONA doesn't always do what he is told by his superiors.

I guess there is a big arm-wrestling match going on between MARADONA and GRONDONA and we're gonna have to wait a little bit to know the winner.

We are about two and a half hours away from the official announcement and we still don't know who's gonna join Diego in his staff.

Not a good sign. Not good at all.

UCL - Group Stage, Round 4 Thread

It’s another round of football excitement from Europe’s Champions League. A lots of mouth watering encounter to look forward too. Most importantly, time for the Albiceleste Army to step up their game, as we have a new coach who is keeping a close eye on them.

Once again, it will be Atletico Madrid's visit to Liverpool that will dominate this weeks fixtures. Two of Diego’s favourite boys will be in action. The Reds will parade our soon to be El Capitan aka Javier MASCHERANO, while Atletico will look towards Kun AGUERO for the goals.

Javier ZANETTI and Esteban CAMBIASSO might be off the radar in Diego’s plan. Still I’m hoping for them to put up an inspiring performance for Inter against Anorthosis in Cyprus.

And then, there is Lionel MESSI whom Barcelona will rely on for another famous European night against FC Basel . Both Lionel and Kun are the Albiceleste leading goal scorer in the Champions League with three goals.

Day 2 will see Real Madrid looking for revenge against Juventus after losing in the Del Alpi two weeks ago. Watch Gonzalo HIGUAIN to strengthened his position for a Argentina call up. Not to forget, there’s also Gabriel HEINZE and Fernando GAGO.

FC Porto have been struggling in recent weeks and will hope for Lucho’s inspiration and Licha’s goals to get their season back on tract. They will travel to Kiev to face Dynamo.

And one burning question, will Carlos TEVEZ make his mark against Celtic?

Here are other fixtures that will take place this week

Day 1 - 4/11/2008

CFR Cluj vs. Bordeaux
Marseille vs. PSV
Roma vs. Chelsea
Sporting vs. Shaktar
Bremen vs. Panathinaikos

Day 2 - 5/11/2008

Aab vs. Villareal
Arsenal vs. Fenerbahce
BATE vs. Zenit
Fiorentina vs. Bayern
Lyon vs. Steaua

Welcome, Diego! Now give us your names...

I'm writing this the day before the elections in the United States, but most importantly, 24 hours before Diego MARADONA is officially named the new Argentina manager.

What we knew since last week will take more shape on Tuesday, when Julio GRONDONA is expected to unveil Diego and the greatest player of all time will announce his first squad.

This squad list will only be named to travel to Glasgow to face Scotland at Hampden Park (19 November) and it's worth to mention that Lionel MESSI will miss out this time. We all know that there has been an agreement between FC Barcelona and the AFA to allow him to compete in the last Olympic Games but will force the talented forward to miss this season's remaining friendly matches with Argentina.

Another important note to make is that it's very likely that the list will only contain players that are based in Europe.

The Apertura 2008 tournament will be in the middle of the deciding weeks and Diego and the AFA don't want to hamper the local clubs' squads by taking away their best players just to participatein a friendly match with Argentina.

There are a few names that are guaranteed to be on the list.

Diego publicly said that MASCHERANO is the most important player we've got and he wanted to give him the arm-band. I've read some reports suggesting that MASCHERANO said he is not cut-out to be a captain and he doesn't think he's up for that challenge. Whether those claims are true or not, I don't know.

Sergio AGUERO is also one of Diego's favourite and not only because he is his son-in-law.

There is no secret that Diego loves TEVEZ for his talent and his incredibly big heart. Get Carlitos on your list, my friends.

MARADONA spoke highly of Maxi RODRIGUEZ but unfortunately (this is my opinion) he rates Gabriel HEINZE a lot and I think both of these guys will make it to Scotland.

CARRIZO is a definite yes as surely GAGO, DEMICHELIS, DI MARIA and LAVEZZI will join him too.

What about the rest?

HIGUAIN? A lot of chances.

Diego MILITO? I would be surprised if he is ignored, but Diego will probably lean towards the small guys. An option off the bench? More likely.

ZANETTI and CAMBIASSO? Apparently will not be considered by Diego in the near future.

Mauro ZARATE? A mystery.

Lucho (GONZALEZ) and Licha (LOPEZ)? Probably not this time around.

Central defenders?

GARAY, Daniel DIAZ, COLOCCINI, FAZIO and BURDISSO? FAZIO and maybe GARAY will probably have to wait, while the other three have chances (BURDISSO would even be considered as a starter).

ZABALETA? Very likely to join the team.

What about the back-up midfielders?

Jonas GUTIERREZ (Newcastle United) and José SOSA, of Bayern Munich, could be there.

ROMERO and Leo FRANCO? I'm pretty sure Diego will only take two keepers. CARRIZO is his number one choice and I believe the other one will come out of these two guys. If you ask me, I'd rather have ROMERO. Why? Because there is every chance the substitute keeper will not be called into action and the very young ROMERO could benefit more from the experience of just being around Diego and the team.

A lot has been said about Diego's favourite full-backs and both of them are playing in the Argentine league: Emiliano PAPA (Velez Sarsfield) and Marcos ANGELERI (Estudiantes de La Plata).

But Velez Sarsfield are still in with a shot at the domestic title and Estudiantes are still alive in the Copa Sudamericana (they won the home leg 2-0 over Botafogo and will face them in Rio de Janeiro next).

Luciano MONZON (now playing at Betis) looks like one of the favourites to play as left back in Diego's first game in charge if he decides to test a 4-4-2 instead of his favourite 3-5-2 or 3-4-3.

I expect MONZON to be in the list too.

So, let me clear this mess and organise a proper list. I'm including 24 players in this list because a couple of them are there as part of a Plan B if Diego can't count on some of the local league footballers.

We can check again tomorrow and see how many names did I get right:

Starting with the potential starters:
1. CARRIZO
2. HEINZE
3. DEMICHELIS
4. BURDISSO
5. MASCHERANO
6. GAGO
7. Maxi RODRIGUEZ
8. DI MARIA
9. TEVEZ
10. AGUERO
11. LAVEZZI
-------------
The rest of the European-based players:
12. ROMERO
13. ZABALETA
14. COLOCCINI
15. Daniel DIAZ
16. MONZON
17. SOSA
18. GUTIERREZ
19. Diego MILITO
20. Gonzalo HIGUAIN
-----------------
The possible additions from the local league:
21. Juan Roman RIQUELME
22. Juan Sebastián VERON
23. Marcos ANGELERI
24. Emiliano PAPA

In RIQUELME, ANGELERI and VERON's cases, if both Boca Juniors and Estudiantes de La Plata advance to the next round of the Copa Sudamericana, it's highly unlikely (if not impossible) that Diego would be able to take them to Scotland.

NBA News - HERRMANN Helps Pistons Win Over Wizards

Walter HERRMANN! Just how much did we missed his game and athleticism while in Beijing.
Alot I have to say. Tonight against the Wizards, he gave some memorable moments that we could have had if he was around then.

In the Pistons 117-109 win, he was a monster from the bench, making big shots and had the Palace crowd chanting “Wal-ter Herr-mann!”. He posted 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assist & 1 steal.

“It was unbelievable, I had a lot of confidence tonight. When we go against a small team, I can play both the 3 and the 4, so it lets us change things,” HERRMANN said. “We play a very open game when they go small against us.”

“Walter was great tonight, and it is a lot more than just the shots he is making,” Curry said. “His defense and his ability to move the ball are both things that help our team when he’s on the floor. He does the basic things that we have to do to win.”

Well done Walter!!!

In other matches, Luis SCOLA posted 10 points, 7 rebounds & 2 steals for the Rockets, as they defeated the newly formed Oklahoma City Thunder 89-77.

Andres NOCIONI too had a somewhat big contribution for the Bulls in their 96-86 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He posted 10 points, 5 rebounds & 2 assist from the bench.

KUN Marks A Double Return

Kun AGUERO marked his return into the Atletico Madrid starting line up with scoring both goals in their win over Mallorca.

His first was in the 12th minute when he lobbed the ball over Mallorca’s keeper Miguel Angel MOYA after receiving a headed pass from strike partner Diego FORLAN. Both players combined again in the 28th minute for Kun’s second goal with a little but of luck from FORLAN’s miscued effort which found Kun on the far post.

Atletico Madrid will travel to Liverpool for their Champions League, with the possibility of Kun playing in front of Diego MARADONA.

Barcelona cruised to a 4-1 win against Malaga (playing on a heavily wet pitch) with Lionel MESSI scoring their second goal of the game.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, Maxi BIANCUCCHI (who happens to be related to Lionel MESSI) scored for Flamengo in their 2-2 draw with Portuguesa.

Diego's visit to England canceled

Too many things to do in a very short time.

Diego MARADONA wanted to go to England this weekend to watch MASCHERANO and TEVEZ in action and to have a chat with them and then be back in Buenos Aires in time for his official presentation as Argentina boss on Tuesday.

That very same day, Diego is expected to announce the list of players that will play against Scotland at Hampden Park (19 November).

So the trip to the UK got canceled and Diego will follow the action on TV and through the internet.

In other news...

It's confirmed that Sergio BATISTA and José Luis BROWN will join MARADONA's coaching staff.

According to the sports newspaper Olé, Diego will play with 3 at the back.

The names this newspaper is mentioning are:

CARRIZO as goalkeeper

BURDISSO, HEINZE and DEMICHELIS at the back.

His preferred midfield will be composed by Maxi RODRIGUEZ and Angel DI MARIA on the flanks with Javier MASCHERANO and Fernando GAGO in the middle.

Juan Roman RIQUELME will remain in the radar but if Diego plays a 3-4-3 formation, he'll probably not start against Scotland.

Up front, at least for this friendly match against Scotland (which Lionel MESSI will have to skip due to the arrangement between AFA and Barcelona that allowed him to play in the Olympics), MARADONA will be using trio of Sergio AGUERO, Ezequiel LAVEZZI and Carlos TEVEZ.

Olé also says Diego will be contacting Gonzalo HIGUAIN to have him ready to be called up in any minute.

Players from Argentine sides like Marcos ANGELERI (Estudiantes de La Plata) and Emiliano PAPA (Velez) will be joining the squad, together with Olympic champions Fabián MONZON and Pablo ZABALETA.

While BASILE's captain and all-time leader in caps, Javier ZANETTI and Esteban CAMBIASSO, will most likely be ignored from now on.

This is not definite and it's a version Olé is working with. I thought I'd share it with you to start thinking of how the team could look from now on.

Happy with the 3-4-3 formation?

Would you drop RIQUELME?

What about that midfield?

Will a trio of small but fast forwards work?

MARADONA: "I will honour our deal with Barcelona"

Diego MARADONA spoke with the media on his birthday and here are the most important bits of what he said.

On whether he'll try to bring MESSI to Scotland for the friendly match in November:

"We will honour the deal the AFA has with Barcelona and if MESSI is not allowed to play in my first friendly, then so be it. Barcelona's president was a gentleman when he allowed MESSI to play in Beijing and if there's an agreement between him and GRONDONA, we will respect it."

"The important thing everyone needs to think about is that MESSI is doing and has always done everything in his power to play for Argentina and everybody should have that in mind. It's very very important."

On his debut being set for the friendly against Scotland at Hampdem Park:

"I'm happy because I'm going to make my debut as an international manager in the place where I scored my first international goal (2 June, 1979 in a friendly against Scotland) and also because I know I'm adored in Scotland. I know they have a rivalry with England and they celebrated when we beat them in 1986. I hope the fans and everyone there in Scotland will treat us well and receive us with open arms."

On his plans for the next few days:

"We had some meeting planned for today but the death of Pedro POMPILIO (Boca Juniors' president) has changed the agenda and we will have those meetings tomorrow. We will do some fine-tuning with GRONDONA and then I want to go to England on Saturday and have meetings with MASCHERANO and TEVEZ because I want to start talking to all my players as soon as possible."

On his 48th birthday:

"I didn't expect my 48th birthday to find me in such a great moment. I'm very happy and I'm in peace with myself and my family. I'm waiting for my first grandson to arrive and I'm the manager of Argentina. What more could I've ever dreamed of? I want to thank all my fans and everyone in general for all their support and their wishes."