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A new home for Mundo Albiceleste!

Yes! We've grown up! We've got our own 'www' site and it's now up and running for everyone to visit: www.mundoalbiceleste.com

You will find the usual features whilst there are some new additions and changes.

I want to publicly thank our friend ZiggY who made it possible for us to have this new exciting place for Mundo Albiceleste.

It's still pretty much a work in progress but we will keep improving and I'm sure you'll help us make it a better site every day.

So, visit our new home at: www.mundoalbiceleste.com and lets continue with our undying support for the Albiceleste there.

See you there!

Brazil are out!

Now this is some surprise.

Not only they are out of the World Cup, they we also leading inside 10 minutes (perfect scenario for a counter-attacking team like Brazil), but they also conceded two goals on set-pieces, which has been one of their main attributes.

Holland are through and they now await for the winner between Uruguay and Ghana.

I'm not going to go too crazy about this Brazil elimination. There is still a lot to play for and frankly, I posted it a few days ago, I wanted a dream final between Argentina and Brazil. It's not going to happen now and I hope at least Argentina play their part and make it there.

Your thoughts?

Argentina to wear Albiceleste v. All Black Germany

I was trying to confirm this information that I know is of great importance for the superstitious among you and I heard it from the man himself: "We will wear our traditional Albiceleste shirt and Germany will surely be dressed in black" said Diego Armando MARADONA in an interview with Telenoche, the prime-time news journal of Canal 13 in Argentina.

It remains to be seen whether we will also be wearing white shorts and white socks (a la v. Brazil in 1990 when CANIGGIA scored in Italy 1990 at the round of 16).

Germany will wear their 'away' black kit.

Why is this important for those who believe in external factors? Because we wore the Albiceleste when we won the 1986 World Cup against Germany (dressed in green back then) and we wore our blue away kit when we lost the final in 1990 and when they knocked us out four years ago in the quarter-finals.

Thank goodness I didn't pay much attention to one of FOX Sports' 'experts' when two days ago he announced that it was going to be Argentina which had to use the away shirt according to FIFA rules. I don't know where he got that information from, but boy he was wrong and it was a good thing that I didn't post a thing about that back then.

As for more important team news, MARADONA confirmed that Martín DEMICHELIS will start. He still needs to decide who's going to be his partner in central defence. It's going to be one of BURDISSO (he's got the upper hand because of his better fitness) and SAMUEL.

He also said MESSI is fine and will be ready to play.

SOS: It's the MESSI fever!

I wish this meant something like MESSI-mania or similar. But unfortunately it has to do with what is going on with our number 10 and his health.

Lio woke up with high temperature and didn't train today. Javier PASTORE replaced him in training exercises.

DI MARIA started and so did Maxi and BURDISSO. VERON was out of that tested starting XI.

Not good to hear. I guess we can only hope he gets better soon and is in great shape for Saturday. There is no way he is going to miss out on this game because of this fever. If it continues, he will still play. The only problem would be how much will this affect him.

In the meantime, German captain, Philipp LAHM, said at a press conference that Argentine players are not known for being gracious in defeat. He then said: "We will see how they take it once we defeat them on Saturday".

Two days without football in this World Cup, two German players having a go at Argentina. I take it as a good sign. They are probably nervous because they saw what the 'Chorizo vidente' predicted.

The octopus was right! But what about this 'chorizo'?

Time for a silly post and for a bit of fun.

I read some of you were angry with Paul, the octopus, who keeps predicting Germany's results and so far has had a 100% record (including guessing their shocking defeat to Serbia).

It's incredible how much publicity this octopus got. And here you can see him picking Germany for Saturday.

And here at Mundo Albiceleste we have to admit he was right! (sorry, I couldn't find a link in English).

So there you have it: Germany 3-1 Argentina.

But wait a minute...wait a minute...there is another character who can predict the future and he has other things in mind. He comes from the land of the 'asado'. He comes from the land of Diego.

I give you...'El chorizo vidente' ('the future-telling chorizo') and he's got his own personal prediction for Saturday.

What about this rumour? Will we play 3-4-3?

I heard a rumour and I'm not a big fan of them, but seeing we have a tense wait before Saturday's match, I thought I'd drop it here and get some feedback from you.

Apparently, Diego and members of his coaching staff have agreed in playing 3-4-3 v. Germany.

ROMERO
DEMICHELIS-BURDISSO-HEINZE (SAMUEL is apparently not ready to make a comeback yet)
Jonas GUTIERREZ-VERON-MASCHERANO-Clemente RODRIGUEZ;
MESSI-TEVEZ-HIGUAIN.

That's your 3-4-3.

Whilst I think it's risky to play with a backline of three after playing with four every game so far, I don't think this is such a crazy idea.

We are talking about a 3-4-3 that could very well be considered as a 5-2-3 or 5-3-2 when we are under attack.

How? Jonas and Clemente could drop back and become defenders. They would be out there covering ÖZIL and PODOLSKI and helping MASCHERANO in chasing MULLER or SCHWEINSTEIGER (if he joins their forwards), but they could also join in the attack when we have the ball.

VERON would have a free role around MASCHERANO and would read the game to see what is needed from him at every moment.

The three at the back will have to worry about Miroslav KLOSE and will have to help out Jonas and Clemente when they are one against two in coverage.

I said it could be a 5-3-2 because I see TEVEZ dropping back a little bit if we are under real pressure.

The 5-2-3 could show up if we are set out to counterattack Germany. An early 1-0 lead for Argentina would be the perfect scenario for this. With Jonas and Clemente not needing to surge forward that much and with VERON launching long passes for the three guys up front.

Honestly, without even talking about the names, I don't think this would be such a crazy idea and I actually like it.

You could think of Maxi or DI MARIA instead of Jonas and Clemente. You could have a case for BOLATTI or PASTORE instead of VERON.

With this tactic and with the players we've got in South Africa, I think Jonas and Clemente would be better options than Maxi and DI MARIA. And I also think this could be a good chance for VERON to dictate the rhythm of the game and use all his experience. It could too much to give PASTORE his first start in such difficult conditions -even though I don't doubt PASTORE for a second, but the game is 90 minutes long -possibly 120- and he can still make an impact as a sub depending on how the game develops).

It still pains me to be without Javier ZANETTI as this would have been a perfect game for him. And Esteban CAMBIASSO would have been perfect to do the same on the left. ZANETTI and CAMBIASSO instead of Jonas and Clemente and I'd be 100% sure of our victory. With their experience, their form and their ability to play as wing-backs and midfielders with the same level of peformances, it would have been just perfect to have them out there.

Still, I think it's a good idea and I think it could give us the best possible chance to play Germany, probably be solid at the back, have a couple of holding midfielders (and one of them who could be a playmaker too) and all that without sacrificing none of our three forwards.

Wow! That's a long analysis based on a crazy rumour! I'm sure you'll understand I can't think of anything else than this game on Saturday!

Diego: "It would be a sin to change now"

I've been out all day and I've missed the live coverage (if there was any) of Argentina's training session or media activity.

So I'm taking this information from the national media reporting on what Diego MARADONA said today.

Among other things, Diego said the following:

"I would be a sin to change now. Those matches we played against Uruguay (final week of the World Cup Qualifiers) and Germany (1-0 win in that friendly played in March in Munich) were tactically perfect. But right now, with different needs, the story is different. The truth is that we can't change the way we are playing now. It would be a sin to do that with the kind of players we have".

"I don't have time to think about what Bastian SCHWEINSTEIGER said (Note: He said Argentine players like to provoke their rivals). My players are thinking of getting out there to the pitch and have revenge from 2006. So I don't care about what he says about penalty-kicks, about how we don't know how to accept defeat. We don't care about that. Each match is a whole new story and this will be no exception. We are going to attack them and we are going to play on their half. Maybe that's why they are so nervous".

Diego showed his support to Martín DEMICHELIS and Angel DI MARIA.

"Who says DEMICHELIS is playing badly? Whoever says that must be Andrea BOCELLI (Note: An Italian blind singer). DEMICHELIS is playing great. He is a top centre-back. And I'm very happy with DI MARIA. He is doing everything I ask of him and he can explode in any minute. His moment will come. It's in the air".

After these comments, we still don't know what our starting XI will be, but we can pretty much know that we will go on and attack Germany. It also looks as if DEMICHELIS and DI MARIA will remain starters. We will know more about our probable lineup for Saturday when the team trains again on Thursday.

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?

ARG 3-1 MEX : Highlights & Goals

When individual quality is better than team-work

I didn't like how we played tonight. I really didn't. But you want to know what I did like? That despite not playing a solid game, despite not enjoying that much possession, despite not creating as many chances as in our three previous games, we still won 3-1. And we still managed to make it look rather easy.

The reason? Apart from a horrible refereeing mistake that allowed our first goal in a clear offside position, was nothing more than our incredible individual quality.

Mexico put us under real pressure early on and Carlos SALCIDO hit the bar from outside the area. It looked like Sergio ROMERO completely misjudge that ball's trajectory but it also appeared to me that he did manage to touch it just a little bit. Maybe enough to deflected against the bar. Then Andrés GUARDADO sent a shot just wide and again we were lucky for Mexico not to score.

And without attacking that much or that clearly, we found the opener courtesy of a Carlos TEVEZ header and thanks for the referee that didn't see that clear offside position.

It looked like the linesman wanted to have a word with the referee and I was ready to punch a wall or something because I clearly saw the linesman running towards midfield with his flag down (a clear sign that he saw no offside) and then it looked like he watched a replay and thought differently. Had they ruled that goal out, it would have been an even bigger embarrassment for FIFA, because they don't allow the use of technology in those kind of plays and had the ref taken a decision based on how the linesman saw the play on the big screen, it would have make matters really worst for FIFA. Especially coming from a terrible blunder that costed England the chance to equalise and get back in the game earlier against Germany.

After that, Rafa MARQUEZ seemed to have lost his mind and got a really quick yellow for a foul on Lionel MESSI. He was clearly frustrated for that call.

It looked like after that opener, Argentina would destroy Mexico with counter-attacks and when Ricardo OSORIO tried to step on the ball to change the direction of the play and simply gave it away to non-other than Gonzalo HIGUAIN it sure looked like game over.

Pipita was incredible and with a sweet step on the ball (that's how it's done, Señor OSORIO! That's how it's done!), he left Oscar PEREZ lying on the ground and prompt me to shout: "GOOOOOOOL" a good few seconds before he even hit that ball with his left foot.

He is now alone at the top of the goalscoring charts with 4 goals in 3 matches played. Not bad, Pipita.

The second half saw Argentina happy with the 2-goal difference and sit back a little too much for my liking. But Diego's team got lucky to find a third goal right after the break. With seven minutes gone, TEVEZ tried a through pass for HIGUAIN but was blocked. Right after he noticed the ball was still on his reach, he never thought twice about it and he sent a beautiful rocket into the top right corner. 3-0. Second goal for TEVEZ in this game and his third in World Cup matches (reaching Maxi's level, slightly behind of Pipita's four).

After that, it was more of the same. We were not controlling the ball and we let Mexico came at us. You can't fault them for not trying, but it was clear they didn't have the individual talent to reach the level of effectiveness in front of goal that Argentina were showing.

Diego then introduced VERON in place of TEVEZ, who looked clearly frustrated as he really wanted more. I liked Diego's idea of sending VERON onto the pitch to try and get more possession, but I though TEVEZ was on fire and he should have stayed. Maybe replacing HIGUAIN and releasing TEVEZ and MESSI upfront would have been a better way to make the most out of TEVEZ happy day and move your star man a little more forward for him to try and finally get his personal goal and have that problem out of the way.

We looked shaky at times and DEMICHELIS was again at fault in the goal we conceded. Second goal we concede in this tournament, second clear mistake by DEMICHELIS. No. This was not even close to the mistake he made v. South Korea, but he let Javier HERNANDEZ turned him inside out and he allowed the new Manchester United signing to have a clear shot on goal that was just too much for ROMERO to defend.

That is a concern. That is a real concern going forward. Germany have a lot more talent than Mexico up front. They have very intelligent players in OZIL, PODOLSKI and MULLER and they have a hit-man that knows what he is doing and is getting closer and closer to RONALDO in his quest of becoming the top scorer in the history of the World Cup. Miroslav KLOSE got another goal today against England and he is now at 12 compared to RONALDO's 15.

Yes, England scored two (though only one was allowed to stand), hit the post once (though DEFOE was unfairly judged offside) and forced Manuel NEUER to a couple of crucial saves. All of this, even with the Three Lions playing an average game and showing nothing even closer to the firepower Argentina have in the final third of the pitch.

Dave already sent his player ratings but I have to say my man of the match was TEVEZ (not only because the two goals he scored but also for his movement and for what he did especially in the second half), but very close to him I have to put Gabriel HEINZE! What a performance today. As I always say...when the team is in the middle of chaos, the more chaotic players will shine (examples: PALERMO v. Perú; HEINZE v. Mexico today -especially in the second half-), but that doesn't take anything away from El Gringo. He made a couple of goal-line saves that were fantastic and saved us from a nervy finish. He was very solid, made no mistakes in his marking and he even gave us a classic moment when he hit that cameraman when he was celebrating with TEVEZ and HIGUAIN after our second goal.

This marked the first time we win a knock-out World Cup match in regulation since we defeated Brazil in 1990! Yes. You heard me! After that, we advanced v. Yugoslavia and Italy on penalties. Then lost to Romania in the round of 16 in 1994, defeated England on penalties in the same round in 1998 (before losing to Holland in the QF) and defeated Mexico in extra-time in 2006 before losing to Germany in the following round.

That was a terrible streak and I'm more than happy to see it end. It goes to show how hard it has been for Argentina to advance deep in the World Cup recent history.

Another run? Last time we lost a World Cup match (not on penalties) was back in 2002 when England beat us 1-0. Since then: a 1-1 draw with Sweden (though it meant we were eliminated); wins v. Ivory Coast and Serbia & Montenegro, a draw v. Holland, a win v. Mexico, a draw with Germany and then these four consecutive wins in South Africa. That is the longest run we ever had in the history of the World Cup with 10 matches without defeats.

We move on, but we need to improve if we want to avenge our team from 2006 and beat Germany as a pay back we've been waiting for during the last four years.

ARG 3-1 MEX: Dave P's player rating

Thanks to Dave P for his player ratings. Here they are (match report coming up later).



ROMERO 6.5: Was caught flat footed a couple of times throughout this game, but when it came to being tested from long range he was confident in his hands. On the goal scored he could not do much, the blast was from 8 yards out and with a lot of power. Good game for ROMERO, first game where he was truly tested with more than 5 shots.

OTAMENDI 7: Throughout the first half he played with immense confidence and calmness at the RB position. Was good getting forward even-though we attacked mostly through the middle or down the left. In the second half when Mexico was attacking more he was beat once or twice, but he made some very key sliding tackles which halted their attack. On the goal where DEMI got turned on OTAMENDI tried to get back but he too was pushed up 1 step too many. Happy to see
a solid defensive right back, played better than JONAS in that position.

DEMICHELIS 6: Overall a decent game for DEMI, however, as usual he made 1 or 2 mistakes. One on the gol which HERNANDEZ scored, he was playing his left side too tight and high which allowed from him to turn way to easily. Also, there was a moment when he made a header which went right to a Mexican attacker. Other than those mistakes, DEMI was good in the air and at the end of the first half he had a key touch on the ball to stop and shot. But definitely our shakiest defender all night.

BURDISSO 8: Very solid match from BURDISSO, not much to say about him because he was in the right position all game. No mistakes all game and put good pressure on the Mexican attack. He was good in the air and stood his ground well on many of his tackles. Looking forward to seeing more of BURDISSO he is a very calm and cool defender when compared to DEMI, playing well filling in for the missing SAMUEL.

HEINZE 9: Wow very impressed with the hustle and passion HEINZE played with. His intensity was high as usual but this time he could not do any wrong. Pushed forward all game and still got back in his LB position to halt all attack down the right side for Mexico. Many key tackles, lots of
picked off passes, and saved 2 goals with his diving head; one which was off the line. Very scrappy worker and his work rate all game was only matched by TEVEZ. Played a good ball into the middle which TEVEZ received and eventually blasted into the net. HEINZE
played excellent tonight and will hopefully carry this over into Germany where his confidence will grow.

MASCHERANO 7: Did his job tonight. Blocked many passes and shepherd the Mexican attack everywhere their midfield went. Applied pressure to the attackers when our defense needed help and made some good tackles throughout the night. Happy to keep possession moving along the back line for awhile, but did not really distribute well to MESSI or DI MARIA. Typical gritty performance tonight.

MAXI 6: Was looking to see MAXI push up on the right side of the midfield which we missed with VERON playing last game. However, he instead floated towards the middle of the pitch and never really got involved in the attack. In the first half he played alongside MASCHERANO and was another defensive midfielder. This is why our attack was a little left side biased, going through DI MARIA and MESSI or TEVEZ on the left side. The second half he came out better
and looked to combine with MESSI, but once we took the 3rd gol he settled back into a more
defensive role. Quiet game for MAXI tonight. In the first half we seemed to be missing that link between the center mid and MESSI, maybe VERON playing would have made that better.

DI MARIA 5.5: A non productive attacking game from DI MARIA this game. However, was impressed with his hustle and intensity to come back and play defense all game. Looked to move down the left side all night but was not successful in providing many dangerous balls. In the first half he seemed unsettled and many of his touches were a little heavy, but as the game continued he enjoyed better play in possession. Good defensive effort, but was subbed out for the the
better defensive winger JONAS.

MESSI 6: Full of energy as usual, looked to take players on and shoot before combining with players tonight. This is okay to do but MARQUEZ played good defense on him all night. Messi was frustrated this game and did not get as many touches on the ball as he usually does. Played a great ball to TEVEZ which set up the first goal and chipped it in to his head, even-though he was offside. Other than that had a few shots which the goalie saved, but never really played many dangerous passes all night. They were usually blocked or cut out. Towards the middle of the 2nd half seemed to disappear from the game, we were playing a defensive style at this point but still looked to be frustrated with his performance.

TEVEZ 8.5: What can I say, we missed his hard work rate and never ending hustle in our last match. Good to see him back and he caused trouble on the Mexican defense all game. Made a good run on MESSI's pass which he got a touch on before the goalie did which allowed for MESSI to play him in again, although he was offside. Amazing second gol, which came out of nowhere, the ball bounced off a defender and he ran on to it one time from 22 yards out and blasted it into the upper right of the net. The most impressive part of his performance tonight was that he played every position on the field. Ran from striker to center mid to center back all game. There were 4 or 5 times where I saw TEVEZ back helping out BURDISSO and HEINZE. Great passion and hustle all game, great team defense by TEVEZ.

HIGUAIN 6: Not much to say about El Pipita tonight. Had a gol when a Mexican defender gifted him a ball which he took in 1 on 1 with the goalie and made a smooth move around him to score. Other then that he missed one header, and when he was on the ball he usually held on to it way to long. Also, most of his passes were a little heavy and like MESSI, was very frustrated with his performance tonight. He did not get much service but he still seemed to find a gol for himself. A
lot of very good individual performances was the reason why we won tonight.

Subs

VERON (68min in for TEVEZ) 6: Came on to settle the game down, and was not too effective in doing so. Pretty much sat back on top of the back 4 and helped MASCHERANO.

JONAS (78min in for DI MARIA) N/A

PASTORE (86 min in for Maxi) N/A

OK, here we go now!

Ze Germans are waiting. Let's not disappoint them now!

Lineup confirmed:

ROMERO
OTAMENDI
DEMICHELIS
BURDISSO
HEINZE
Maxi RODRIGUEZ
MASCHERANO
DI MARIA
MESSI
TEVEZ
HIGUAIN

Mexico without Argentine-born Guillermo FRANCO.

They play with:

PEREZ
OSORIO
RODRIGUEZ
MARQUEZ
SALCIDO
JUAREZ
TORRADO
GUARDADO
BAUTISTA
DOS SANTOS
HERNANDEZ

We're getting there and I can't write anymore. I know you are feeling exactly the same I'm feeling, wherever you are in the world.

OK, Diego, jugadores, let's do it!

VAMOS ARGENTINA!

The fall of the Wall?

After initial reports suggested Walter SAMUEL was ready to make a comeback and play for Argentina against Mexico, Diego MARADONA has hinted The Wall may not be 100% fit. MARADONA said: "If he is not 100% he knows he won't be making his team-mates any favours. Mexicans will kick the ball forward and chase it, and if SAMUEL is not completely fit..."

"I will pick those players who are at their best form to honour our shirt like it should be honoured. That's what fans of Argentina deserve".

Therefore, Nicolás BURDISSO will most likely partner Martín DEMICHELIS in the middle of our back line of four. Nicolás OTAMENDI and Gabriel HEINZE will play on the flanks.

Thoughts after the end of the first round

Allow me to go a little off topic here and talk about other teams and not just Argentina. It's just that I'm obsessed with the World Cup (always have been) and in a way, all 32 teams are related and they all take part of the same competition.

So here we are. Some people say: "The real World Cup starts with the Round of 16". I would tell those people to look at Italy or France and think again.

I would go even further...the real World Cup starts with the World Cup Qualifiers! But they are history now. We need to talk about the present and here are some points I thought I'd raise for all of us to engage in conversation.

- What a great pleasure it is to see South American teams doing so well. Chile were the only ones which couldn't top their group and/or finish undefeated. They were just one goal shy of making it. The other four? No defeats and top of their groups. Uruguay didn't even concede a goal. Up to the point when David VILLA scored Spain's first goal on Friday, no South American team had even trailed at any time in any game! They were never behind in the score until VILLA scored. That defeat by Chile meant that it will be impossible for all CONMEBOL teams to make it to the Quarter-finals (can you imagine 5 out of 8 teams from the same region?). It will be impossible because La Roja will now face Brazil (a clash which, on the other hand, guarantees at least one South American side in the QF).

-Asians did a good job too. 2 out of 4 is not that bad. Australia are from Oceania but they qualified though the AFC so they count as an Asian representative in my opinion. And they missed out on goal-difference mainly because of their terrible performance v. Germany. South Korea and Japan are still alive and this time nobody can say it's just because they are hosting the tournament!

-What a disappointing tournament for Africans! Cameroon 0 pt; Algeria (no goals scored) and Nigeria 1 pt; Ivory Coast and South Africa (only host in the history of the World Cup to be eliminated in the group stage) 4 pts and only Ghana qualified (also 4 points). It was a perfect opportunity for them to shine and they were terrible (the exception being the Black Stars, a team that coped well despite missing their main star Michael ESSIEN and suffering with Sulley MUNTARI bothered by injuries too).

-CONCACAF? The only two decent teams from that confederation surprised a few people and made it to the Round of 16. Mexico did so by coming out of the so-called Group of Death, whilst the USA topped the group their shared with England. Honduras on the other hand...

-And the Europeans...well...only 6 out of 13 teams from the UEFA are still alive in the competition. But guess what? They will all face European rivals in the second round. So three of them will be eliminated. Not what you can call 'progress' after we saw four European sides playing the semifinals in Germany 2006. Giants like France and Italy have hugely disappointed. Greece and Switzerland came to take part in a track and field competition or something like that...because they didn't care about the ball. They were just running around. Preferably just a few yards away from their goalkeepers. And then some other teams like Slovenia, Serbia and Denmark which didn't have what it takes to advance.

-One big concern for me going forward is THE REFEREES. We've seen some guys call things they wouldn't get away with in my neighbourhood. It seemed like some of these referees have never played or even watch enough football. I've seen matches ruined single-handedly by refs. Switzerland-Chile is an example of a man possessed showing yellows and reds at will. The joke of a referee that ignored TWO hand-balls by Luis HANDIANO...sorry...Luis FABIANO in the same move -that ended in Brazil scoring their vital second goal v. Ivory Coast- was just that...a joke. He topped it up with a good laugh with Luis LIARIANO...sorry...Luis FABIANO, who swore he never touched it with his hand! Not to mention the man who denied the USA of a fantastic comeback win over Slovenia when he saw a ghost pushing a Slovenian defender in the penalty area. I mean...if we are going to see this kind of referees in the knock-out stages, we better brace ourselves for a very bumpy and uncomfortable ride. Sort it out, FIFA! Sort it out!

-Enough with the Jabulani argument. When I hear it from Diego, I respect his opinion, but you have to admit that it would be impossible to blame the ball for every sin there is in this World Cup after seeing how HONDA and ENDO sent the damn thing wherever they wanted to send it. Or how PODOLSKI, MÜLLER, LAHM and ÖZIL seem to have no problems with it. Or how MESSI keeps being denied by the woodwork or whoever is in goal against Argentina but he rarely sends a ball off target. None of the many goalkeeping blunders can be blamed on the Jabulani either. They were all human errors (especially Robert GREEN's). Very short grass and wet surfaces, however, topped with a little bit of altitude could very much be more solid arguments to explain the lack of precision and the below-average level of football we've been watching.

-When it comes to the best players from this first round (and after having watched every match -the exception being those which happened at the same time of others in the third round of matches, though I checked the highlights and some of them I watched simultaneously in two different screens-), here's my attempt of the ideal starting XI:

Goalkeeper:

Diego BENAGLIO (SUI - He kept Switzerland alive until the very end. Conceded only one goal and was the main reason why they got a win over Spain and then lost only by one goal to Chile. A shame he couldn't score. Neither could his team-mates!)

Defence:

MAICON (BRA - You gotta give it to him. Scored a brilliant goal against North Korea to help settle the nerves of his entire team. Played a good game v. Ivory Coast too and didn't make mistakes v. Portugal. Didn't play his best yet, but with what he did, it proved to be enough).

Tulio TANAKA (JPN - This is the man who scored two own-goals in two friendly matches just before the World Cup -England and Ivory Coast-, though he became famous for breaking Didier DROGBA's arm. It looks as if he left all that madness behind and he has become the backbone of a very tough Japanese defence clearing everything that went his way for a team that lost only marginally to Holland and conceded just 2 goals in three matches).

Bruno ALVES (POR - No goals conceded by his team. Very solid and commanding. Impossible to beat in the air -so far- and able to start attacking actions from the back).

Fabio COENTRAO (POR - Yes. Two Portuguese in my ideal defence. Who would have thought? But this man has been immense. Great pace and very dangerous going forward without forgetting about his defensive duties. One to keep a close eye on).

Midfielders:

Mesut ÖZIL (GER - Impressed v. Australia and was the best player in a very solid Germany team. Faded out a little v. Serbia -though the manager replaced him with 20 minutes to go- and then gave Germany the ticket to the next round with a great goal v. Ghana. He is a very classy left-footed playmaker that is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise very industrious team).

Egidio AREVALO (URU - One of only two players from Uruguay (the other is sub GK Martín SILVA) that are still competing in his domestic league. He plays for Peñarol. This bald holding midfielder has been a beast for Uruguay. He is everywhere. He is a constant help for his defenders and he can also show up by surprise in the opposing penalty area. A motor in the middle for La Celeste).

Keisuke HONDA (JPN - Yes. My second Japanese here. Somebody should check this blonde Japanese's passport because he looks like someone from South America. The way he plays is just a joy to watch. He gave Japan three points with a sweet finish against Cameroon. Then he opened the scoring in their crucial match v. Denmark with a rocket of a free-kick (Jabulani is not a Japanese word, is it?!) and to finish up a glorious first round for him and his team, he created something out of nowhere and gave his team-mate Shinji OKAZAKI a lovely back pass for him to score in front of an empty net. More of this, Keisuke San please!

Forwards: (I'm going with a 4-3-3 formation, yes. It could be a little unbalanced with only RIOS marking, but I don't care!).

Lionel MESSI (ARG - He didn't score yet, but who cares if he will provide the kind of performances he is providing. The best thing about it is that he is still not even close to his best. Everytime he is on the ball, things change. With him being at a 6 out of a possible 10 it was enough for Argentina to walk through their group and be one of only 2 teams with perfect record (the other being Holland). Played a part in 4 out of 7 goals scored by Argentina).

David VILLA (ESP - He missed a penalty v. Honduras. Had he scored that one, he would be top of the scoring charts in this World Cup. All important goals for El Guaje, especially on Friday v. Chile to help La Furia get closer to the Round of 16 after being in danger for losing to Switzerland in their debut. He is a constant threat and he has become Spain's all-time leading scorer at the World Cup -beating legends such as RAUL and Emilio BUTRAGUEÑO).

Robert VITTEK (SVK - No Gonzalo HIGUAIN for me. He is up there together with VITTEK and VILLA with 3 goals, but he played only two matches -this could be a reason to rank him higher, though I'm not going for it- and his performance v. Nigeria left a lot to be desired. VITTEK, on the other hand, was more consistent and his goals gave Slovakia 4 points (they got four points to qualify from Group D). He scored against New Zealand and then he scored two v. Italy. Big, strong centre forward with a surprising speed. A big reason to explain Slovakia's qualification to the next round).

Best Manager: Takeshi OKADA (JPN) - He keeps saying Japan are going to get to the semifinals. I'm starting to believe he is being serious about it. There was a brilliant and very funny Japanese TV show I used to watch when I lived in England and it was called 'TAKESHI's CASTLE'. Well...this Takeshi is damn serious about his job. Nothing to laugh about here.

Bench (one in each position):

Fernando MUSLERA (URU - Only one of two goalkeepers that haven't conceded a goal yet -the other being EDUARDO from Portugal. MUSLERA has been safe whenever someone managed to get past the tough Uruguayan defence).

Rafael MARQUEZ (MEX - Rafa has been crucial for Mexico. El Tri's captain scored against South Africa and sent a clinical assist to Javier HERNANDEZ for Mexico to open the scoring against France. Apart from that, the Barcelona defender-midfielder has been excellent in every aspect of the game).

Michael BRADLEY (USA - He has proven many times that he is not there just because he is the son of the manager. Michael scored many crucial goals for the USA in the WC qualifiers and he came up big when it mattered the most, scoring the equalizer for the Americans v. Slovenia. He's been outstanding for the USA in every game they played so far).

Landon DONOVAN (USA - And if BRADLEY was crucial for the Americans...what can you say about clutch performer Landon DONOVAN? He started the comeback v. Slovenia with a great goal and then clinched the USA qualification for the Round of 16 with a late late late goal v. Argelia).


Outstanding figure in this first round: Who else but Diego Armando MARADONA? Not only he managed to get 9 points and give all but one outfield player (Ariel GARCE) some minutes, but he's been stealing all flashes and microphones since he arrived in South Africa. He sent PELE to the museum, he had an argument with KARAGOUNIS when the Greek midfielder wanted to pick up a fight with MESSI, he gave Lio the arm-band he wore like no other man did in the history of our national team and he even stopped a ball coming his way with a sweet 'taquito'. And all of this wearing that grey-almost-silver suit with a tie and a white shirt. May this endless series of serious and fun moments continue for a few more rounds. Four more rounds to be exact!

News from training. Any ideas of our lineup?

It seems Diego is still to make up his mind regarding the starting XI.

When Friday's training session started, Jonas played as a RB and VERON played in the middle. Exactly the same lineup we started with when we faced Nigeria.

Later on, Diego tried Nicolás OTAMENDI at RB and Maxi RODRIGUEZ in the middle. A lineup that we never tried entirely. It looked like this: ROMERO; OTAMENDI, DEMICHELIS, SAMUEL, HEINZE; Maxi RODRIGUEZ, MASCHERANO, DI MARIA; MESSI, TEVEZ and HIGUAIN.

Nothing decided yet. I will keep updating when I hear something relevant.

Oh, by the way, I'm leaning towards the option with OTAMENDI and Maxi as I think it's a much more balanced team than the other.

I have a dream now!

And that dream stayed alive after Brazil and Portugal played to a 0-0 draw today.

If everything goes just how our hearts are planning it and we keep advancing, this result guarantees that there is no way we can meet Brazil before the final match.

And that's my dream. I dream of a final between Argentina and Brazil. I don't think my heart will be able to endure such a classic match, but I'm willing to test it!

You all know I'm really cautious and that I never think ahead and that I always take one match at a time, but in this case, I think it's worthy to at least mention it and why not, secretly (or not so secretly since I'm writing it here!), start savouring it while there is still a chance for us to witness such a memorable epic encounter between us and the men in yellow.

Do you think it's possible? Do you want it to happen?

Now blow those candles and make three wishes

Happy birthday Lionel MESSI!

That's Mundo Albiceleste's wish. May all your wishes come true, amigo! Especially THAT one.

As you can see, Lionel, our road to the ultimate prize has just gotten a little tougher, but keep doing what you're doing and your goals will eventually come.

Vamos Pulga!

ARG 2-0 GRE : Highlights & Goals

ARG 2-0 GRE: Dave P's player ratings

Hey guys,

I'm back from Japan and France, amazing trip, anyway back to the real action good performance tonight and love the passion and chemistry our team has right now....bring on Mexico (again)

====================


Sergio ROMERO, (6): Was not really tested all match until the end of the game when Greece has some desperate shots. However, when he was tested he came through with safe and sure hands, had some clean punches from a few corner kicks. Other than that nothing else to do for ROMERO.


Clemente RODRIGUEZ, (6.5): Very good game from Clemente. Seemed calm in possession of the ball and got involved in the attack very well throughout the match. He did not have to do much defensively because of the way Greece was playing, however, when he was needed he was there. Some dangerous crosses into the box and good combination down the left side. When DI MARIA came in Clemente combined well with him. Good
performance from Clemente and is definitely and attacking back that we may need in future games.


Nicolás BURDISSO, (6): Quiet solid game from BURDISSO. Was not needed much throughout the game because we were in possession of the ball the majority of the game. Made some good tackles and very confident in the air. When DEMICHELIS made a mistake and allowed a break, BURDISSO was there to recover and put pressure on the Greek lone striker. Did not make any mistakes all game, but was not really tested too hard.


Martín DEMICHELIS (6.5): Early on in the game Martin played excellent and was bodying the Greek attack around. Good in moving the ball up to the midfield finding BOLATTI and VERON. However, as the game went on a little bit Demi started to misjudge some balls in the air. He slipped out on one ball he tried to head which allowed a break for the Greek defender. After that mistake he seemed a little rattled, but towards the end of the match settled back down and put in our first goal off a corner kick, good reaction off the deflection from MILITO.


Nicolás OTAMENDI (6.5): Impressed with OTAMENDI's performance tonight. He was
able to get involved in the attack early on because the lack of the Greek attack. Was solid throughout making good runs in the attack and moved the ball well. Made some very strong decisive tackles in defense and worked hard the entire match. Other than DEMICHELIS' mistake our defense performed very well tonight. Much confidence in all our defenders right now if Jonas, HEINZE, or SAMUEL get hurt or suspended.

Mario BOLATTI (6.5): Replaced MASCHERANO as the warrior in the midfield and performed very well. BOLATTI was quiet during this game but ran hard and cut of passing angles and made good tackles to stop any distribution up to the Greek striker. Was always near VERON if he ever needed to pass the ball back which was key in us keeping possession the majority of our game. Unlucky to have his shot saved by the Greek goalkeeper on the corner kick, but good strike none the less. Solid
replacement for MASCHERANO.


Juan Sebastián VERON (7): Played the entire 90 mins and ran the entire midfield. Every ball went through VERON tonight and he started every attack, and slowed the game down when needed. He paced the game with balls across field and attacked with quick combos with MESSI. Some of his passes back and forth with MESSI were a little hard or just out of reach but when they worked well it was dangerous. Great midfield General and you could definitely see his experience pouring out of every touch he made on the ball, he knows what he is doing and where every pass he made is going to go. Had some good corner kicks, as well a solo blast from 25 yards out which the goalie was forced to save. VERON knew that Greece was packing in their defense and was content to just move the ball around midfield and our defense until they pushed up a little, great in possession and keeping the ball.


Maxi RODRIGUEZ (5): Maxi had a very quiet match in his 60 mins. Made some good runs and combined well with VERON but overall did not get too involved n attack or defense. Had a shot which was saved by the keeper but other than that not much activity from Maxi, helped move the ball around but no attacking moves or passes, partially because of the Greeks defensive wall


Lionel MESSI (7): First game as captain and played great in his playmaker role.
MESSI was moving well throughout the game, however, there were times when the Greeks were too strong for him and they would simply push him off the ball. This was because there was lack of movement from MILITO and AGÜERO so MESSI was forced to hold on to the ball a little longer than usual. However, he did make his usual 3 defender beating runs and had some dangerous balls through the middle which were unfortunately not knocked in. Moved around well with VERON, and even better when
PASTORE came in for the last 15 mins. Towards the end of the game as it loosened up MESSI showed off his talent with quick one twos with PASTORE and DI MARIA and was unluckily denied by the left post again. PALERMO eventually got our second goal off of a deflection which was created by MESSI. Great performance by Pulga tonight. Look forward to seeing what he can great create against Mexico.

Sergio AGÜERO (5): Quiet game from El Kun, did not get as many chances as he would have liked with his time on the pitch. Partially because of Greeks 7 man defense but still was able to beat defenders and get some good looks on net. Had some good movement with MESSI, however when the finishing touch was needed, he could not finish. Missed some of the dangerous movement and runs that TEVEZ would have gave us. The spark plug off the bench may be his best role at this moment.


Diego MILITO (5): Started out this game with good energy and movement, but our
distribution to MILITO tonight was a little off, as well as some of the runs that he made throughout the match. MILITO sort of became anonymous as the game went on and really did not have much to do with our attack tonight. There were 2 chances, one where he could have headed the ball into the net, and the other where a cross came through the middle and he just missed it with his foot. Became frustrated with
himself and eventually was taken off in the 79min for PALERMO. Not a confident performance which we would have expected from MILITO.


SUB

DI MARIA (62 min for Maxi), (6): Added immediate pace to our attack when he entered, and played very well with Clemente down the left side. Looked confident on the ball and towards the ened played very well and fast with PASTORE and MESSI. Good burst of energy off the bench.

Javier PASTORE (75 min for AGÜERO), (7): Even though he played only 15mins PASTORE made an attacking impact with every touch on the ball. PASTORE showed his pace and skill when passing with VERON and controlled the game in the final minutes. Created lighting quick counters by pushing the ball up to MESSI and DI MARIA. Used a lot of quick skilful one touches and seemed very confident every time he was on the ball. Looks like another great replacement if we need an attacking punch or want
to control the game.

Martín PALERMO (79min for MILITO) N/A: Came on with 11 minutes left and hold 1 or
2 touches on the ball but was in the right place in the right time to get a deflection off the goalie and place the ball into the lower right corner. Good finish by PALERMO.