TEAM PREVIEW: ARGENTINA

Argentina - "Albiceleste"

Overview: Argentina, together with their nemesis Germany, is one of two serious challengers to Brazil’s road to the cup. Now, more than at any point in the last 20 years the team is firing on all cylinders, and should prove a major contender this summer. What makes this time around so different?

This team has chemistry, and it’s made up of a generation in their prime that dominated the U21 and Olympic scene before becoming some of football’s most iconic players in recent years.

Everyone knows Leo Messi, but that is why here I am going to leave him out, because World Cups are not won by brilliant players but by the quality teams that allow them to reach their best.

Argentina will very likely be there or thereabouts in early July.

The objective: To win the World Cup for a third time, there can be no other objective because Argentina fans know that this is the peak of a golden generation and the time is now or…. never?

Population: 41.7 million, of which nearly a third live in the capital of Buenos Aires.

55.6 million cows graze freely on the Pampas.

Neither group pays taxes.

Ethnic Groups: 100% boludos, che and 1 pope

Registered Football Players: 2.6 million (331k registered) that makes a whopping 6% of the population.

Registered Football Clubs: 3,377

Most Successful Clubs: One of the greatest clubs on the planet J Racing Club de Avellaneda they won the first Argentine intercontinental title and 16 national titles. That was my bias.

Then there is the rest of the big 5: Boca (30), River(35), San Lorenzo (15), Independiente (16), all equally crazy and superb.

But one should not ignore great teams like Estudiantes, Newell’s, Rosario Central all of whom have a large amount of titles, and long spells of domination.

Most of the biggest clubs come from Buenos Aires, it’s a hell of a football city, but recently teams like Belgrano from Cordoba, or Godoy Cruz from Mendoza have been making waves.

What is important to know, is that the early noughties financial crisis in Argentina had a huge impact on youth programs, and its seems that the amount of great players being produced by these clubs has dropped of significantly in the past 5 years or so, this should see a gap in talent in coming years.

All Time Top Scorer:

Alone at the summit, with Leo (not the Pope the other one) still far off is Gabriel Batistuta, the 90s legend.

Hernan Crespo is third, and Maradona is already 4^th.

World Cup Performances: 1978, 1986 champions and 1990 runners up.

This is their 16^th World Cup, and they haven’t missed one since 1970.

Out of 70 games, 37 wins, 13 draws, 20 losses, 123 goals for, 80 against.

This generation won two consecutive Olympic golds in 2004 and 2008.

Continental Performance: 14 times South American champions, but a miserable quarter-finals exit last time at home.

How they get their calories: Mostly from Yerba Mate, they all drink it, the nacional teams brings enourmous quantities to international competitions.

a thick green tea-like brew drunk through a straw from a gourd or other outlandish container. 

Loads of vitamins, calories, and much better of a cafein type than coffee (known as matein). Paraguayans, Uruguayans and Brazilians also drink loads, but the World Cup hosts call it chimarrão.

The Guarani Indians believed that some old man saved some moon goddess from a jaguar, and she gave him the plant to drink as a “drink of long life and friendship.”

With the mate, 1 kg of beef is a normal portion per person during an Argentina asado (basically grilled meat feast with some nice green, fresh sides). 

You get small portions of various cortes, or cuts of meat during an asado, and their flavour will be strikingly different. 

What we like in Europe is not as beloved over there as some of the pieces butchers in the rest of the world throw away. The restaurant variety is often refered to as a parillada, as a real asado should be open air

Now if you want the complete meal, Papas fritas con huevo, but given the large amounts of calories only the mate’s digestive effects might save you.

The national beer:  The newspaper shops sell a porron of beer, which should be 970 cl, and the national beer is the iconic Quilmes, 

named after a barrio of Buenos Aires, which in turn was named after a local indigenous tribe.

From the anthem: One of the most football-relevant anthems around, although because it’s Argentine the music is unnecessarily melancholic:

From the new Champions their faces

Mars himself seems to encourage

Greatness nestles in their bodies:

As they march they make everything tremble.

….

Victory to the Argentine warrior

covered with her brilliant wings,

and embarrassed at this sight the tyrant

with infamy took to flight.

Its flags, its arms surrender

as trophies to freedom itself,

and on wings of glory the people rise

to the worthy throne of their great majesty.

How to blend in with the fans: You can say a lot of things about Argentina, but once you spend some time there it’s impossible not to become football-insane. When the albiceleste play, the streets are empty, except for huge plasma-screened retail windows which draw enormous crowds.

The fans pack the stadium hours before a match, and jumping up and down they sing and sing and sing some more. Although every club down to the third division has its songs, the iconic song is “every day I love you more…”

Paint your face, drink paint, it won’t help, the only way to blend in with Argentina fans is to never sit, and never stop singing and hopping J … an alternative is taking to a hand drum until your palms are raw.

The stereotype: The Argentines have a bad reputation in South America as being arrogant, and thinking themselves “more European,” always nostalgic, rather pessimistic, and very bitter.

What their neighbours know: As I always said, Argentina is a fantastic country, where it’s easy to make friends and be human… but it has a terrible work environment, even worse political environment and a tremendous amount of fatal road accidents (including a number of recognized football players lately).

Also, South American countries are extremely diverse, Argentina not less so, and since it’s so far from everywhere, a typical family will have a fantastically blended gene pool. 

Argentina was a great country to escape from the 19^th and 20^th centuries too, and people did from everywhere. Unlike other South American countries, Argentina has a tiny Afro-Argentine population.

One thing you should know is that every Argentine player to make it on TV gets a nickname from the commentators, and that nickname is more often used thereafter than their real name.

How they qualified:

After thumping Chile 4-1, they slipped 1-0 away to Venezuela, but then Sabella fiddled with the attack, and suddenly Messi, Aguero, and Higuain formed a fantastic forward trio and went on a 13 game undefeated qualification streak which saw them top the South American process.

The sad: 

Argentines are culturally very good at finding reasons for melancholy, so take your pick, but the 4-0 meltdown to Germany in the quarter finals of the last World Cup was something that will be weighing on everyone’s minds during this tournament. Germany has a knack for defeating Argentina, as they did in 1990, 2006 and several several other historic moments.

The happy joy joy:

If you find a reason to be happy for more than 24 hours you are not Argentine, and more often than not that reason is fútbol or a good asado.

An overview:

Although observers say that the current Argentina defence does not rank with previous generations, I could tend to agree, but simply put the offense works so well (35 goals in 16 qualifiers for instance) that they should be able to overwhelm even the most resilient opponent.

As for the defence, the fact that the current roster is less famous, they had the second best stats in qualifiers behind third place Colombia, and the experience of the midfield, and the work ethic of the forwards can help keep pressure off should there be any trouble. I assess Argentine’s defence as being close to the best in the tournament.

Argentina’s fluid attacking style is bound to once again entertain the World Cup, if the fatigue of their star players proves not to be too much.

When you look at the Argentina team sheet, you see a lot of surprise call ups instead of more famous players, but this group is hand-picked for a clear tactical plan, and every one of them is there for a reason.

The Song: With many top Spanish language musicians constantly emerging over the past 3-4 decades, Argentina has a great Rock Nacional scene. Off course many songs refer to futbol so here is a 90s one from Los Piojos:

And here is one of my personal anthems:

Team Strength: Potentially one of the great attacking trios of history, supported by a midfield that has all the makings of legend, with World Class experience, and a certain little international phenomenon Pulga (flea) from Barcelona that should eat up the concentration of other teams at the very least.

Team Weakness: The pressure of success, there is no golden generation behind this one in Argentina, and the fans know it. Also, teams that are so reliant on offense alone tend not to win things in modern football.

The Goalkeeping Department: 7.9

Argentina has a great goalkeeping pedigree although the current class is not as phenomenal as the past perhaps. Stable, good, agile shot stopper, Sabella had 6 or 7 to choose from, and he chose 3 that can all perform on the day.

Defenders: 8.3

Manchester City’s Micho Demichelis was surprised to be called up, even though he is the most experienced and capped player in the defence. He is likely not to start, with Napoli’s Flaco Fernández and Benfica’s Tamarista Garay forming a superb partnership in qualifying and are likely to continue it through to the World Cup. However you look at it, the Argentine defence is the formation that will have the most convincing to do if Argentina is to fulfil its potential in June.

The left back slot is probably the weakest in the whole team.

The middle: 8.9

Although not as star-studded as past teams, Jefecito Mascherano, is a lynchpin in Argentina’s highly effective midfield. Add fantastic talents and real hard working players and you have potential world beaters. The middle is great a slowing attacks, being a first line to launch counterattacks, and at giving the superb attacking line the support it needs to fire all cylinders.

The attack: 9.7

It sounds too good to be true on paper, and it was that for many years, but when you are so confident in your attack that you can leave 21-goal Carlos Tevez at home then there is little margin for improvement.

The coach:  8.4

59 year-old Alejandro “Pachorra” Sabella played as a midfielder an unimpressive 8 times for Argentina, and was a sub for River Plate legend Norberto Alonso, before moving to England with Sheffield United and Leeds and later to Brazil.

As a coach he plucked his way up as the assistant to Daniel Passarella, gaining valuable experience with Parma (2001), Monterrey (02-04), the Uruguayan National Team (99-01), Corinthians (05) and River (06).

He got his own break with Estudiantes de La Plata in 2009 which he took, with Veron in midfield to unexpectedly win the South American Champions League equivalent, the Copa Libertadores and the title (both as underdogs) a year later becoming an icon to the fans.

Still unknown internationally, his appointment to head Argentina came as an international surprise, to no one less so than Al-Jazeera in the UAE who thought they had already hired the hugely talented manager. His first move, was equally surprisingly, when he named a Barcelona player who was hugely underperforming for the national team as captain…. and finally got him playing to potential for the national team.

Sabella surprisingly immediately cut out a lot of the old-timers, Cambiasso, Zanetti, Walter Samuel, Milito, Coloccini and Tevez… a group on which many coaches could build a winning team. He build a team with extreme chemistry, Argentina understand each other, and the players play for each other now… to a lot of fans this might seem like fluff, but to a football coach you know it’s the hardest thing to achieve sometimes, and the most decisive.

The Tactics:

The old 4-3-3 is back in force this World Cup, and few teams use it so well as Argentina. What observers describe as “very fluid” and “roaming players” is actually a mixed truth, because some key players like the holding midfielder Mascherano have very strict jobs which allow the others to enjoy the freedoms.

The strength of this setup is that opponents always have 3 world class players to worry about with counterattacks, and if they sit back, there is always danger from midfielders coming in when the forwards drag the defence down.

A certain Barcelona player does bet when played in the right sided attacking role, but this set up also plays to the strength of Aguero and Higuain, as they can all alternate and shift positions in the forward 3, and have the compact midfield security to give them the freedom they need.

The lack of wingers, gives 3 great ball winners in the middle the chance to shine, and counterattack, and only if needed the defensive wingbacks go forward for an added punch, although the current Argentina does not have stellar wingbacks, Pablo Zabaleta embodies the solid defence and hard work that Sabella demans, with the player being a really key man for holding this formation together and providing freedom to others.

One last interesting thing for you nerds out there. The middle three is usually compact, but in a game where the opponents sit back, Sabella has taken wing-midfielders like Maxi Rodriguez, or Augusto Fernandez to give more routes into the box.

Everybody knows…. Sergio “Kun” Aguero, started off as a fantastic player who would score only important goals. His clever running, ownership of any opposition’s channels, and most importantly his great link-up with both Higuain and “the other guy” in the forward triangle of Argentine makes him a very likely start of this tournament.

One of the 4 key men in Manchester City’s deserved title win, and the man that stole them the title two seasons ago in injury time versus QPR, Aguero is in worse form and tired, but it still makes him a formidable asset for this team.

Should be more famous….  They are mostly well known, but Ezequiel “Tamarista” Garay, now 27, had brought the defensive stability to both Benfica and Argentina over the past season that could seem him travel to Brazil with a Europa League title to his name. The former Real Madrid player is also a goal scorer, although he has yet to do so for Argentina…

No one has heard off… surprisingly José Ernesto “Principe” Sosa, the former Bayern Munich and Napoli man is “the forgotten man” in this Argentina team. Not a spectacular player, but highly efficient and tactically intelligent, he is often the crafty manager’s “super sub” for complex midfield tasks. 

He played very well in Ukraine for Metalist Kharkiv, and is often used by Simeone at Atletico Madrid on loan this season, where he often comes off the bench. He is a player that Sabella trusts, and he brought him to Estudiantes on loan in 2010, and his quiet tactical discipline, football intelligence, and a knack for being instrumental in getting his teams three points without making headlines.

Unfulfilled talent:

Valencia’s major ups and downs have not been good for Éver Banega, who has spent the last months on loan at Newell’s Old Boys. This player is a bit of a typical genius, frail, small, and sometimes disappearing for chunks of a season, his passing ability and play making make him an ideal fit for Sabella’s side.

He was instrumental in the 2012-13 season for his Spanish club, but when that team was sold off and the manager left, he didn’t do so well the following season. In the national team of Argentina there are no real “unfulfilled talents” as they don’t get call up, but Ever Banega is a player whose quality has been sometimes debated.

I have many times seen what he can do, and he is another of many potential match winners in this team.

Still going… none other than former Liverpool stalwart Maxi “El Fiera” Rodríguez, very much a wild card in Sabella’s team. 

Author of this stunning goal against Mexico a couple of World Cups back in 2006:

Rodriguez is a big-game, consistent player, with loads of quality still remaining at 32. Look for him to be involved in decisive moments. He is known for his wingplay, but has a fantastic record as a goal scorer from midfield, with a ridiculous 124 goals in 452 competitive club appearances… statistics almost never seen for a midfield since the 1960s.

Look for him to add to his impressive 15 goals for his country.

The heart of the team….

Can’t be anyone but the Barcelona great…. Javier “Jefazo” Mascherano who many Liverpool fans are still missing after all these years. The quiet, vital stuff on the pitch is what he excels in to being one of the best ever in the defensive midfield role. As he is one of the most gifted ball winners in the history of the sport, Barcelona has played him in the defensive line in recent years, but his anchor role for Argentina is where 5 national team bosses trusted in him.

He gets extremely high pass completion, and sets the tempo for his team, acting as a primary delaying point for opposition counter-attacks. If Argentina live up to expectations, it will be with “The Little Chief” pulling all the strings.

The goalscorer.... goals come from the whole forward line and beyond in Argentina, but its Gonzalo “Pipa” Higuaín who had 9 goals in qualifying, and 6 assists. 24 goals and 11 assists for Napoli means a “medium good” season for the French-born Argentine, but he is really on the top of his game right now, and has the stage set for playing himself into the history books this summer.

If he doesn’t score not a problem, one of the mistakes that Real Madrid did when selling him off and undervaluing him is that el Pipa is a player who is a master of pulling the defence and laying off the decisive pass. His career total is 349 competitive club games, 163 goals and 83 assists.

The young star… young players don’t make it into Argentina which is one of those teams that builds on experience unless you are a world star, so the only 24-year old is the youngest. Marcos “Marquitos” Rojo emerged out of Sabella’s Estudiantes and went on to become a major figure with Sporting Lisbon.

He is the left wingback of the team, and plays the role very well, with good speed and stamina making up from any “mistakes” stemming from lack of experience. He can also dribble and cross, and in Portugal at least, he runs in and scores having 5 goals out of defence for his Lisbon team.

In bad form this season…. Not this season but lately, Fernando Gago failed to stay in the Real Madrid starting eleven, failed under Luis Enrique at Roma, but moving back to Argentina

In great form this season…. Ángel di María: 11 goals and an insane 24 assists for Real Madrid in what has been an incredible season from him.

Candidate for discovery of the tournament…  José María Basanta is a backuyp defender who plies his trade in the Mexican league with Monterrey. He is unknown on the international stage, but he is a rock that has a knack for teamwork and tactical discipline.

He could be a discovery if he gets to play.

Recognized player not likely to feature… Cambiasso, Zanetti, Walter Samuel, Milito (all Inter), Coloccini (Newcastle) 

and Tevez (Juventus).

Just to be clear, they are not going.

The prospects of tomorrow… there tons of great player who are pushing into important teams around the globe, although a bit less than in the past. This seems contradictory, but there used to be more and better players.

Adrián “Wachiturro” Centurión is a technical, pacey, and relatively tall and strong goal scoring winger with bags of promise. Failed to break into the Genoa first team this season, but had too much competition in a team fighting against relegation.

Manuel “Manu” Lanzini is the traditional Argentine “Enganche” in the mould of an Aimar or Riquelme, continuing the tradition of a breed threatened with extinction. He is already a centrepiece of River Plate.

Alan “Mago” Ruiz a modern, penetrating, goal-scoring attacking midfielder, really looks set for great things. He looks small but is very strong and explosive, and throttled his team San Lorenzo to the title in 2013.

Lucas “Perro” Romero a young defensive midfielder that looks much more mature than his tender age, organizes well and does all the inglorious work on the pitch to an excellent level. He is already a regular started and a key part of the Velez Sarsfield team in Western Buenos Aires.

Juan Manuel “Iturbo” Iturbe already making waves with Porto, Verona this year in Italy, and everywhere he goes. This unpredictable winger scores by the double digits and is impossible to mark. Contributed significantly to Verona’s great season with 8 goals from the wing in Serie A and the club went to great lengths to sign him up for 2014-15.

These are 5 names out of 15 or so you should remember for the next edition of this blog ;)

Worth mentioning: Rodrigo “Joya” Palacio stayed much longer in Argentina with Boca than expected, and when he finally moved to Argentina a mature player his impact was immediate and devastating. 

The mobile goalscorer is probably the high point in Inter’s underperformances these last two seasons, because he pops up unexpected and scores regularly.  He often plays a wide role for Argentina, and he is perfect for the left forward slot in a 433. His last three season have seen him score 21, 22 and 19 goals.

Ezequiel “Pocho” Lavezzi was tipped for greatness as a youth, but only achieved it at Napoli where he was a primary accomplice to Uruguayan Edison Cavani. 

After finding himself in a controversy with the Neapolitan mafia he moved to Paris where he plays wide and scored 23 goals in two season. Although he is aging, his speed and zip is still legendary.

Martin “Micho” Demichelis has legendary lack of speed. Because of that his call up was a surprise to some, despite breaking into the Man City championship team this season. 

The former Bayern and Malaga stalwart is a seasoned, experienced defender, and Sabella knew what he was doing when he called him up.

The team called up: 

“Chiquito” Romero (Monaco), “Andiu” Andujar (Inter/Catania), “Augu” Orión (Boca) (GK)

“Micho” Demichelis (Man City), “Zaba” Zabaleta (Man City), “Flaco” Fernandez (Napoli), “Marquitos” Rojo (Sporting Lisbon), “Tamarista” Garay (Benfica), “Nico” Otamendi (Atletico Mineiro), “Toro Cordobes” Campagnaro (Inter), “Chema” Basanta (Monterrey) (DEF)

“Jefe” Mascherano (Barcelona), “Fiera” Rodríguez (Newell’s), “Fercha” Gago (Boca), “Fideo” Di María (Real Madrid), “Tanguito” Banega (Newell’s), “Principe” Sosa (Atletico Madrid), “Rubio” Biglia (Lazio), “Negro” Fernández (Celta), “Enzaso” Pérez (Benfica), “Ricky” Álvarez (Inter) (MID)

“Pulga” Messi (Barcelona), “Pocho” Lavezzi (PSG), “Rayo” Palacio (Inter), “Pipa” Higuain (Napoli) (ATT)

A great team moment: 

June 9^th 2012: Brazil 3 – Argentina 4 a Messi hat trick topped off with a goal from Fernandez sealed a derby win for Argentina. In fact they have been on a role against their Northern neighbours… beating Brazil is a pinnacle for any Argentine fan, beating them on home soil…. Well...

A legend: 

Because Atletico Madrid is playing tonight I have to say Argentina’s third most capped player Diego “Cholo” Simeone. His 106 caps and 11 goals in central midfield gave the team a consistent ingredient which kept them in the running throughout the 90s.

The group: 

Bosnia & Herzegovina (June 15th) in Rio di Janeiro. A clash that Argentina have to be focused for, because Bosnia have a lot of experience against attacking teams. Getting a good start here is vital for them, but this game might be where the Abliceleste lose points.

Iran (June 21st) in Belo Horizonte should be fun but most of it will likely be by the Iranian goal, or in it. Can Queiroz and his counterattacks catch Argentina unawares? Unlikely, but that is the beauty of the World Cup.

Nigeria (June 25th) in Porto Alegre should pose some problems for Argentina, depending on what the Super Eagles are playing for at that stage. Argentina can struggle against physical, fast, organized African teams, but I can’t see them losing to the African champs here, even if Sabella rotates the team after 6 points. Nevertheless it will be a tough match for at least a couple of minutes if not 90.

Pre-Tournament Friendlies:

v. Trinidad and Tobago (June 4^th) a confidence booster

v. Slovenia (June 7^th) a practice against a solid defence

this is a very light schedule with low propensity for injuries, and trusting in the teams pre-existing chemistry… but gives a well-prepared Bosnia a chance of surprise.

Prognosis: Argentina are supposed to top the group, but surprises can always happen. If this team is allowed to gather momentum, it has depth, and it has the ability to beat anyone. Sabella is a cleverer coach than Maradona was, so a meltdown like the 4-0 against Germany in South Africa is much less likely now.

It’s hard to seriously say that Argentina will not reach the top 4 or top 8.