Argentina: World Cup dark horses?
Posted by Sport.co.uk on: 19 March 2010 - 09:47
Author: Miguel Assuncao
With bookmakers presenting Brazil, Spain and England as the front-runners for this summer's World Cup Finals, Argentina have been quietly preparing for the tournament largely without the media glare.
An impressive friendly win against Germany has allowed the team to gain some much needed momentum in the run-up to a tournament that they came perilously close to missing out on.
Argentina's qualifying campaign was riddled with inconsistency as they fluctuated from victories over an impressive Chile side to a 6-1 defeat by Bolivia at the controversial Hernando Siles stadium in mountainous La Paz.
Failure to pick up maximum points in matches against Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay meant that the two-time World Cup winners went into the final two rounds of games needing two wins to ensure qualification.
A stoppage-time winner from Boca Juniors striker Martin Palermo guaranteed a 2-1 success away at Peru before Mario Bolatti's solitary goal was enough to defeat Uruguay, securing qualification and condemning their opponents to a play-off.
After the final whistle Maradona launched a foul-mouthed tirade at journalists and critics who had been vocal in questioning his management throughout the qualifying campaign.
The outburst landed the former Argentina captain a two month suspension, meaning that he could not be present at the World Cup Draw in December, as well as a £15,000 fine.
Selection
One of the major topics of consternation was Maradona's selection policy which had seen him call up over 70 players during the qualifying phase.
The large turnover of players and Maradona's tendency to experiment with tactics has led to a fragmented Argentinian side, with the team in search of an identity.
The Argentinian FA took advantage of the domestic off-season to organise a number of low-profile friendlies, against the likes of Costa Rica and Jamaica, in order for management haver a closer look at players currently plying their trade in south America.
Nicolas Otamendi and Clemente Rodriguez have been two beneficiaries, with both cementing places in the squad, taking advantage of the teams defensive deficiencies.
The rear-guard has been a major headache for Maradona, with the team lacking an organiser capable of marshalling opposition attacks.
Taking this into consideration, Maradona has raised eyebrows with his reluctance to select the likes of Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso on a regular basis, preferring less experienced players as he looks to stamp his authority on the team.
The case of Zanetti is particularly peculiar. Maradona has stated his concern over the lack of leadership on the field but yet the Inter Milan utility-man has not been called since September 2009, despite being the country's most capped player.
The issue extends itself to the position of goalkeeper with Sergio Romero and Mariano Andujar currently vying for the number one jersey despite only having nine international caps between them.
Messi's role
The media have not been the only target of Maradona's fiery temperament. A bust-up with Juan Roman Riquelme led to the international retirement of the creative midfielder and created a large void in the attacking make-up of the team.
Lionel Messi has struggled to recreate his club form at international level, with the teams defensive frailties and subsequent reversion to a more defensive line meaning that the Barcelona forward has had to play a deeper role.
The World Player of the Year has been burdened with defensive responsibilities and was often left isolated as the team struggled to link midfield and attack.
However, with Riquelme's retirement, Messi has been able take a more prominent role in the team and will be expected to spark the Argentina attack.
With such attention likely to be placed on the threat of Messi by the opposing teams, the 22-year-old's role will be centred of creating space for his team-mates.
The veteran Juan Sebastian Veron has become the focal point of the current Argentinian team with the Estudiantes captain entrusted with the role of creating quick counter-attacking play from his midfield position alongside Javier Mascherano, and his partnership with Messi will be pivotal if the team are to succeed.
Plan B
Even though the country boasts a plethora of attacking talent, the team has suffered for not having a alternative model of play.
The quality of Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Ezequiel Lavezzi is unquestionable, but they suffer from providing the same type of threat.
Without a natural successor to Gabriel Batistuta, and Hernan Crespo well past his best, the team continues to lack a target-man that can provide the wealth of attacking flair more ammunition.
Gonzalo Higuain is enjoying his best season since his multi-million pound move to Real Madrid in 2007, and his experience in playing as a lone striker could propel him to spearheading the Argentina attack in South Africa.
Benfica's Angel Di Maria is likely to be the key to Argentina's World Cup hopes. The left-winger has been in scintillating form for his club this season aiding them to the top of the Portuguese league as well as the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Di Maria's form has alerted the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United and the 23-year-old could be one of the sensations of this year's tournament with the team's counter attacking style the perfect tonic for the wide-man to make an impression.
Favourable draw
A European nation has never won the World Cup outside of Europe and with South American teams dominating the competitions taking place elsewhere, this year's competition represents another great opportunity for a south American team to claim the sport's greatest prize.
Argentina's fierce rivalry with neighbouring, and joint-favourites, Brazil adds further spice to a tournament where Maradona will aim to steer his team to their first victory since 1986, where his performances as a player helped the country to success.
That very experience could be invaluable in creating a winning mentality within the camp and with Argentina having been drawn in Group B, alongside Nigeria, Greece and South Korea fans will no-doubt be eagerly anticipating the start of the competition.
The Alviceleste have the benefit of being placed in the weaker side of the draw and will not face the likes of Italy, Brazil and Spain before the semi-final stage.
With several players coming off the back of such positive seasons, Argentina will enter the tournament with some of the world's most in-form players, Maradona is now burdened with the task of moulding that into a winning team.
A team boasting such talent should be not be referred to as possible outside bet but instead as a team with a genuine chance of glory.
The month-long contest allows for teams to gain form as the competition goes on and Argentina could become one of the most feared teams should they progress to the knockout phase.
Maradona has to be commended for his decision to accept the role of manager after Alfio Basile's resignation in 2008, taking into account his weighty reputation, and success as a manager will further strengthen his position of one of the most important figures in football history.