Football News

Albo (United States)

Posted on 11/2/2012 at 7:25 PM 0 In my opinion, a 4-3-3 with the "Fav. 4" is a great weapon we have available and it's fun to watch, as long as we have possession of the ball and dominate the football game. The are other instances where the opponent puts pressure across the pitch (for example if we just scored), we should then form a 4-4-2 to contain them, until we get the ball back. In other words, we should use a dynamic formation according to the needs. And I believe this is more or less what Sabella wants. Saludos.

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 10/24/2012 at 7:59 AM 0 @elpipita apparently banega is playing v good after his comeback... cant wait to see him in the starting line up laong with gago and tino costa

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/23/2012 at 11:10 PM 0 Pareja had a pretty good game against Benfica, Garay played okay..not the best CB out there. Also Gago started along with Tino costa with Banega coming on as a sub in their 3-0 win.

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/23/2012 at 10:42 PM 1 I think the key is balance. The fantastic 4 (or the 4 horsemen!) are a fantastic weapon to have, but like all lethal weapons it must be used wisely. We had incredible ammunition when going into the game against Germany in the 2010 WC but look at what happened! I think it's been said that strikers win you games but defense wins you tournaments. Now the Abliceleste will not win any tournaments with the modest defense that they have, but a balanced team with the amazing striking options upfront can. So far from what I've seen, the albicelestes have been winning their games because they're been simply outscoring their opponents not outplaying them (except for the Urguay game where they came seeking a lucky draw and got hammered as a result). Our team needs that extra man in the midfield to balance things out and the likes of pastore, gaitan and lamela (despite their abundant talent) will simply not do, we need a balanced footballer who can defend and create and I for one hope that Sabella finds that missing piece who ever he might turn out to be.

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 10/23/2012 at 3:45 PM 0 @el principe yes messi is the invisile woman...

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 10/23/2012 at 3:43 PM 0 has anyone noticed how ronaldo runs through the defenders whenever dimaria gets the ball..he knows this guy can pass the ball through.. its his assist thats making ronaldo look genious.. i personnaly want 3 fabs to start and one come in as a sub..

el principe (United States)

Posted on 10/23/2012 at 2:23 PM 0 And one more thing, no way in Sabella's mind, he will replace Di Maria. Absolutely no way. I read a lot of interviews where he did praise Di Maria and keeps saying how important of a player he is. It is more likely for Sabella to bench Higuain or Aguero (one of them) than Di Maria. That is the fact.

el principe (United States)

Posted on 10/23/2012 at 2:20 PM 0 @Leandro -We field the Fantastic 4 and a very defensive back 4 (4-2-4) and gamble that we will score more goals and pin the opponent fullbacks in fear of our firepower.. in my opinion this is risky. But its what 80% of people here want ***It is not what I want or what Mundo Albiceleste want. The fantastic four is what Sabella wants. Even if Fantastic four got 20% of the votes here, not 80%, it is still what Sabella wants. So we're talking about what is happening out there.

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/23/2012 at 8:43 AM 2 @elPrincipe, Argentina vs Brasil was a very conservative 4-4-2 for most of the game.. I would call that defensive, especially considering we did not try to pressure them in their half for the first 25min. Sosa, Masch, Gago, DiMaria is a very defensive midfield.. and if I remember correctly ( I was there, its all a wonderful blur of emotion ) Messi and Higuian where deadly just by themselves with a wall of 7.5 players defending behind them. The key to Messi playing well in a defensive line up is *space* where his counter attacking runs can damage, same goes for Higuain as demonstrated vs Chile. Messi struggles in games where 90% of the action is in midfield and he has no partners up front to 1-2 with against a parked bus defence (think Mous inter or Chelsea). When you see Messi dropping to the center circle, looks up, sees no one and then has to dribble all the way upfield triple marked, that is the only time he suffers and that is why Kun makes such an impact as he becomes the target man in a crowded field.. DiMaria and Higuain are not so good in tight spaces. Lavezzi is good in tight battles, but he cant finish AT ALL. So to sum up, the way I see it: a) We play a real defensive 4-4-2 with just DiMaria, Pipita and Messi as our counter attacking 3 and we park the bus (like vs Brasil) and play a Madrid/Germany type game where we explode out the back and try to score in less than 4 passes. b) We field the Fantastic 4 and a very defensive back 4 (4-2-4) and gamble that we will score more goals and pin the opponent fullbacks in fear of our firepower.. in my opinion this is risky. But its what 80% of people here want. It makes me wonder if a) everyone forgot Diego 4-0 vs Germany b) if these votes are from people that have played themselves competitive soccer at some point in their lives and c) if they watch every game in full, its very easy to get mystified just seeing 2 minute highlights. No offence with this comment, not trying to sound snooty.. just curious what % of us fans here in Mundo actually watch most games in full. c) I think the ticket is to find a balanced approach as myself and @elPipita are calling for by playing the 'sensible 3' and replacing DiMaria for a real #8 (Jonas, Min~o, etc). This would be somewhere between a defensive lineup and an all out attack. Vamos Argentina!!

el principe (United States)

Posted on 10/23/2012 at 4:34 AM 1 If Maradona was used to playing defensive formations like in 1990 or some of his Napoli matches when facing strong teams, Messi is exactly the opposite. Being "born" in Barcelona, his dna seems to not match any other formations but offensive formations. That is why he was the one asking for the "cuatro fantásticos" (fantastic four). Messi NEVER had a history of playing good when we played defensive formations. The coach Maradona did elect to play ultra defensive in crucial matches against Uruguay (Bolatti's goal) and Peru (Palermo's goal). Messi was a non factor in both games. Sabella played defensive in an away game vs. Colombia. Messi played like crap in the first half, only after Kun was introduced, Messi played a lot better in the second half. Those are only a few evidence, but Messi's dna is not compatible with defensive formations. I am not saying that Messi's game matches all offensive formations, but it does not match any defensive formations for sure. I really love the fantastic four idea, however they are still in progress from being ultimately a lethal weapon. Offensively they look really good already. The stats of this in WCQ: Angel DI MARIA 6.43 (7 games, 2 goals, 7 assists) Sergio AGUERO 7.09 (4 games, 3 goals, 0 assist) Gonzalo HIGUAIN 6.62 (9 games, 7 goals, 2 assists) Lionel MESSI 7.23 (9 games, 7 goals, 2 assists) prove that they are extremely sharp. Offensively, they move like what ArgiesFanIndia posted. Defensively, they need to train to be like this: ----------------------Romero --Zabaleta--------Garay----Fernandez-------Rojo -----------------Gago----Mascherano -------------Messi--------------Di Maria ---------------------Aguero/Higuain -----------------------Half field-------------------- ---------------------Higuain/Aguero All of the players need to get back to defense but one player: either Higuain or Aguero. I think this is what Sabella is working on with our team now as I read on some interviews.

ArgiesFanIndia (India)

Posted on 10/23/2012 at 12:46 AM 1 Agreed that if we play with all our fantastic 4 our formation actually looks like 4-2-4 formation and this could be suicidal at times against the tacticalkly tough opponents like Spain or Italy or Germany. But problem is that we have so many qualities No # 5 (Gago, Banega, Masch, Costa, Bigila) but we need a genuine No # 8 to control the ball in the middle. I was looking for Pastore (far from convincing) for that position but now I will prefer Banega (as he is back) or Tino Costa for that position. But I will still go for our 4-2-3-1 formation as to win matches we need to goals and goals are guaranteed when we will play with... --------------------------------Romero----------------------------------- -----Peruzzi----------Garay------FF/pezzella---------Ansaldi/Rojo-------- -----------------Mascherano-----------Banega/Gago/Tino Costa------------- -------Kun---------------------Messi-----------------Di Maria------------ -------------------------------Higuan------------------------------------ Yes this formation is ultra-attacking but just look at the few matches we played with this formation... Chile - Argentina (1 - 2) Argentina - Uruguay (3 - 0) Argentina - Paraguay (3 - 1) Argentina - Brazil (4 - 3) - we were 2-3 down and Kun came we won 4-3 Argentina - Ecuador (4 - 0) Argentina - Chile (4 - 1) Colombia - Argentina (1-2) - again from 0-1 goal down to we won 2-1 when Kun came. We struggled whenever we have used other formation as we don’t have that much quality and creativity in the middle. Agreed that there are possibilities that strong tactical teams like Germany, Spain or Italy may kill us if we are not at our best but remember if we concede goals then we can score goals also. Even if use 4-5-1 formation with 5 genuine midfielders then also we cannot dominate in the midfield against Germany or Italy. Against Spain if we use 10 men in the middle then also we will struggle in the middle. So only way to kill them is with this formation. We all know that Messi's original position is attacking-midfielder so he can play deep and also Kun and Di maria can play behind the strikers. Also probably you guys have noticed this season messi is playing much deeper for barcelona (I am sure keeping this formation in mind). But agreed this formation will work only if.. 1. Everybody must must help in defense (like barcelona). 2. They must need to hold the ball in the middle, so we need ball playing (read holding) midfielder like Banega. 3. We must need to play wide and must improve our passing game. 4. We have to be on top of our game - No defensive error and no miss infront of the goal. OMG!!!! Seems like I am trying to convince with my formation and then [PLAN B] we can go for some relatively defensive formation when we need to hold that ball and need to defense.. --------------------------------Romero----------------------------------- -----Peruzzi----------Garay------FF/pezzella---------Ansaldi/Rojo-------- -----------------Mascherano-----------Gago/Tino Costa-------------------- --------------------------------Banega----------------------------------- -----------Messi---------------------------------------Di maria/Kun------ ---------------------------------Higuan----------------------------------- but yes if any midfield player like Pastore or Lamela or Gaitan or a super Banega/Costa/Gago combo (probably they will play together for valancia now) can impress me then I will prefer 4-4-2 formation but as of now I will stick with this formation as this formation giving us results and that matters.

Abs (United States)

Posted on 10/22/2012 at 11:47 PM 0 @elpipita: If you read my previous comment you'll understand why I suggested Pareja. Coz I am looking to kind of players who can play a totally defensive SB like Campgnero.

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/22/2012 at 5:03 PM 0 pareja is a centre back and Insua just never lived up to his potential. Its too bad really about pareja because he was awesome in the Olympics, but then disappeared into the wilderness after going to russia.

Abs (United States)

Posted on 10/22/2012 at 5:09 AM 0 @ Leandro: I don't like Clemente, Sabella should try Ansaldi, Pareja, and Insua

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/22/2012 at 4:41 AM 1 @ Leandro i do agree that Jonas played great under Maradona, just the type of player we need constantly running always open fights to every ball. But he did not play well as a right back..looked constantly out of position and confused which is why he got subbed in that game..However if we put Zabaleta as a RB and Jonas as a right wing, he will track back enough to cover for Zabaleta as actually Jonas did pretty much the entire 90 minutes on the field, IMO he was the one good thing about Maradona's era and i really do not understand why Sabella does not call him up, as he is generally the type of player that Coaches Love.

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/22/2012 at 12:51 AM 0 Right on @Abs, if we dont do the 'Pragmatic 3' and start the 'Fantastic 4', then the only alternative to bring balance is to drop both Rojo and Zabaleta and play tough defenders like Campagnero on the flanks.. who would be the other option? From what we have seen in Sabella, in my opinion, after Campgnero it has been Clemente that seemed the most solid in defense. That would be the "Sensible back 4" + the "Rugged core duo" + "the fantastic 4"... oi.. lol

Abs (United States)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 10:42 PM 0 My vote would be: If he wants to start them great, but he better prepare the defense for a tougher job. In other words, lose the side defenders for more defender role, like CAMPA. I like the results of it, but I don't like the risk that comes with it !!

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 10:21 PM 0 He played on the right for Diego.. even did a better job at right back than Zabaleta..

Johnny (Thailand)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 9:18 PM 0 Couldn't agree more about Jonas. He's perfect for Sabella. Only possible issue being he plays mostly on the left for Newcastle.

pablo.d (New Zealand)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 9:08 PM 0 im another saying jonas needs to be called up again, hes exactly a sabella type of player but also a player most of us agree should be their ahead of the sosas and maxis etc

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 5:25 PM 0 If there is one position a deep bench is always good is with well rounded midfielders. Look at Barca, Puyol, Alves, Pique, etc all hurt and because they have 3 world class central defenders they are managing to keep winning. I say bring them all into the team.. especially mid way through qualifiers so we can see who is the hungriest and the best under pressure. @Msi2 - This is why i like Jonas. The guy is a warrior, he runs like a horse non-stop end to end. Under Diego he saved our ass a bunch of times with his 150% efforts at defending.. also, he has a good long range shot and is not sloppy with the ball. To me Jonas is like Gago, a player that is well rounded and will give you his all, always. He also has a lot of experience and is not too old. I would not rule him out as an option, he would make an exellent sub role player, much like Guinazu, but more offensive. Currently our bench lacks balanced midfielders other than Sosa.

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 3:58 PM 0 The issue with Tino Costa is that he is a decent/good player, he defends ok and his passing is also okay. But Banega and Gago both do it better. The other issue that people wanted him to be the set piece player and do the FK's and CK's. Since Messi is coming into his own in that, I doubt anybody is going to take those FK's. I know it's another option but do not know.

soumya (India)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 3:10 PM 0 @sulav787 agree with u .....tino is wonderful game maker ...a genuine talent ...and only 27 now...

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 3:03 PM 1 @ HIRA thanks for the info, villareal has another very talented argentine that I would love to see at the NT and that is Mateo Musacchio, great young central defender, hope villareal returns to the permiera so we could see these guys compete at the top level. @msi2 jonas is a very good footballer, skilled and hard working and is the only defensive winger argentina has at the moment, he could fit into sabella's system quite well.

msi2 (France)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 12:38 PM 1 Yuck at Jonas... Can't believe of you are asking for him.

HIRA (Bangladesh)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 11:09 AM 0 @elpipita : canteros is in villareal now..... spanish 2nd division

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 9:27 AM 0 2 Great goals by Barcos, he's what we need, and I'm happy he's a sub for higuian.

HIRA (Bangladesh)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 8:25 AM 0 off topic: ever banega is back from injury & played in the match against athletic bilbao........ he played for about 15 mins & played quiet well

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 7:58 AM 0 @istiaque we have good strong midfielders in the top league but sabella never calls them... especially jonas and tino costa.. i dont thnik there is tuffer league than epl.. and jonas having adapted in epl shows he deserves a call to NT.. and tito costa he is creative and defensively sound as well and plays together with gago and banega finally fit... sabella should seriously consider tito costa agaist saudi arabia... and try three genuine midfielders.. and one of fav 4 come in as a sub... may be aguero or dimaria.. so we dont have to deal with the constant bombardment like we had agaist chile and first 20mins of germany match.. lamela and pastore should be tried agaist s arabia

Dr.Magdy (Egypt)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 7:28 AM 0 Zlatan Barcosović scored twice yesterday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEd07KL0Xhc

Istiaque (Bangladesh)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 6:07 AM 0 As I live in south asia, I don't really get any chance to follow the argentine league. the knowledge i have is mostly from you guys and from blogs,forums etc. few months ago I was hearing good things about Ezequiel Cirigliano. How is he doing now? 'cause i haven't heard about him since... pretty sad that we do not have any midfielders who play at a top club! no no10 or not even a player like mascherano playing in the middle!

hi2suresh (India)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 2:20 AM 0 I saw the Barcelona match yesterday & it was quite entertaining match with Messi's hatrick & golazo. With this makeshift defence Barcelona is looking like Argentina...terrific attack with horrible defence :)

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/21/2012 at 1:37 AM 0 Lets hope Sanchez Mino becomes established in top European team ( Or esudiantes sorry boca fans..) So that Sabella will take a look at him, he is a complete player like a utility player who is actually talented. It almost feels like you can slot him in anywhere, and he will not disappoint, imo Argentina hasn't seen a player like him in a long time, a player who is consistent and is a classic Central Midfielder, as in Argentina we usually have CAM and CDM or Wingers, we haven't seen the Number 8 position in a while.

soumya (India)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 11:55 PM 0 watched tino costa in la liga .....what a MF!! best sub for gago i think...he has speed ,good passing ability...nice left foot..!!!some times i feel he is better than banega!!

Johnny (Thailand)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 10:32 PM 0 @elpipita-I think its possible. I'm not sure Sanchez Mino could walk right on as a starter, though I don't think he is that far from being able to do so. I will say this-he can hold the ball a helluva lot better than Sosa, and is way more of an attacking threat. If he continues to improve and mature he could be part of the Fearless Five.:)

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 10:03 PM 0 Thanks for the info guys, I only saw one of the Boca games with Mino, he reminds me abit of Ever Banega in the sense that he controls the ball beautifully, sets the pace and then makes a very incisive pass. But then again that was just one game awhile back so I couldn't make a proper assessment. Here is another question (to Johnny, Kenneth and anybody who follows Boca and the primera regularly) do you think Mino could fit into Sabella's more conservative 4-4-2 system (the one he employed against the big teams)?

los matadores (Argentina)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 9:30 PM 0 Thanks for the link Jack. Vickery clearly understands how stupid the format is for Argentina's domestic league. We have the most byzantine system and it's full of negative incentives. A bunch of exceptions and stupid rules carved out for political/corrupt reasons.

Johnny (Thailand)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 8:11 PM 0 I see where its being reported tonight that Messi is at the hospital for the birth of his child. Great news ! Lets hope the little booger doesn't keep Messi up at night.:)

Johnny (Thailand)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 8:00 PM 0 I saw the Vickery assessment posted by Jack about Sanchez Mino after my post. "He's neat in everything he does" is an excellent description.

Johnny (Thailand)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 7:56 PM 0 @elpipita-I like Sanchez Mino a lot. I think he's the best prospect to come out of Boca since Banega and Gaitan. Smart kid and doesn't seem to have any personality issues. He's played fullback and in an attacking midfield position for Boca. Sees the pitch very well. Fast enough, but he's not a super burner. As such, I see him as a midfielder who will be very offensive minded but can hold the ball very well. I don't see him so much as a winger, but maybe he could surprise me. Great dribbling skills and with a strong shot. Not a scattershot passer of the ball. Isn't shy and marks well. He's probably Boca's most complete player at the moment, which says a lot about him, and unfortunately, about Boca.

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 7:55 PM 0 And this what Tim Vickery had to say about him. Specifically in terms of full-backs, I'm optimistic about Juan Sanchez Mino of Boca on the left. He's a midfielder really, but he's been playing a bit at left back and I think that before long he could do a job there for the national team. He's neat in everything he does, and has such a great engine. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/06/argentine_title_race_is_a_spri.html

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 7:45 PM 0 ElPipita- As a Boca fan myself, Sanchez Miño are as real as they come. One of the best players Boca has produced in a while. He is a bright light for Argentine football. He has had a couple bad games but he is a superb talent and is a player that can alter a game in a flash. He has to play in the MF, I know some people want him as a FB, but you will never get the most out of him there, still good, but you will not see his full potential at that spot. That is my take on him.

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 7:12 PM 0 Jack, messi will certainly be a legend like ol blue eyes when its all said and done! Johnny I've been meaning to ask you (since you're a Boca fan and all) what do you think of Sanchez Mino? is he just the flavor of the month or is the kid for real?

Johnny (Thailand)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 7:05 PM 0 So I figured I'd take a long walk this afternoon given that Messi was supposed to get a rest. I got back home in time to see his last goal. I'm glad I became a football fan seven short years ago. Otherwise I'd be one of those guys who knows next to nothing about Messi. One of those guys who hears about this guy Messi and thinks, "gosh, I guess that Messi guy is pretty good at that sport". Being a huge fan for years of football norteamericano, basketball and baseball, its difficult to come up with a player in those sports as absolutely complete and dominating as Messi. I'd offer Jordan and Magic in basketball. And its a little easier to be a dominating presence in basketball because there's only five a side. To be as dominant in football as Messi is, when you're talking about eleven a side, damn hard to do.

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 6:58 PM 0 Messi is Clooney and Old Blues Eyes himself! Is Pastore on the outs for PSG? It appears Nenê is starting over him.

los matadores (Argentina)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 6:36 PM 0 Four horsemen sounds good to me. Fab 4 sounds gay, doesn't it? Higuain's goal was crazy. I almost think it was a cross. jajaja. RE: Midfield All the names you guys are bringing up are still prospects. It's not like Argentina before when we had top midfielders like Riquelme, Redondo, Simeone, Cambiasso, etc. I'd say Jonas is the only one that is truly established in a tough league but he's a winger. Anyhow, he's a good but not top payer. Maybe Tino but nobody seems to rate him highly except for his free kicks. Valencia had Tino, Gago, and Banega all playing today. It would be great if that becomes their regular midfield.

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 6:33 PM 0 ocean's 11 LOL! awesome!! I'm on board! so....who is gonna be sinatra? and if we're talking modern day, who will be Pitt, clooney and Damon?

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 6:21 PM 2 Good one 787. ElPipita- I got one for our starting 11. Ocean's 11! We are going to go to Brasil and steal a World Cup!

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 6:09 PM 0 Jack, yeah the fantastic 4 isn't exactly the best comic out there and the invisible woman (think jess Alba) is way too hot of a role for any of our beloved 4 to fill LOL! still it fits well I think, plus its stuck. Now the real challenge is to find a name for the pragmatic 3 (leandro's working title) that leandro and I are pushing for, because I don't think the albiceleste can keep using the fantastic 4 until the WC.

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 6:03 PM 0 apparently tino costa had a vgood game ..

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 6:01 PM 1 @ jack messi could be the chick coz he seems to be invisble to defenders

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 5:57 PM 0 what a great hat trick from messi .. he could have scored five today...

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 5:55 PM 0 Damn, anybody watch Messi today? And they wanted to rest him. Fantastic hat-trick, an assist. Almost had another goal from a FK, hit the post.Looks like Messi is back into the groove of things! ElPipita-Well, it's to strike fear in people. Fantastic 4 is cool but it's probably one of the weaker comics, plus their is a chick there! Who is going to be female? Angel? LOL

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 4:54 PM 0 @sulav, Banega came late in the game and had an attempt at goal, still too early to tell, but Im glad he's back @Jack the 4 horsemen!? LOL! geez man that sounds so ominous!! Mind you it does have a ring to it and it would scare the heck out of the rest of the world (hence the name I suppose) still I like the fantastic 4, its more heroic. Or we here at mundo could use the fantastic 4 but when talking to other bloggers from various teams we could use the 4 horsemen to scare them LOL. @os matadores I wouldn't call any of the players that leandro mentioned "struggling", newcastle very narrowly missed out on a champions league spot last year with jonas and colo being some of their top performers. Gago and Banega are in valencia (struggling early one but it is known as "spain's 3rd club"). Yacob is getting praise all over the EPL with west Brom who are impressing as a club this season. As for Conteros, what happened to that guy anybody know, he was amazing as Brazil and then nothing, haven't heard a peep out of him....is he injured?

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 4:03 PM 0 how did banega play? anybody watched the game?

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 3:36 PM 0 @los matadores- How can you say these players struggle? "Biglia. Jonas. Yacob. Canteros. Banega.. options galore.." Biglia = Won the leauge as captain and MVP Jonas = Starter and leader at his team. Yacob = Young new recruit highly praised by media in EPL. Canteros = Best performer for Arg v Bra games. Praised by Dinho. Banega = an idiot, yes.. but he is/was central to Valencias team. And these are just my picks, there are atleast another 5 players that fit withing the top 50 or so midfielders in the world. I am not saying they are ace players, but they are our new Maxi or Cambiasso.. good players that get the job done. I love DiMaria in attack.. but defensibly he is not fit for a 433. Options are good.

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 3:23 PM 0 The 4 Four Seasons. Summer, is always hot and on fire=Messi Spring, is beautiful and stylish=Kun Fall-A Mix.... I don't know can't say anything about Fall, lol. Di Maria Winter-Cold meaning cold blooded when it has to be=Higuain. Four of A Kind. Ace Ace Ace Ace But I am sticking with my creation of The four horsemen. Because when these Four hi the pitch in 2014 in Brasil, it's going to be apocalypse for the Brasilian's!

Albo (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 1:43 PM 0 I enjoy watching the fab 4 in action. I love the 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2. But there are instances when we should play a defensive 4-4-2 and explode in counter attacks. We have the players to do that (when needed).

pablo.d (New Zealand)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 1:34 PM 0 ROY, we need a poll on what to call the messi, hig, di maria, kun partner ship. fantastic 4 f4 4 horsemen 4 musketairs any other suggestions????

Chalz (Oman)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 10:17 AM 0 ++++++++++++++++++Romero++++++++++++++ Tagliafico++Fernandez++Garay+++Ansaldi ++++++++++++++++Mascherano++++++++++++ +++Banega++++++++++++++++++++++Gago+++ ++++++++++++++++++Messi+++++++++++++++ ++++Aguero++++++++++++++++++++DiMaria+

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 10:16 AM 0 We have a luxury issue, too many players in certain spots. We have a lot of players that play the 5ish spot, so having too options at times it's not good. Makes it more difficult for the manager. I have always like Yacob of Racing, has always had leadership and is skillful but the issue is that Messi and Gago have connected better than most. Gago's emergence has come around the Copa last year, where Banega failed to shine, Gago has taken that spot. I doubt we can or should play with the 3 holding MF's, Masche,Gago and Banega. Banega might be the most creative from all 3 but if go back to a 4-4-2, then maybe we can use Banega instead of a Sosa. Those that want defending, Banega can defend, those that still want to control the tempo of the game, Banega is that player. But I still believe a lot of people would complain about this. But again, if Sabella is going to take off one of the Four Horsemen(Sorry, I rather use this then Fantastic Four :-) ) Banega would be the best replacement because we will still have control of the attack as well as have a solid defender.

hi2suresh (India)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 10:08 AM 0 @Leanardo. You are spot on w.r.t DiMiria & also on potential midfielders for N/T. Man cant you somehow sneek into Sabella's supporting staff...just kidding :) Also keep an eye on Augosto Fernadez..I've seen his games in la liga and he impressed me.

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 8:48 AM 0 @ los Matadores, Surely you cannot say that Banega in all of his games of Argentina compared to Gago is more consistent..Banega. Also you must understand that besides Messi's role Gago's is the most pivotal, he needs to some how defend and make that crunching tackle and bring the ball up to the likes of Messi and Co, the reason why it is such a difficult task is because he only has Masch by his side (world class he may be, but he's only one person) @ Leandro Personally i would love to see Canteros, he seems like a deep lying mid fielder from the little i've seen of him. With that "knack" for a cutting edge pass, a bit sluggish though...he is young 24-25 i believe?

los matadores (Argentina)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 8:24 AM 0 "Biglia. Jonas. Yacob. Canteros. Banega.. options galore.." Well, we're a top 5 team in the world but don't have a single midfielder who has a locked down spot as a midfielder in a top club. I wouldn't say we have options galore.

los matadores (Argentina)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 8:12 AM 0 Gago had 2 good matches for Argentina he's generally been sub par. His club career has been a big question mark. Besides, we're talking about a 3rd midfielder which we still need unless you're happy with Sosa and Guinazu or think that it's not a problem despite of having seen the first 20 minutes of Germany, Brazil, Peru, and Chile.

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 8:08 AM 1 Biglia. Jonas. Yacob. Canteros. Banega.. options galore..

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 6:05 AM 0 Ever Banega statistically is compared to the likes of Luka Modric and santi cazorla, i have seen him dominate games for Valencia defensively, and offensively. I would very much like to see him in the N/T as a back up to Gago, not because Gago is better per se but because Gago is far more consistent, many times Banega will drift away and we won't see him for 10-20 minutes at a time. I do agree with Banega being called up and i think Sabella will call him. Also i would prefer Yacob over Brana (anyway)

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 1:47 AM 0 There is truth to what you're saying ken, demonstrated by the fact that yacob has a high pass success rate (over 82% I believe) yet no assists registered. But I believe he would offer alot of stability to the midfield because he's an intelligent player and not just another one dimensional midfield bulldog (e.g. Guinazu, whom I like btw). Biglia is a fantastic player who reminds me of Adrea Pirlo abit, but I really want him to move up to a higher league to prove his mettle. Regarding the topic of midfielders, Ever Banega will be making his long awaited return to la-liga and despite his under-performance for the NT, the boy has the foundations of a world class midfielder and I just wish that he would translate his valencia/U20 2007 WC form to the NT.

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 1:28 AM 0 @ Elpipita, he is more of an Mikel type esque player..which to be honest we don't need, i do agree that he is a class player but Argentina doesn't need that player that will just pass the ball 6-8 yards, as Gago demonstrated we need that midfielder that can make the cutting edge pass. Yacob is a little to one dimensional, he will make the tackle or interception and give it to the nearest player (if you dis agree please watch him play more, i have seen play 4-5 times for WBA) We have Masch for that, except Masch can make a goal saving tackle and a superb long pass. I'd much rather have biglia as a back up then Yacob, for this next world cup anyways who knows about 2018.

travis (Japan)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 12:13 AM 0 Wow the Chile game was very nervous. We are lucky to win, given 10 more minutes Chile could score a second goal. When the opponent pressed hard on our back, we see now the back is not very good yet, all four of them; Zaba, Fernandez, Garay, Campagnaro. Even Di Maria have come down and help, actually block one shot. I can see that vs Chile, I can not see that vs Uruguay who're not interested in scoring a goal. Just poor Chile they don't have quality players like Aguero and Higuain. Aguero not have a good day vs Chile, Higuain have a bad day during Uruguay. So now only Di maria and Messi was always on form. Di Maria passes is a killer, it's impossible to drop him now since Argentina seem to rely on him so much these days. Unless if Sabella really really can find a player who is more accurate than Maria, who is more hard working than Maria, who can dribble better and don't easily fall like Maria, only then we can sub Maria. IF there is a player like that (and I don't see quality like that in Pastore, Biglia, Lamela etc). Not a good idea to drop either Aguero or Higuain. In my opinion, we should always play them both together with the magic 10. When one of them having a bad day, the other one is playing better and score. By the way, what a goal by Higuain vs Chile!!!! So for now, in my opinion, Sabella should keep play the Fantastic Four together in all future match, even friendly. It's bad we have to wait for a few months to see Argentina on field again. Until then, peace out.

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/20/2012 at 12:02 AM 0 Actually kenneth I have to disagree with you there, from what I've seen so far, yacob combines the best qualities of gago (passing and elegance) and mascherano (tough tackeling and...passing again!). I would like to wait for him to finish the season to actually see if he can play at such high level in a consistent basis (this is where masch and gago excel for the NT), but I've also seen him in U20 WC and some primera division and the boy has class! Besides if he peaked leandro's interest then he's got to have something :D

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 11:54 PM 0 Yacob is an overall solid player, but to be honest i would not like him to play for the N/T maybe as a sub but not to play..As solid as he is, he doesn't make those game saving tackles like Masch or those needle threading passes like Gago, he's one of those balanced players who is mediocre-good at a lot of things but not great at anything.

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 11:52 PM 1 I agree @Kenneth, Aguero is spectacular and complements Messi perfectly along with Higuain. We need a poacher and a big body up there, Higuain is perfect at it. Behind him Messi and Aguero drive defenders mad with their quick triangulations and horizontal runs across the box.. and this is the key for Aguero as a starter, he is right footed, so he is ideal to play as an outside left forward and cut into the inside of the box, this is the mirror movement of Messi. This symmetry gives us balance in our attack, makes a ton of space for Messi and give us two threats. DiMaria is left footed and not as good penetrating as Aguero. So I would bench DiMaria first

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 11:48 PM 0 @elPipita, I looked at some youtube clips of Yacob, peaked my interest. I also asked my best friend who runs a major site on the EPL (He watches almost every game) and he told me that: "Yacob is one of west brom's best players this season (in an underrated way) - real live wire in the middle, puts in great tackles and good passes/movement." Thats exactly what we need, hope he gets some fame to perk Sabellas ears.

los matadores (Argentina)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 11:03 PM 0 Yacob should be playing today against Manchester City. I really want to see how he does against a top 5 club in the world. Also, Tevez should start. Not sure if Aguero and Zabaleta will given the international break.

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 10:55 PM 0 hehehe the 'Pragmatic 3'....I like it! But leandro we have to face it, we're the minority here and I for one cannot present any evidence contrary to the fact that the Fantastic 4 are........super-heroic, maybe the sting of 2010 WC has evolved into a scar and I've turned away from the teachings of aesthetic football that made me fall in love with Argentine football in the first place to the European pragmatic approach that emphasizes substance over style.

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 9:15 PM 0 In my opinion Aguero should not be a sub purely because of how well he plays with Messi, when he plays with Messi they are a fearsome duo, when Messi plays with Higuian Messi takes it upon himself to be the lone playmaker. Where as when he has Aguero out there, he looks a lot more comfortable to roam and be a true "false 9"

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 7:56 PM 1 We need to come up with a witty tag line for the 'Pragmatic 3', otherwise we cant compete with the 76.6% marketing the pitch of the 'Fantastic 4' (F4)..

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 6:27 PM 0 I personally think that Kun should never be a sub, yes he should be subbed if he's having an off day, but the kid has to be an automatic starter, too much talent for the bench!

Champion-2014 (Argentina)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 4:42 PM 0 Interesting article in a 'Manchester United' Blog: - - "What can Argentina teach Manchester United" - - Read: http://redrants.com/uniteds-new-breed-of-argentinian-thinking/ - - Source: http://facebook.com/arg2014

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 4:25 PM 0 either aguero or dimaria has to come in as a substitute.. those chances created by chile would have been easy converted into goals if it was top class team... get rid of stupid sosa from the bench also... put zabaleta back on the bench and only play him if we need to attack..he is better in offence than defence.. i want banega to come back to form as i have heard he has started training...

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 10:33 AM 0 Biglia or Jonas for Dimaria!!

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 6:38 AM 0 I think its safe to say, every body is on the same page when it comes to thing. Our starting XI is fine and one of the most deadly..Our subs though not so much. Hopefully with the next qualifier being 5 months away, we will see some exciting prospects in the upcoming friendlies.

marindrianto (Indonesia)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 4:05 AM 0 if they are ready and fit why not? They are proven lethal and solid. That's what we are looking for. SABELLA just need to think who will subs if one of them miss or change strategy.

Caniggia (Hong Kong)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 1:25 AM 0 I would keep starting them, but have options for Aguero, Higuain and Di Maria who could slot right in and possibly offer a little bit of a different dynamic when needed. I felt Aguero was a little bit out muscled against Chile's rough tactics at the back and would stick by it even if his shot against the post crept in. We seemed to be missing a big guy up front for that match to ping pong with Messi or Aguero and cause even more trouble for the Chilean defense. I gotta agree with some of you about not trying to do the perceived "safe" thing and shut down to secure a win. Defense has never been our strong point compared to our attack, so why play to our weakness at any point in the match? I would have preferred fresh legs instead of change in tactics. Until we can bring on Mascherano No.2, Ayala, Younger Cambiasso - we probably shouldn't be trying to play defense. Besides, our attackers have been pulling their fair share of tackling back under Sabella and if our bench were made up of attackers who were perhaps with a better bias at defending with a strong work rate, I they would be much better candidates as subs. For the record, I don't think Lavezzi is a good tackler! He seems to mis-time all his challenges and I saw Di Maria just hanging a leg out quite a few times during the Chile match. I hope Sabella will work on this part of the team's game.

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 10/19/2012 at 12:21 AM 0 Personally i wouldn't mind Di Maria as a sub (much the way Aguero was used for the longest time) however we would need somebody consistent in the mid field to be able to connect the defense to offense. A Veron esque type of player. @ Jack i feel like France always beats Brazil...well except in friendlies, if i remember right..that game ended 1-0 a goal of Henry? Zidane also played fabulous that game what a player....

cleanball (Indonesia)

Posted on 10/18/2012 at 11:56 PM 0 To build a good understanding needs time and togetherness, the chemistry between Dimaria and Messi along with Kun have being started since their youth age; recall the winning goal in the final match against Nigeria make by Dimaria after getting a passed from Messi at Olympic games - Bijing 8 yrs back. Hope they can do it gain in WC Brazil.

Champion-2014 (Argentina)

Posted on 10/18/2012 at 11:47 PM 0 @los matadores- You have already talked about Lamela. Spot on dude. I believe this guy need to be called up very soon. I'm not rating over him over Maria or Maria over him. I just want some competition to start for this vital position. This is the nearest position of Messi. So Sabella needs to be careful.

el principe (United States)

Posted on 10/18/2012 at 11:13 PM 0 @Jack I think Brazil played 4-2-2-2 in 2006 and that is their magic formula. Brazil was the first country in the last 20 years to have invented the fantastic four and they ALWAYS played 4-2-2-2 anytime they have their new fantastic four. So they played with 2 forwards, 2 attacking midfielders and 2 DM. That's their formation. I notice that they start to look very dangerous since they introduce Kaka to the team. They managed to beat Japan 4-0 while playing away from home. You know we even lost 0-1 against Japan just a year ago I think. Brazil new fantastic four is Kaka-Oscar-Neymar-Hulk.

los matadores (Argentina)

Posted on 10/18/2012 at 11:10 PM 1 @Champion-2014 Who's going to compete with Di Maria? Even Messi is more replaceable in a way since we have guys like Tevez and Aguero who could do a credible Messi job (at least when he plays as a forward and not a midfielder). The main difference is the talent. We really have nobody like Di Maria at all. Midfielder, left winger, right winger, one of our best shooters, can make the creative pass, a great crosser, our best presser, our best security against counters when we have a corner. A lot of people even say Mourinho is going to try him at fullback with RM's injuries there. I'd bet he'd be a better fullback than either Rojo or Zab. Closest player is Lamela who can play on the wing or in midfield, has a great long range shot, is quite speedy, good dribbler, an ok passer and can put in defensive work if he tries although it seems he doesn't often.

el principe (United States)

Posted on 10/18/2012 at 11:04 PM 1 The thing I see anytime the fantastic four starting is the hunger to keep adding more goals. They have it within them. The subs don't have it. If the fantastic four mentality is "score as many as possible", the subs mentality is "play safe, don't concede any goals". The mentality of the subs isn't the mentality of a champion. It's the mentality of mediocre teams in la liga or serie A or EPL. They just want to play to not look that embarrassing to cover up their lack of quality. I am talking about mentality, not skill. I am not saying that we have to have all high profile names/creative players as back ups, but the mentality of the back ups are just not championship mentality. Aka Mr. D said it perfectly on another topic: "Three times he's come on when Argentina has had a clean sheet, two times Argentina have allowed a goal after his substitution. So what's the point of bringing on a defensive player that doesn't help the defense?" If it just happened one time, then it is a coincidence, but when it happened THREE times, then there is something. I like Guinazu or Brana. For me they add something we clearly don't have to the team, but I question their mentality. The second half of the match against Chile (after Higuain injury) showed the huge contrast between the mentality of Messi and Aguero (part of the fantastic four that still played) and the back ups (Sosa and Guinazu). The fantastic four tried to add goals, but the back ups didn't want that. They were just happy with 2-0 goals victory. That is awful! That's why we conceded a goal. Remember, history said that we're NEVER good at playing safe. The best example is the famous Arg-Ger match in WC 2006. At the time, we were happy to have won 1-0 until the 80th minute and we started to "copy" the European tactic of playing safe. What happened was Germany scored a few minutes after. We can NOT use that strategy because playing safe is not in our blood. Before the emergence of Spain, Argentina and Brazil were the only countries that have no DNA of playing safe. For Argentines and Brazilians, it is embarassing to play that way. I remember in Copa America 1999, we met Uruguay in the final group stage. We were facing Uruguay and were not supposed to win in order to avoid the encounter with Brazil, but the team was never playing to draw or to lose. They won 2-0 and set up a meeting with Brazil. We lost in the next round, but WE ARE ARGENTINA! To play safe, avoid strong opponents, getting scared, playing just for a draw, satisfy with 1-0 or 2-1 or 2-0 is just not us. And the fantastic four have the pure Argentine mentality.

cleanball (Indonesia)

Posted on 10/18/2012 at 11:01 PM 0 At last, under Sabella we find out the best forwarder that deserve for N/T and it's F-4; before the coach were confused and doubt to select the best forwarders and format, between using single lone striker or call the best strikers available ( Palarmo, Milito,Lavezzi,Tevez, Zarate have been tried ); Sabella must keep the F-4 and brings the good back-up as we have to be ready for any possibility and bad day.

Champion-2014 (Argentina)

Posted on 10/18/2012 at 9:30 PM 3 It's really existing to watch the 'FF' but some question could be gone for di Maria. Angél is one of the best Super attacking winger/attacking midfielder at this moment. His speed is very crucial for any counter based team. But when players like Messi, Higuain and Aguero are on the field (FF)- as a winger/attacking midfielder you need to do some defensive job to balance the team. Or this team will be a with a ridiculous 6-0-4 formation. Look at the last el clasico- where di Maria always track back and make some excellent defense. We hardly find the di Maria of Madrid for Argentina in this issue. Anyone see Messi ever make defensive job for Barca? No- need- cause they have Xavi-Busquets- and they are not playing counter attacking direct football like us. But Messi has often come to the box for getting the ball. If you want to play counter attacking direct football- you need.. 1) A class, energetic deffensive squad- what can defend hour after hour. 2) Good understanding among full backs and side backs. 3) Potential deffensive midfielders who can defend well and deliver creative long balls. 4) Fast and speedy Midfielders who can counter very fast and track back to help defenders when need. 5) Class and fast strikers who are destroying in counter and also need some defending job if necessary. So di Maria is essential for his speed and destroying attacking ability. Once he was trying to dribble 5/6 players and under Mourinho he has been improved. But di Maria still need to be improved in the defensive issues. I think Sabella will call up a player very soon who will be the competitor of that place and fighting for the di Maria position. It will help Sabella to find our best team. . . . "Argentina Will Win The FIFA World Cup 2014!!"

hi2suresh (India)

Posted on 10/18/2012 at 9:19 PM 1 Keep it till we get through WC qualifiers & then start tinkering around it with good players e.g. Lisandro Lopez, Lucho, Banega Lamela etc

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 10/18/2012 at 8:12 PM 1 It does make me think a little, I love starting all 4. However; I recall In 06, Brasil started Kaka,Dinho,Ronaldo and Adriano and they failed against France. Does anybody recall the formation they played? I think as of right now you have to keep the formation we have, it does work, not too many teams can hang onto the pressure of this type of an attack.