Football News

madrigal (Malaysia)

Posted on 2/18/2013 at 6:07 AM 0 icardi,lamela, pastore n willy should be called up in qualyfying wc..sabella should try kind of this 4 player.dropped di santo especially.

haman (Bahrain)

Posted on 2/11/2013 at 3:04 PM 0 -Pino, Sabella must like it as well…. Cheers

Pino (United States)

Posted on 2/11/2013 at 3:10 AM 0 Haman, I like your list.

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 2/10/2013 at 12:56 PM 0 @Dinucci, Otamendi? wha? @Blueprint, if I remember correctly.. Batista had Masch, Gago and Cambiasso/Banega. He also had a HORRIBLE defensive line. And Messi was not plugged in. So I dont think you can compare. 1st, Cambiasso HAD his good days, but for that team he is just too slow and too rustic a player. Same went for Banega, who had some atrocious performances that cup. That basically meant that for Batista, only Masch and Gago where performing.. same as now. Biglia and Gago are very different from Cambiasso and Banega. They are dynamic and precise players that keep it simple and are the lungs of the team. Also, with a confident back 4, Mascherano actually gets to play in midfield instead of covering for the centerbacks, which in turn pushes Gago and Biglia further up the pitch and solidifies our control of midfield. Both Diego and Batista failed to control Defense and midfield. Sabella so far has an ok Defense, Midfield works great in spurts and our offense is well lubricated with Messi at his best. I think a true 4-3-3 would work under him.

aka Mr. D (Peru)

Posted on 2/10/2013 at 9:34 AM 0 Icardi's a nice choice since he's true #9 but can also pass. He should be able to come on as a sub and fill Higuaín's role nicely. With the system that Sabella's has developed it's not just talent that needs to be considered but how potential players slot into that system. (This is why as someone who was calling for Pastore for the longest time, I've given up on this. He doesn't fit. When Montillo came on in the Sweden match he did nothing except allow Sweden to push further forward.) Argentina still doesn't have a back up for Mascherano who's going to collect some yellows in the WC. Yacob seems like the obvious choice to me. As of now the F4 starts. If Argentina's ahead di María is usually subbed for a DM. It's often been Guiñazu but he doesn't cut it. I'd rather see Banega or Biglia (or Yacob in some situations). Someone who can mark, tackle, but also pass, so that the opposition doesn't move way up the pitch when one of the F4 comes off. Lamela should be on the bench as well.

Dinucci (Argentina)

Posted on 2/10/2013 at 5:24 AM 0 @ Leandro if sabella calls up otamendi that would be our downfall that guy has played terrible! I know Samuel is old but id prefer him atleast he will train the new center backs

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 2/10/2013 at 4:52 AM 0 @ el principe Sabella is a class act, he had nothing but kind words to say about the likes of Demichellis and Burdisso and even said they had a chance of getting a call up. I would like to see Roncaglia but if Sabella compliments him then i wouldn't say its exactly set in stone..

Mafioso (Bangladesh)

Posted on 2/10/2013 at 4:51 AM 0 I don't know why everyone is against rojo.he played some very good match for argentina lately(Germany,Uruguay..).He is young,fast,tall,has balance in attack and defending.Atleast,he was able to leave Russian league. @sulav,I heard Biglia joined Southampton. @leandro,Batista formula?!I don't think it is good to have 3 defensive midfielders in starting XI.We will be too predictable in attack.Look back to last match to realize the "Di maria effect".Sweden was unable to move from 18 yards,after his substitution they began to press us.

el principe (United States)

Posted on 2/10/2013 at 3:01 AM 0 The phrases of Sabella: "I think that there are two teams that are above the rest, which are Germany and Spain. "The others are good and we are still in progress". "Romero did not have a good match, but I like a lot. It has personality, physical, technical, presence, it is a very good goalkeeper, I have much confidence. I think that we are all wrong. He is a very good goalkeeper, although the game against Sweden was not his best." "I like Facundo Roncaglia, He is a very powerful player with good jump." "The 4 upfront (Di Maria, Aguero, Messi and Higuain) will play always, or almost." "Mascherano is a vital, intelligent player tactically and strong".

el principe (United States)

Posted on 2/10/2013 at 2:42 AM 1 One thing for sure. Sabella needs a back up for Higuain. I bet Messi, Aguero, Higuain, and Lavezzi are set. So another one would be the back up of Higuain. Icardi is an interesting one. He's young and won't play a lot, but will be a good back up. He's more worth it than both Barcos and Di Santo.

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 11:36 PM 0 Getting minutes is one thing, but being constantly used is another. Can only use 3 subs, lets not forget that.

Pino (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 11:29 PM 0 I like Biglia too, I want to see Roncaglia, Icardi, Pastore and Lameda get some minutes.

Leandro (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 5:54 PM 0 @sulav787, I totally agree. Biglia is got soooo much potential. He is our second Gago in my book. The kid is young, HUNGRY to play (remember he risked it all postponing shoulder surgery just to play for the National team, he will die on the pitch for us), He is decently fast (lighting compared to Banega), he is decent in the air, he has very good positioning, he has good ball control, he has very good long range passing (better than Banega), he is a solid tackler and most important of all.. has a SMART, SIMPLE touch on the ball. He knows when and how to play one-touch and when to hold it. He is (not saying as good) similar to a Pirlo type player, he plays smart. My biggest complaint with Banega (other than the lack of fitness and consistency) is that he gets stripped of the ball a lot because he tries to dribble out of situations where a simple 1 touch pass would have sufficed, he entangles himself. If I where to do it: A midfield + Attack of: ----------Higuain------------------- SUB: Kun DiMaria-------------Messi----------- SUB: Lamela ----Biglia-------Gago--------------- SUB: Montillo -----------Masch-------------------- SUB:Costa/Guinazu Campg-------------------Zaba-------- SUB: Ansaldi -------Gara------Fern--------------- SUB: Colo I think this a a fresh, flexible and balanced team using the sensible 3. If you want the Fab4, then swap in Kun for Biglia and you are set.

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 5:44 PM 0 Caballero should not be 3rd GK, he should be first with the form he is in right now.

CERNESTO (Panama)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 5:37 PM 0 These are the names of whom, I think, are already fixed in Sabellas's list: Romero, Andujar, Zabaleta, Fernandez, Garay, Campagnaro, Mascherano, Rinaudo, Dimaria, Gago, Banegas, Messi, Higuain, Agüero and Lavezzi The positions he is looking for to fill are: 3rd Goalie, a Left Back, a Center Back, a Right Attacking Midfielder, a Left Attacking Midfielder (Dimaria´s substitude), a Forward and a Wing... My choices for these missing spots: Willy Caballero (Málaga)...3rd Goalie Emiliano Insúa (Atlético de Madrid)...Left Back Nicolás Otamendi (Porto) ...Center Back Javier Pastore (PSG)...Right Attacking Midfielder Erik Lamela (AS Roma)...Left Attacking Midfielder Mauro Icardi (Sampdoria)...Forward Juan Manuel "El Burrito" Martínez (Boca Jrs.)...Wing

sulav787 (Canada)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 4:09 PM 0 the world cup list shouldn't have di santo ... i dont know what sabella saw in this kid and picked him... the gap between the starting xi and the subs is so so huge and montillo is the example!! we have got our starting xi and its time to build the bench strength ... we dont want romero to feel complacent and sabella needs to work on this!! Fernandez is the weak link in our defence but he could improve in the future... why is sabella ignoring Bilgia he is better defencive mid than banega for sure.. he just needs to move to a better league.. does anyone know whats happening with Bilgia after he went on strike??

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 3:00 PM 0 Heard Icardi had an injury but is unsure he will play tmr, and Lamela is likely not going to start for Roma(since they have a new manager and is rumored Lamela will be on the bench). Damn, quite a shame that we may or may not see both of them, it could've been their times to impress Sabella.

pablo.d (New Zealand)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 2:41 PM 0 im with you some supporter i hope to see lamela very soon and see the last of sosa and rojo,im 50/50 on banega and sadly i believe his baggage is going to be to much to repair to be part of the team when their are other players who carry less risk. please sabella just practice set pieces and nothing but set pieces as soon every team will just pump high and long hopefull balls into the box as our defence at the moment is really struggling to deal with any thing high.

some supporter (Argentina)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 1:49 PM 0 Right, Scocco has been on the spot for a while but then there is Pratto in Vélez, and he gets a better chance to make an even better impression during the Libertadores with a solid team playing for him (he scored an amazing goal yesterday against Argentinos Jrs., first match of the tournament, check it out on Youtube) so he may take his place. One thing is obvious, and that's that our attack isn't going to change. If Sabella calls up the likes of Icardi it's just so they don't get called up by other teams. I highly doubt anyone else will make it to those forward positions. I'm hoping to see Lamela soon, to never see Banega, Sosa and Rojo again (the latter, I know won't happen) and to see some improvement in set pieces. Anything else depends on Messi's charm and the unpredictable nature of WC matches.

miskan (Indonesia)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 10:25 AM 0 scocco right to spot..1 game 2 goals..good NT material

Pino (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 10:13 AM 0 Also Brana and Guinazu are out, there both to old and slow.

Pino (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 9:55 AM 0 Costa is in and so is Ansaldi and Montillo. We got to see what Pastore and Lameda have to offer, remember, we need offensive players that will play defense.

el principe (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 9:41 AM 3 70% roughly means 16.1 players, so 16 players. I honestly thought it was more than that. So Sabella needs 7 more players. The 16 are most likely: GK: Sergio Romero, Mariano Andujar DF: Pablo Zabaleta, Ezequiel Garay, Federico Fernandez, Marcos Rojo, Hugo Campagnaro MF: Javier Mascherano, Fernando Gago, Angel Di Maria, Ever Banega, Rodrigo Brana or Pablo Guinazu F: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi These 16 will definitely make the squad. So the remaining 7 should be: - ONE goalie - TWO defenders - THREE midfielders - ONE striker Sabella had tendency to call up just 7 defenders. So I think the defense will be just 7 players. So 2 more additions. The midfield and strikers are a total of 4. I know it is way too early, but let's guess the remaining 6 based on SABELLA'S LIKELY CHOICES, NOT OUR WISHFUL THINKING. GK (1): Augusto Orion/Oscar Ustari/Cristian Alvarez WILD CARD: Wilfredo Caballero DF (2): Fabricio Coloccini/Leandro Desabato and Cristian Ansaldi/Clemente Rodriguez WILD CARD: Nicolas Burdisso, Gino Peruzzi, Fabian Monzon, Emiliano Insua MF (3): Pablo Guinazu/Rodrigo Brana Then two of: Enzo Perez/Walter Montillo/Fabian Rinaudo, Augusto Fernandez, Maxi Rodriguez, Eduardo Salvio, Nicolas Gaitan, Jose Sosa, Erik Lamela, and Javier Pastore. F (1): (should be a number 9 for Higuain back up) Hernan Barcos/Franco Di Santo/Rodrigo Palacio/Mauro Icardi One thing I really hope: Jose Sosa is out.

Dr.Magdy (Egypt)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 6:36 AM 1 @Kenneth, I think Sabella is more of a psychiatrist to Messi than a coach. I remember last year Sabella went to guardiola to take his advice (And there's no shame in that) and ask him one question .. "How the heck can I get the best out of Lionel Messi ??" Guardiola's answer was very simple :"Talk to him little, make him the focus on a team in which his teammates make his work easier. Listen well to what he has to say, And never take Messi out of a game, not even for an ovation" .. And since then, Messi has been on fire with us. So as you can see Sabella put the NT over his own image in front of his players and the Argie fans ,Sabella found no shame in going to take an advice from another coach who is younger than him ,and Sabella was beaten by him once .. to me ,that's big. Sabella is a smart well-educated humble person ,unlike those idiots from the "86 generation".

cleanball (Indonesia)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 5:34 AM 0 It looks like Licha Lopez and Tevez really being overlook. Dreams is over

haman (Bahrain)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 4:41 AM 0 Valencia weren't lucky to get the best out of those listed below!!

haman (Bahrain)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 4:39 AM 0 Tino is a player that is somehow unique in our midfield, he's versatile. You could play him as a classic DM in place Mascherano he fights and tackles, as a side mid could replace Gago or Dimaria has a good touch on the ball passes and lobs and foremost he's a damn powerful shot excellent for set pieces. How could you ditch a player with all those skills! He is a must in a midfield that has no Masche, cause he holds the tempo like Javier does. In case if Masche is not taking part in a match, our midfield should consist of ------------------- Gago------Tino-------Banega As a solid back up supporting defensively and offensively.

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 3:46 AM 0 Tino Costa will miss a spot tbh. Can't take 2 backups for Gago. Unless you want to push Banega forward to slot in as the creative roll but that is a system we will probably not play and for that case it will be Montillo. That will mean, Di Maria will be subbed out, which will mean we will lose a bit of speed on the breaks to get a slower temp game which will mean a game we want to dictate.

Jack! (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 3:43 AM 0 Hope that Scocco continues to play well, the guy is an amazing shot.

Tony Montana (United States)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 3:33 AM 1 Banega is in already but pastore, coloccini, Lamela, Fazio, and icardi as well as milito who is our second best #9 behind higuain.

haman (Bahrain)

Posted on 2/9/2013 at 2:51 AM 2 IMHO, the remaining 30% should consist of both Europe and Local stars.. Here we go: Europe, Caballero, Lamela, Pastore, Banega,Tino Costa, Gaitan, Ansaldi, Coloccini and Icardi. Local Peruzzi, Mino. Add those names to the basic 70% and tell the Spaniards SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!!!

Dinucci (Argentina)

Posted on 2/8/2013 at 10:49 PM 0 Really happy about this I hope He talks to Pastore he can really contribute he will grow more too. Ansaldi could be really good! deserves another call up idk about insua though he should get Biglia

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 2/8/2013 at 10:37 PM 0 @ Dr Magdy i hear ya there, it makes sense i mean all Messi needs is the confidence, poor burdisso..his downfall was loving the N/T to much and he had an "outburst" at Messi.

Dr.Magdy (Egypt)

Posted on 2/8/2013 at 9:55 PM 0 Sabella wants messi to be the "boss" in the dressing room and on the field .. so my guess is that we'll never see the likes of Burdisso ,Tevez or even Riquelme again in the NT.

elpipita (Iraq)

Posted on 2/8/2013 at 9:48 PM 1 Lamela, ansaldi and insua are the ones to watch out for, since Sabella needs a plan B if one of the fantastic 4 horsemen is injured or indisposed for any other reason and from what I've seen from Lamela he could conceivably sub for any of the 4 (played a winger for roma last season, playing support striker this season and has played as an enganche while at River). Ansaldi and Insua could prove vital as both play LB (Ansaldi can also play RB), which is a spot that argentina is sorely lacking when it comes to depth. I would also love to see Roncaglia given a chance, he scored a wonder goal against napoli recently and from what I hear he's been in fine form at the Fiorentina backline, heck why not call G. Rodriguez as well since he's received wide praise from the italian media and his already established partnership with Roncaglia could prove fruitful for the NT.

Kenneth (United States)

Posted on 2/8/2013 at 8:57 PM 0 Burdisso i never minded as much as Millito or Demi, mainly because he's solid in the air and always played his heart out for argentina, but at the end of the day...he still made mistakes like the rest of them. Although a solid back up for RB and with a disciplined defense that he doesn't have to worry about doing everything for he could be good, who knows?

mzzl (Russia)

Posted on 2/8/2013 at 7:10 PM 0 Sabella said that both Burdisso and Roncaglia could be called-up for next months matches.

Abs (United States)

Posted on 2/8/2013 at 5:54 PM 0 Such a great schedule .. Should go to Napoli at Lazio though !!