The Hindu : Leading contenders: Argentina

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Sport

Sport - Football

Leading contenders: Argentina

Argentina, bursting with an abundance of talent and with a squad that functions like a well-oiled machine, has already captured the attention of football fans the world over. As this South American nation looks ready for the action in Asia, it, alongside holder France, is considered to be one of the two prime contenders for the new millennium's first World Cup.

This, despite the fact that it has got a treacherous draw being clubbed with England, Nigeria and Sweden in what has come to be dubbed as the ``Group of Death'' in the first round and with France and Brazil in the top-half of the draw.

It is an equation which in the normal sense would have been intimidating to any other nation, but not to the Argentines if one were to go by a recent statement of their coach, Marcelo Bielsa: ``I am happy that we have matches that are worthwhile playing. The better we play, the more we will enjoy the games ahead. And no team is going to become champion without proving that it is a cut above the rest.''

Indeed, it is hard to believe that this Argentine side would stumble somewhere along its path to glory, determined as it is to erase the bitter memories of the quarterfinal loss to Holland (which, incidentally, would be one of the most prominent absentees in this World Cup) at France '98. Ample proof of this is the cruise enjoyed by this two-time winner in the qualifiers en route to topping the long drawn out South American preliminaries with as many as four rounds to spare.

By that account, Bielsa is certain to be envied by most of his counterparts, because he has it all at his disposal — a group of players who are at the pinnacle of their careers and all set to deliver in strict accordance to what is expected from them by their boss. Bielsa's theory for good and sound football has remained quite simple, ``keep dominating the opposition for as long as possible and attack in force or suffocate your opponent to steal the ball from him.''

Tactically too, Bielsa is likely to stick to the 3-3-2-2 formula which helped Argentina produce 13 wins and four draws in the 18-match qualifiers. With German Burgos or Roberto Bonano in goal, Roberto Ayala, Walter Samuel and Mauricio Pochettino in defence, Diego Simone, Javier Zanetti, Kily Gonzalez or Pablo Aimar in the midfield and the freewheeling Juan Sebastian Veron and Juan Pablo Sorin or Ariel Ortega placed behind the striking combine of Gabriel Batistuta and Claudio Lopez.

Of particular interest would be the performance of Veron (far left, in picture, with teammates). Undoubtedly one of the best midfielders today, Veron, known among his peers as La Brujita or the `Little Witch', has this uncanny ability to scare away opponents with his magical dribbling skills, elusive dummies and powerful free-kicks besides creating chances by the dozen for his colleagues upfront. Asia, for sure, is likely to see him prove his real worth.

The first priority of the Argentines would be to top Group F so as to avoid a second round clash with the French, expected to emerge unscathed from Group A. Then would come the hurdles like Denmark or Uruguay in the pre-quarterfinals, Belgium or Costa Rica in the quarterfinals and who else but the French or the Brazilians in the semifinals.

Indeed, quite a tough path, but the Argentines still could overcome all these obstacles if they re-work the same magic which saw them blaze their way through the qualifiers. In the event, it could well be a rewarding trip to Asia for Argentina in its search for a third World Cup after 1978 and 1986; also interestingly, in its 13th appearance in the tournament. — A. Vinod

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