SA Blog Number 20: El Diego’s Five Star Fiesta Goes Off Without A Hitch
May 28th, 2010
As Argentina celebrated its bicentennial, El Diego and co. threw a party of their own for the nation’s revellers with a stonking 5-0 victory over Canada at El Monumental this week.
While star guest Leo Messi was omitted from Maradona’s bacchanalian carnival with fatigue, a couple of invites were extended to the Premier League’s own Maxi Rodriguez and Carlito Tevez: who donned their best cloth, leaped into the circular clearance of the dance floor, and took centre stage to rejoice in the festivities.
The former, Liverpool’s Maxi (on loan from Atletico Madrid), celebrated his return to Los Albicelestes with a magnificent first-half brace that would leave any right-minded coach, and maybe even Senor Maradona, with food for thought going into this summer’s showpiece in South Africa.
In the absence of Walter Samuel, who had a bigger, glitzier gala to attend following his Champions League heroics, first-choice-centre-back-come-first-choice-right-back Nicolas Otamendi shifted inside to his natural habitat alongside Nicolas Burdisso as Jonas ‘Hombre Araña’ Gutierrez dropped back into full-back. The result: full-backs, on both sides, galloping forward intermittently to pull an unsettled Canadian backline hither and thither. “Why do they need to cross the halfway line?” Diego recently asked. He should now have the answer.
While it must be noted that the opponents on Monday night were ‘only Canada’, Argentina were impressive. Displaying a quick-paced-free-flowing fluidity that has not been seen since Riquelme and co. dazzled the Copa America in 2007 before losing out to Dunga’s big bad evil anti-futbolistas in the final (special mention to the flashes during the Olympics games in Beijing the following year).
"We managed to open a defence that remained packed at the back and whoever your rivals are, that´s hard to achieve,” said juan sebastian veron, who replaced an injured Maxi at half-time, and, I think, failed to misplace a single pass in 45 minutes.
Though Seba was quick to point out that they shouldn´t be getting too carried away, "before a competition like a World Cup you have to take a match like this carefully, it helps build confidence but at the finals it will be different."
With world-beating super striker Diego Milito (whose Champions League brace combined with his Coppa Italia and Scudetto winning goals apparently proved that Maradona “was right in including him among the 23 players I´m taking to the World Cup") chaperoning Samuel in Milan, Tevez came in up top alongside Higuain and Angel di Maria. Palermo’s Javier Pastore, already included in the final World Cup 23, made his international debut.
Not only were there five goals with this slightly unfamiliar line-up, but there was fluency, cohesion, discipline, organisation, basically everything you wouldn’t expect from a Maradona team. Sceptics will of course look back to his first qualifier against Venezuela to indicate this was nothing more than a flash in the pan, but others will have sat up and took note. “The lads understood what I wanted, there are no friendlies wearing this shirt,” reiterated the fiercely patriotic coach after the game, clearly delighted with his side´s display.
Tevez was superb, indefatigable and full of invention. Higuain’s movement, if not his finishing on the night, was first class. Javier Pastore looked far from overawed on his debut, playing with a confidence that exceeded his 20 years. Real Madrid-bound Angel di Maria was from another world – taking his tremendous goal with insulting ease. “The fans can relax," Diego said. "We have good players." Not least his son-in-law: who galloped away to exhibit his own virtuoso talents just seconds after turning up ‘fashionably late’ for the family do.
Whether or not this performance was enough to see Maradona’s doubters “relax” is another question in itself, but this was, alongside the grit and determination they were reduced to in Montevideo, probably the team’s most impressive performance during his tenure thus far.
And so, with the pre-party done and dusted, the empty beer cans and bowels of solidified huomous swept away with post-party hangovers, El Diego’s chosen 23, clean shaven and beautifully tailored, finally look ready for the big dance this summer.
Rupert Fryer, SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk
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Samo
:::2010-05-30 12:58:23
Great read. As a Liverpool fan I have to admit Maxi hasn´t done that well for us but from the highlights I saw he did really well for Argentina. I hope we can sign him.
Where did Pastore come from? He looks really good from that Youtube video.
Cheers
Rupert_SAF
:::2010-05-31 11:34:05
Hi Samo,
Pastore first shot to prominence as part of Angel Cappa’s wonderful Huracan team that came within ten minutes of the Argentine Clausura championship in 2009.
On a shoestring budget, Cappa formed a team of rejects, loan signings and youngsters who wowed Argentina with some wonderful free-flowing football but were ultimately undone by a quite scandalous piece of referring. They went into the final game away to Velez needing only to avoid defeat to claim the title, while victory for Velez would see them lift the championship.
With about ten minutes left, this happened - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o7xvKH-5N4#t=2m55s
To put Cappa’s achievements into perspective, it would be like Bolton coming within ten minutes of winning the Premier League at Old Trafford against Man Utd.
Alongside the likes of Mario Bolatti and Mattias De Federico, Pastore was the stand-out performer of that season and, as he was still owned by a smaller side called Talleres, was sold instantly to Europe.
He’s enjoyed a really good season for Palermo in Serie A this year as they came within a whisker of Champions League qualification.
The only previous match he had played for Argentina was against Catalonia in a match that wasn’t sanctioned by FIFA.
At the World Cup he will be Juan Veron´s understudy. At 35 Seba won´t be able to play every minute and as the only other attack minded central midfielder Diego has taken, Pastore will definitely get good run-out. He´s tall, awkwardly languid but has great feet and an eye for a pass. I´m looking forward to seeing more of him in an Argentina shirt.
Ayo Anibaba
:::2010-06-01 18:12:38
Diego Milito is awesome! Did you see his Champs League brace. Leo Messi or not Argentina will have to wait another 4 years before lifting it, like Maradona. It took him 3 world cups to win it for his first time.
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