How we got here (part 1)

I think I should explain the title. In bed with Maradona (see what I did there) because I just expected to be updating this at night, probably from my bed, much to the annoyance of the good lady wife. Putting up with a full summer of Big Brother last year was a trade off for full immersion into the World cup this year, as I like to remind her.

That's cleared that up then.

Where to start with the blog then? Best place is to have a look at Argentina's qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup, which was by no means straightforward.

Argentina made hard work of qualifying this time round, just as they did in 1985 prior to lifting the trophy for the second time. The campaign began under the stewardship of veteran coach Alfio Basile and started well enough. Victories over Chile, Venezuela and Bolivia set things up nicely, especially as these were achieved without conceding a goal.

The fourth game of the campaign was a little trickier, away to a resurgent Columbia at altitude in Bogota in November 2007. Argentina began well enough despite the setback of an early bath for Carlos Tevez after a petulant kick at Ruben Dario Bustos on 25 minutes. A neat finish from Barcelona’s Leo Messi was enough to send Argentina 1-0 in up at the break, Ibarra and Riquelme having both gone close in the first 45. Argentina were comfortable and in control, further goals would surely follow.

Basile. Comfortable.

The second half of the Columbia game was probably the point that the campaign began to change for Basile’s side. Clearly tiring, Argentina slipped to a 2-1 defeat courtesy of goals from the aforementioned Bustos, and a late strike from substitute Dayro Moreno. Although not clear evidence of the wheels coming off, the result did raise a few eyebrows.

Argentina were still sitting pretty on 9 points from 4 games and there was clearly no need for alarm. Basile’s team had been playing reasonably well and he was maintaining a settled side around wonder boy Leo Messi. Roberto Abbondanzieri was in goal, Gabriel Milito and Javier Zanetti the main stays of a settled back four, a fluid midfield with Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Mascherano screening the maverick talents of Roman Riquelme, with an explosive (if somewhat vertically challenged) forward line of Messi and Tevez dovetailing nicely with Atletico Madrid’s 20 year old prodigy Sergio Kun Aguero.

Dovetailing

Next up would be Ecuador at the Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires. Easy.