Defenders. Centre backs, full-backs, sweepers, libero's. The hard men at the back. The blokes who do the job of stopping others scoring. Or running in some cases. Don't you just love em? Diego does. So much that he's taking seven of them on his holidays.
Nicolas Burdisso - Roma (Italy) 29, 28 caps, 2 goals
Sub more often than not, but a more than competent performer that many feel should be in the team.
Martin DeMichelis - Bayern Munich (Germany) 29, 25 caps, 1 goal
An excellent season for Bayern Munich and regularly praised for his positioning......but IBWM remains unconvinced and reckon he don’t like it up him. Nice passer of the ball though. Reminds IBWM of post-tetian England centre back Mark Wright in his pomp circa Italia 90. First choice centre back.
Gabriel Heinze - Marseille (France) 32, 63 caps, 2 goals
Still here but far from the player that was at Man Utd a while back. El Diego still likes him though and is very much central in Maradona’s circle of trust’. Will more than likely start at left back or to the left hand side of a back three.
Nicolas Otamendi - Velez Sarsfield (Argentina) 22, 6 caps, 0 goals
Decent defender and this will likely be a busy summer prior to the invariable move to Europe. Velez will no doubt hope a decent showing adds a few roubles to the price tag. Only concern is a lack of experience (and a lack of height, Otamendi is a centre back likely to be dispatched at full back) on the big stage, but of course there’s only one place to get that.
Clemente Rodriguez - Estudiantes (Argentina) 28, 11 caps, 0 goals
Perennial reserve. Steady but unspectacular full back that never cut it in Europe and definitely not as good as……no, I won’t mention him. Spent a number of months plying his trade in Russia after getting on a wrong flight.
Walter Samuel - Internazionale (Italy) 32, 54 caps, 4 goals
Top notch central defender that frightens the bee-jesus out of IBWM every time it looks at him. It’s those eyes. Definite starter and one of the Inter contingent that did make the grade. Nicknamed ‘the wall’ after urban artist Banksy drew a trademark mural on his back during an away match at Udinese.
Ariel Garcé - Colon Sante Fe (Argentina) 30, 4 caps, 0 goals
Birthdays, Christmases, lottery and pools wins and came at once for Ariel in June 2010. Plied his trade as a steady player at Colon for years without ever hinting at anything special and now he finds himself in Argentina’s World Cup squad. Bit of a fairy tale, he probably feels unbeatable. How Robben, Villa, Rooney or Kaka see it is another matter.
2 comments:
I hope Maradona's decision to play 4 centre backs in defence is a tactical masterplan rather than a sign he's losing it! It might make them defensively-sound, but there's zero threat coming from the fullbacks.
He's done alright in the past few games so maybe he does know he's doing...
It's the lack of a plan b that concerns. He's certainly been living well off the friendly win in Germany.
There's enough talent and a reasonable route through to the quarters though.
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