Argentina 4 Haiti 0 goals

In true 'getting the most out of the internet' fashion, here are the goals from the Haiti game courtesy of YouTube. Killer pass for that second. Consider yourself a fully fledged talent scout!

Argentina 4 Haiti 0

Diego Maradona’s Argentina played their penultimate warm up game before the World Cup with a 4-0 friendly win over Haiti in the early hours of Thursday, GMT.

The game, played against a backdrop of the southern Andean foothills, was arranged to raise funds for the relief effort following the Haiti earthquake and was never going to be anything other than a one-sided affair.

The Argentinean side consisted entirely of South American based players, and gave the albiceste coach an opportunity to run a final rule over several World Cup hopefuls. Despite the routine nature of the game, El Diego believed he had answered a few questions;

"The truth is I was looking for people [to fill World Cup gaps] and I think I found some. I had doubts about some positions and this match was very useful … no one has their place assured."

"The lads understood the message very well, they had attitude, created chances. I liked several players very much. Now we have to sit down and think about it,"

Maradona will name a provisional 30-man World Cup squad on Monday next week before culling to a definitive 23 by 1 June.

Argentina took the lead midway through the first half when debutant Facundo Bertoglio seized on a defensive mistake before closing in on goal and steering a well hit shot beyond Dominique-Jean Zephyrin. It was 2-0 on 39 minutes after a rejuvenated Martin Palermo nipped in between two defenders to head home an exquisite Ariel Garce cross from the right.

Clearly pleased with his sides first half performance, Maradona, sporting a beard that made him look more like a weathered sea captain than a football coach, posed for photographs and signed autographs for the Haiti players at the interval.

Arrrrr Harrrr, me hearties!

Five minutes into the second half, Lanus midfielder Sebastien Blanco saw a cross sail not just beyond his team mates, but also an embarrassed Zephyrin in the Haiti goal to make it 3-0. Bertoglio scored his second and Argentina’s fourth in the 55th minute as he met a free kick on the left to beat substitute goalkeeper Occenat Peterson at his near post.

Although the opposition was anything but top drawer, there was a clear efficiency and determination from Maradona’s side. While the bulk of the main World Cup squad will consist of European based players, several that played in this game will feel they have done enough to justify their provisional selection next week.

Palermo seems an inevitable inclusion as he offers height and huge experience. There’s also the small matters of scoring the goal that got Argentina to the finals (I haven’t forgot, honest!) and being referred to as ‘Saint Palermo’ by the national coach. He might just sneak in, like.

As Boca Juniors’ all time leading scorer, Palermo certainly knows where the goal is, but at 36 and with a turn of speed at best described as sluggish you certainly wouldn’t want him as your first choice should Aguero, Messi and Tevez drop salad cream bottles on their respective feet.

Don’t back him for penalties either as Martin missed THREE in one Copa America match against Columbia. Having said all that though there is a clear drive there; with an injury ravaged time in Europe a few years back, Palermo will want to make his mark internationally and this will certainly be his last chance.

Ariel Garce, who normally plays centre back for his club Colon, won the last of his 2 previous caps in 2003, but put in an excellent show on the right side against albeit limited opposition. Garce could be something of a late runner because he possesses that key quality of unused substitutes everywhere; versatility.

At 19, and having just made his club debut 12 months ago, this year may be a little early for Bertoglio, but his two goals will have done his chances no harm at all. An inevitable move to Europe this summer, with Atletico Madrid at the front of the queue for his services, will do young Facundo’s long term development (and his bank balance) no harm either. File under ‘one for the future’. He’ll probably play every game now I’ve said that.

Looking for men, found Bertoglio

Argentina's final friendly is against the sterling opponents that are Canada in Buenos Aires on 24^th May. TheSouth Africa 2010 campaign kicks off against Nigeria on 12 June.

Comments welcome

Team: Diego Pozo, Arial Garce, Cristian Villagra, Paolo Goltz, Juan Insaurralde, Ariel Ortega, Sebastien Blanco, Juan Mercier, Facundo Bertoglio, Patricio Daniel Toranzo, Martin Palermo. Subs Adrian Jose Gabbarini for Pozo (46), Jose Fernandez for Ortega (59), Nicolas Andres Olmedo for Mercier (62), Juan Perevra for Palermo (65), Matias Nicolas Caruzzo for Goltz (69), Franco Jara for Bertoglio (70)

"Je ne regrette rien........."

Before we get into looking at any of the players who will or won’t be packing their Louis Vuitton carrier bags for South Africa, I thought I’d highlight a few comments made earlier this week from someone who definitely won’t be there. Definitely.

Former Argentine playmaker Juan Román Riquelme has been justifying his decision to retire from international football (for a second time) in 2008. Despite scoring four goals in early qualification games, Riquelme has not played for Argentina since El Diego’s ascension to the throne in 2008.

Having taken the prima donna role to new levels wherever he has been (Juan Román had form as a ‘sensitive soul’ at Villarreal), the prickly Riquelme has never been keen on criticism. Toys were quickly ejected from the pram when Diego Maradona stated that working out how to accommodate Riquelme was turning out to be the most time consuming aspect of his job. Further tit for tat exchanges ensued in the press but Riquelme maintains that what was said was not the sole reason for his self imposed exile.

"I feel good with what I did. There were reports that I had stepped aside over a comment by the coach and I say: 'One has to be pretty stupid to stay out of a World Cup over a remark',

"You think these are not real??"

This goes deeper, there's another question," said Riquelme, adding that he would never reveal the true story behind his problems with Maradona. Not until the book comes out anyway.

"We can't work together. It's my way of being and there are things I can understand and others I can't. Every day that passes, I feel calm because I did the right thing.

"(But) when I see the team lining up on the pitch, apart from always wanting the national team to win... I'm going to feel very sad and I'll say to myself: 'I should be there'."

Agreed. Riquelme is still a hugely talented player and he will be a big miss. Whether he’s best avoided due to his ability to create problems internally is another matter.

An apple cart yesterday. Steady.

When asked about Argentina’s chances in South Africa though, Riquelme was optimistic; feeling that his nation could win the World Cup because of Lionel Messi being there, "the best player of all" according to Juan Román.

While not going as far as to describe Maradona’s side as a one man team, Juan Román was fairly specific on what is needed if Argentina are to lift the trophy for a third time;

"Today Lionel is a unique player of the kind that might never emerge again. That's why they must help him, so he's decisive. For Messi to do what he does at Barca, the lads are going to have to help him a lot,"

Poor old Riquelme. He’s just like the proverbial bad kid that you know your mother wouldn’t like you knocking around with because he’ll cause trouble. Bless him; I’d still stuff him somewhere into a suitcase next month.

Comments welcome.

Psychiatric problems and support to the Iranian government

Time for a bit of respite from the history lesson, dear reader, so with a drop of the shoulder I’ll shufty over to all matters Diego for a little aside.

Ultimately my plan for this blog is to get bit of basic background out there first. How Argentina qualified, a look at some of the players, then a bit more of a daily reporting sort of thing, and that remains the plan.

Argentina as a country gets pretty much sneered at from England, for fairly obvious historical reasons, which means that any football coverage is more often than not bundled into the novelty ‘and finally’ category. Surfboarding dog, pizza with the face of our lord and.......... “f*ck me look how fat Maradona is!” You get the drift.

Actually, that is a bit freaky

Bit of a shame really as I’ve taken to watching a lot of South American league football via the gift on the interweb over the last few years. I’ve found myself with the choice of Stoke v Bolton, or a rerun of Boca Juniors v River Plate, and it really is a no brainer. I understand why the premier league is so popular the world over, but the skill on offer from even the poor sides in Brazil and Argentina is pretty mesmerising.

Now I can get all purist on the subject of the beautiful game and it's still a big deal to me; but you and I both know why we are here. Diego. It’s all about him really. I’ve named the blog after him after all, so it’s only fair the guy gets his dues. Typing ‘maradona scandal’ into Google gets 312,000 results, which tells its own story. Although typing ‘toilet Disney’ gets 2.2million so I think I’ve lost my way a bit there. And ‘tongue christmas’ gets 8million. Anyways, what I’m trying to get at here is that controversy has always followed El Diego like a fluffy little Labrador.

Air rifles have been fired at the press, donations made to Fidel Castro. There have been divorces, illegitimate children, drugs, alcohol, heart attacks, liver failures, hepatitis, death (3 times at the last count), psychiatric problems and support to the Iranian government. When I read a recent headline titled ‘Maradona in dog attack’ I found myself surprised that a pooch had gone for El Diego, as opposed to the other way around.

Having done a bit of a straw poll (no, me neither) at work the other day regarding how Diego is now, the general consensus was that Maradona was roughly 120 stone, and categorically off his face. The latter may still have an element of truth, but Diego actually lost the weight in 2005 after gastric band surgery and a general warning that he was in the last chance saloon. Prior to taking on the national job Diego had been a regular football pundit on Argentine TV and did particularly well in a ‘director of football' role with Boca for two years. He also managed to host a ratings topping talk show on Argentine TV, La Noche del 10, (The Night of the no. 10, if you didn’t manage to work that out).

Mustn't grumble

To be fair I’ve no idea whether Diego is totally clean these days, but for a bloke of 49 he looks in pretty good nick considering what’s gone before.

How we got here (part 3 - a sizeable hole)

Seven points adrift of Paraguay, Alfio Basile jumped before he was pushed. But who could Argentina turn to?

In a move that literally sent shockwaves (I’ve no way of backing that up really) through the footballing world, the prodigal son, the man of the hour, was summoned. Diego Armando Maradona was unveiled as the man to lead his nation to glory. Well, to get them out of a sizeable hole anyway.

No coaching experience? No problem. By coupling Maradona with 1986 World Cup winning coach Carlos Bilardo, the senior suits at the top of Argentina’s footballing echelons (note to self, look up echelons) felt they had found the mythical ‘dream ticket’.

Maradona returned in a blaze of flashlights and it didn’t take the little maestro long to have a nation eating from the palm of his hand. Was the passion there? Oh yes. The hunger? Oh yes. The drive, we’re on a roll here. ‘The idea’ began El Diego, ‘is to return to the spirit of 1986’. A nation swooned, while more seasoned commentators suspected the panic button of being royally dented.

Maradona. Hungry.

And so it began. With all the right noises being made, a feelgood factor quickly kicked in. Friendly wins over Scotland and France was followed by a comfortable competitive debut victory with Argentina (for Argentina, read Leo Messi) humbling the almighty (ahem) Venezuela 4-0.

Now I’ve no idea how you actually measure a feelgood factor (or a shockwave through the footballing world, for that matter), but if there is such a scale, it’s a fair bet to assume it went quite categorically into the red three days after the Venezuela game. With Velez Sarsfield full back Emiliano Papa starting for only the second time, Maradona’s side were well and truly walloped 6-1 at altitude in Bolivia. With Kuwait based striker Joaquin Botero acting as torturer in chief, El Diego had no choice but to come clean; "There is nothing to say. They beat us well and now we have to start all over again”

And start again they did; but a fairly lame showing in a 1-0 win over Columbia fooled no-one, with Argentina grateful for referee Réné Ortubé’s scant regard for the ‘more than one yellow card and your off’ rule when applying this to Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano.

"Got, got, got, haven't"

Bad went to very worse though and that feelgood factor was little more than a passing memory within weeks. Defeat at Ecuador was followed by a 3-1 home reverse to arch rivals (wanted to use nemesis, but what’s the plural? Nemesises, nemesisi…..) Brazil. The result adding insult to injury as it secured a world cup finals berth for the samba stars. Three games left; a barrel was very much being stared down.

Join me next time dear reader as I continue to relive this tale and fill your head with history. I JUST HAVE TO DO THIS OK!

Clearly an OCD thing……..

How we got here (part 2 - the writing is on the wall)

Day 3 already, lordy! I’ll get a bit more ‘real time’ in the next few days (friendly against Haiti in early hours of Thursday GMT) so you’ll actually feel like Diego is as necessary as oxygen (trust me), but get yourself comfortable as we’re still in history lesson mode at present................are you chewing gum, reader?

Comments always welcome (I think you click the red comments link at the bottom of each post) and there are other things on the left hand side here that I won’t even try to understand.

Anyway where were we? Oh yes, Ecuador. At home. Piece of piss.

But it wasn’t. And so began a theme for Argentina in the coming qualifiers.

Having not lost a home qualifier since 1993, Basile’s side laboured their way to a 1-1 draw, and needed a 93^rd minute Rodrigo Palacio strike to secure a point to the complete disgust of Ecuadorian coach Sixto Vizuete, who felt that the additional fortnight that referee Réné Ortubé deemed necessary worked in Argentina’s favour. It seemed a reasonable view. Having seen a settled backline of Heinze, Burdisso, DeMichelis and Zanetti effectively ink their names onto the team sheet for each game for a lifetime; Argentinean fans were given a clear indication of how age can catch up with players. Ecuador’s Joffre Guerron and Carlos Tenerio providing the ageing rearguard with what can only be described as a bit of a run-around.

While this would normally be a bad time to face your arch rivals, Argentina headed to Belo Horizonte three days later to face a Brazil side with their own problems. Having lost 2-0 to Paraguay, Brazilian coach Dunga was ably fulfilling the pantomime villain role for a nation. In the event though, Argentina comprehensively outplayed their hosts and were unlucky to leave with only a point after a 0-0 draw. Roman Riquelme strutted like a peacock while Leo Messi repeatedly taunted the Brazilian back four like a dwarf matador.

Huge in Mexico, apparently

A 3 month break elapsed before Argentina took to the field again, this time in a home qualifier against group leaders Paraguay. Current Benfica golden boy Angel di Maria was selected to provide attacking vigour to Basille’s side, but it was Carlos Tevez making headlines again for the wrong reasons with a 31^st minute dismissal for a repeated loss of marbles. Pegged back for long periods in the first half, Argentina played some excellent football in the second, with Sergio Aguero scoring a deserved equalizer, but failure to capitalize on home soil was turning into a habit.

A draw away to rank outsiders Peru meant that a winless run now stretched back 6 games and Basile’s superstar laden side were looking anything but convincing. A niggly 2-1 win over Uruguay failed to win over supporters, and by the time Argentina had crashed to a disjointed 1-0 defeat at Chile the writing for coach Basile was clearly on the wall. And most likely the toilet door as well.

So as chairman of the Argentinean FA you clearly have a decision to make. Basille has to go before this campaign goes completely and utterly tits up. But where can you turn? Clearly somewhere in deepest Buenos Aires, just as in Gotham City, there is a red telephone that can only be used at specific times......

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.