see Nigeria v South Korea.
Just kidding.
Samaras gave a credible performance. The wall of Grecian white made it damned hard for the Argentines to score.
Then again, some of the Argentine starting line-up didn’t start. No Tevez. No Mascherano. No Heinze. No Higuain. For Maradona and his squad, the win was a matter of pride, not necessity. Messi got to captain his side for the first time; undoubtedly a proud moment for him. We’re still in suspense about when the little maestro will break into the goal-scoring category, but while we wait, we get to watch him dance over the field with incredible grace and skill, so nobody’s complaining.
Argentina finally got the breakthrough, thanks to a corner, a scramble in front of the box and an unstoppable ball by deMichelis (ooh, I must say!). Messi’s blistering shot was denied by the width of the woodwork in the 86th minute. He was denied again a couple minutes later, this time by the keeper, but Palermo’s follow-up strike rocketed into the far corner for goal #2.
The Argentine euphoria is palpable, even on a dinky, non-HD screen thousands of miles away and many hours after the fact. These guys just may be able to take their luck, talent and game all the way — and they know it. Great football, but…
Ok, is it just me? Or was this match feel more like an Argentine practice than a high-stakes WC game?
Yep, yep, and yep. I totally agree.
The thing about those veteran skill sets, they’re all about smarts and instincts. Veterans can read the game, anticipate balls, put themselves in the right place at the right time, nail penalties and fake out the opposition. They can’t provide lightning bursts down the field, baffle defenders with their springy-leg footwork or bounce back from a terrible tackle.
The crowds, the media, the pressure can sometimes blindside youngsters, leaving them dazed and confused in the midst of a field. They’re more likely to take their eye off the ball for a moment, or just tune out for a sec. Managers worry that their less-experienced players won’t be able to sustain their focus for 90 minutes — but they need to remember that vets don’t have 90 minutes of 110% in them physically.
I hope Aguirre brings on Blanco for a short, sweet burst when the Argentines have already burned off a few calories and Dos Santos has already put the fear of God in them once or twice. As for the Argentines, their qualifying campaign was so touch and go, I think they think they have something to prove. Add that to a damn good squad (along with the most… colorful, shall we say? manager). If Argentina are on their game and Mexico brings it to them with attacking football and wide play, that match will be a cracker.
We’ll see how much Argentina really wants it in the upcoming Mexico v. Argentina. I think Mexico has it’s job cut out for it. They will have to play smart and aggressive against Argentina and they will really have to want it. I think they have the talent if Dos Santos can score on all those shots he’s taking and maybe they start playing Guardado, Blanco shows his veteran skills and Perez keeps the ball out then they have a pretty good chance.