Argentina at the World Cup 2010

Manager: Diego Maradona
Captain: Javier Mascherano
FIFA World Ranking: 7
World Cup Appearances: 14
Best World Cup: Winners – 1978, 1986

Argentina Betting Article

Argentina Team Profile

Just the name ‘Argentina’ has this daunting affect on its opponents, and the Argentine’s may need their intimidating aurora to play a huge part during their stay in South Africa, as to say Argentina were inconsistent during qualifying is an understatement.

Diego Maradona was the man put in charge by the Argentina football hierarchy and midway through qualifying they must have been wishing they hadn’t. Argentina were supposed to cruise through South American qualifying, leaving the rest of the South American nations to battle it out for the remaining two spots. That certainly wasn’t the case however, as Argentina scraped through by the skin of their teeth and only just snatched the last remaining qualifying position by virtue of a 1-0 win in Uruguay in their final qualifier. Argentina are in South Africa though, not without their fair share of good luck mind, and now that they’re here they mean business.

Despite a rocky qualification, Argentina are still rated No.7 in the FIFA Rankings, while almost every bookmaker has the Argies rated as the fourth best team in the tournament according to their outright odds. We would strongly disagree after watching an awful lot of them throughout qualifying, but we can also understand that Argentina possess some nifty players, none more so than the World’s very best, Lionel Messi. However, Messi, a player who the natives don’t exactly idolise, will have the pressure of an expectant nation upon his shoulders in South Africa and the 22 year-old, who still has tonnes of time to mature and improve his already wonderful game, hasn’t always shone for his country, so to expect more magic from the Barcelona maestro might be a rash assumption.

Nevertheless a team with tonnes of International pedigree and they themselves will fancy their chances in South Africa, so understandable the Argentine’s will be a popular punt for the FIFA World Cup as they seek out their third World Cup success, their first since 1986.

Manager

Where do we start with the ‘controversial’ character which is – Diego Maradona. Many fans around the globe will remember him fondly for his memorable displays in an Argentina shirt, even guiding them to a World Cup success when he captained the side back in 1986. However, for England fans, he will be remembered for his cheating antics in the quarter-final which seen him put the ball into the England net with his hand. That game with the English defined his career as he went on to score what many pundits tout as ‘the goal of the century’ as he weaved through what seemed the entire England squad to score a sublime solo goal. In that game the whole footballing worlds seen the very best and the very worst of the Argentine great and now the world will need to brace themselves again as the lively and charismatic Maradona aims to guide Argentina to another World Cup success, this time as coach.

Diego Maradona has managed two clubs before taking over the role as national team coach but with little success. He took over what is a talented group of players with his country but he has yet to either find the right selection or formation, or perhaps even a combination of the two, to improve Argentina’s performances on the pitch. He has come under mass amounts of scrutiny, mainly from those outside of Argentina in all fairness, but the Argentina board have shown their faith in the Argentine legend in a bid that it might just pay off in the form of a successful World Cup campaign in South Africa.

Argentina Key Players

Lionel Messi

It didn’t take us long to highlight who Argentina’s most influential player is, Lionel Messi. Quick feet, the ability to leave a player standing in awe, bags of pace, skills and tricks in abundance and a very precise and clinical finisher in the final third. Messi can turn any game right on it’s head as one mazy run or one piece of trickery can open the game right up in Argentina’s favour. The entire squad has struggled to adapt to Maradona’s tactics but Messi is the exception to the rule. He can score or create a goal out of absolutely nothing and he will be the man every opposing manager will pinpoint as the biggest danger.

Javier Mascherano

Diego Maradona has put his faith in the Liverpool midfielder to guide his side to bigger and better things at the forthcoming finals. Mascherano has nailed down a starting berth in the Liverpool as a solid and reliable defensive midfielder. However, he has now not only nailed down a starting spot in the Argentina fold but he has also secured the captaincy of his country, arguably his greatest honour as a player. However, he hasn’t had the instants impact many, including Diego Maradona, had expected as captain so the pressure will be just as much on him as the manager himself.

Strengths

Well, it’s hard to look past Lionel Messi being Argentina’s biggest asset in South Africa as he’s a football genius. Quick and nimble footwork, this unique ability to weave in and out of the tightest defences, good vision and awareness, great ball retention and a prolific goalscorer. From a forward perspective, Lionel Messi has it all. Everytime he picks up the ball, the crowd goes silent as they know something special is in the offing whether it’s a jinxing little run or a quick yet precise shot on goal. If Argentina need a goal and Messi gets hold of the ball, be afraid as the kid, who is still just 22 years-old, can punish you with aplomb.

Another player who can and will score goals in South Africa, providing Maradona starts with him, is Gonzalo Higuain. The Real Madrid forward was prolific during the previous campaign. He has a decent turn of foot, he’s great at getting into those scoring positions while he’s a very composed finisher of the ball. Dare we say it, if Higuain gets a starting role at the forefront of the Argentina attack in the summer, we would put a fair wedge on the Real Madrid forward outscoring his Argentine team mate Lionel Messi.

The two we’ve just mentioned are, of course, forward players, so the strength with Argentina is quite obviously really in that they have plenty of goals in them.

Weaknesses

Our biggest criticism with Argentina would be their poor defence. That isn’t at all surprising when you consider that Diego Maradona, the Argentina coach, never did a single bit of defending in his life as a player. That’s no way to run a football team though, despite boasting some great riches in the final third. Their defence needs tightening up before they clash with some of the World’s elite nations because it was leaky during qualifying, with even some of South American’s smaller nations locating Argentina’s goal with alarming regularity.

Another negative, and this one is a big pet hate with us, is Maradona’s tinkering. We don’t recall the great man ever recalling the same eleven for two matches in a row, while players with very few international caps were being called up in what appeared a desperate bid to get Argentina through their sticky situation during qualifying. If you watched Argentina during qualification you would have noticed a lot of stray passes, a lot of smart forward runs by the strikers which went unnoticed, while the organisation at the back was non-existent. This is because Maradona hasn’t given the team enough time to get to know one another and form some team chemistry. No-one was on the same wavelength, and against the very best footballing nations, Argentina will come unstuck unless they come together as a team. With Diego Maradona as manager, we have our doubts over whether sufficient changes will occur before Argentina kick-off their World Cup against Nigeria.

Argentina Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: South America

Position: 4th

Win-Draw-Lose: 8-4-6

Goals Scored: 23

Goals Conceded: 20

Argentina Qualifying statistics:

• Argentina severely struggled on their travels in qualifying, losing five of their nine away fixtures.
• Lionel Messi was the only player to be chosen to play in each of their qualifiers, participating in all eighteen of their World Cup Qualifiers.
• Sergio Aguero, Juan Riquelme & Lionel Messi all shared the honour of being Argentina’s top goalscorers with four goals each.
• 4 (Half/50%) of their wins came by just a one goal margin.
• Diego Maradona used a total of 49 players during the course of the campaign, which just highlights how much tinkering he has done during his spell at the Argentine helm.
• Carlos Tevez appears a fiery character when playing for Argentina, receiving two of the three red cards that Argentina received during qualifying.
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World Cup Potential: 4/5

If we were to be brutally honest about Argentina’s chances in South Africa, we would say they were slim. They are inconsistent, lack cohesion and have a manager at the helm which we simply do not rate in the slightest. Nevertheless, this Argentina team is pack full of world-class individuals, the type of individuals which can hand handle the Big Game pressure, the intense limelight and, more importantly, know how to win games. At club level the majority of these players have a deadly desire to win, that winning mentality that has helped their respective club become successful, but for their country they have failed to replicate that desire and determination, and without those key characteristics, we don’t see Argentina winning this summers showcase event.

However, while Argentina were hugely disappointing throughout qualifying for South Africa, the fact they even managed to qualify is a statement of intent in itself, and one that spells out in bold letters that Argentina just know how to get the business done when it really matters. It doesn’t matter how they got here, that’s all irrelevant now. All that matters now is bringing home the bacon in South Africa, and considering this Argentina team has goals in them, they will be a big threat to Italy’s World Cup crown.

Argentina World Cup Betting Odds

Argentina to win the World Cup: 9/2 Paddy Power

Before the World Cup the odds on Argentina were 7/1 

Official Argentina World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar)

Mariano Andujar (Catania Calcio)

Diego Pozo (Colon de Santa Fe)

Defenders

Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseille)

Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich)

Nicolas Otamendi (Velez Sarsfield)

Walter Samuel (Inter Milan)

Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes de La Plata)

Nicolas Burdisso (AS Roma)

Ariel Garce (Colon de Santa Fe)

Midfielders

Javier Mascherano (FC Liverpool)

Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle United)

Angel Di Maria (Benfica Lisbon)

Mario Bolatti (AC Florenz)

Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes de La Plata)

Javier Pastore (US Palermo)

Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool)

Strikers

Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid)

Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)

Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid)

Diego Milito (Inter Milan)

Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Argentina Fixtures – Group B

27/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: Argentina – Mexico

World Cup 2010 Group B - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

Betting Guide to Argentina

Argentina coach Maradona has defied all of his critics in getting the South Americans to the Quarter Finals of the 2010 World Cup. Not that there was any doubt at all over the ability that was in the team, the only doubts were over whether or not they could play as a team. They clearly can, and they have won their last nine matches now, and that has been a stark contrast in form to where they were just a few months ago. Argentina travelled to Germany in March of this year to play an International Friendly. Maradona described that match as a World Cup match, in which the South Americans won 1-0, but played a defensive set up that was designed to counter the new found attacking threat of Germany. Maradona got in right on that day, but the set up was a departure from the attacking formation that Argentina are playing with at the moment. That victory was an important building block for Argentina, as it showed they could compete with some of Europe’s best, and now they get the chance to do it all over again as they face Germany in the quarter finals at South Africa 2010. In terms of World Cup betting, they were sitting behind Brazil and Spain going into the tournament, but after winning all of their group matches, and after overpowering the Mexicans, prices really are split between Brazil, Spain and now Argentina.

Argentina are perhaps stronger than some people will have expected, as they are showing a solidarity that was not particularly their strong point during qualification from the South American zone. They have pulled together, or more importantly Maradona has pulled them together. They have gone through some miserable turmoil as a football nation, but the transformation is probably as much of a surprise to their own fans, just as it is to people all across the world watching the tournament. Maradona asks his defenders to do their job, defend, and there is not a lot of adventure from the back, and it is in the full back areas which they are probably weakest. That’s where opposing teams will be able to attack them, but you always feel that there is a lot more strength in their attack than in their defence. They have a phenomenal amount of potency up front, and when you can sit strikers Diego Milito and Sergio Aguero on the bench, you are not doing too badly. They can only really be matched by Brazil in terms of striking ability and creativity, and a final between those two teams would be a fitting end to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Tactics: Argentina set up in a 4-3-1-2 formation. Key man for them is of course Lionel Messi, and Maradona has found a clever way to get him into the game as much as possible. Messi is generally sitting in behind the two strikers of Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain, and while he has been creator, it’s a little surprising that he hasn’t found the back of the net. But the fact of the matter is that has not had to, as he is firmly at the heart of a team. The formation allows Argentina to dominate in midfield, with players able to both hold and break forward with equal measure. The quality of players that they have in the midfield like Angel Di Maria, Juan Sebastian Veron and Maxi Rodriguez, means that they can comfortably stroke the ball around until an opening is created, or just get the ball to Messi in the hole behind the two strikers and something will happen. They can be patient and they can break out of defence quickly with their formation. Against Germany in March, Maradona went with a 4-4-2 formation, keeping Messi up front with Higuain. While it gone the job done, it took a lot away from their natural attacking prowess, and Maradona is leaning heavily on the attacking formation. They have not really been tested at the back too much, but Mexico showed that there are holes there if a team really has a go at their back line. But teams have been sitting off them because of their formation, trying to pick up Messi to negate their threat. The key will be getting wide against them, and Germany have the wingers to do just that.
 
Coach: Maradona – what is left to say about the man? We can skip over all of the controversies about him, and concentrate solely on the job he is doing at the moment. This is his first time as a coach at a major tournament, and he is carrying himself well. There is a noticeable respect between Maradona and his players, and he appears to be one of the team as opposed to a strong unapproachable disciplinarian in the mould of Marcelo Bielsa or Fabio Capello. If he has come up with the formation all on his own, then he has to take a world of credit for that, and for putting his faith in players to fit into a system which is largely build around getting the ball to Lionel Messi. At the moment he deserves all the plaudits that he can get, it will be interesting to see his reaction when Argentina find their backs against the wall. That will be the true test of his managerial skills.

Argentina World Cup 2010 Stats

Results:
Argentina 3, Mexico 1
Argentina 2, Greece 0
Argentina 4, South Korea 1
Argentina 1, Nigeria 0

Goals: 10 For, 2 Against
Cards: Y5, SY0, R0
Top Passer: Lionel Messi (Passes 267 Completion Rate 73%)
Most Fouls: Javier Mascherano 8

Last 10 Match Argentina Form:  WLWWWWWWWW

Probable Route to Winning the 2010 FIFA World Cup: Germany (Q/F), Spain (S/F), Brazil (F)

Argentina Betting Tips

Stage of Elimination
Quarter Finals: 13/10 at Bet365
Semi Finals: 11/4 at Ladbrokes
Winners: 3/1 at Ladbrokes
Runners Up: 5/1 at Bet365

To Reach Final
No – 7/18 at Bwin
Yes – 7/4 at Bwin

Argentina’s Top Goal scorer at Ladbrokes
Gonzalo Higuain 1/5 (4 goals)
Carlos Tevez 4/1 (2 goals)
Lionel Messi 5/1 (0 goals)
Martin Palermo 33/1 (1 goal)
Gabriel Heinze 40/1 (1 goal)

Tip: Argentina will face their biggest test of the campaign so far against Germany, as Germany will not be so afraid of attacking them as other teams have been. It should be too great teams going at each other really, and hopefully it will be an open game. Germany are not a great side but are above average, while Argentina are close to being a great team. Betting will lean towards Argentina, simply because they have looked the stronger team throughout. They had an easy group and that will have helped with their confidence if nothing else. Their strengths are in attacking and if they stick to their game then they should have just the edge, but it should be a fairly close game. Both teams get stretch their legs and get goals, and both can attack well if they fall behind.
Betting Tip: Argentina -0.25 Asian Handicap Evens at Paddy Power

After trimming his squad to the required 23-man squad needed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Argentina boss Maradona has held his first training session. The World Cup winner has come under a lot of scrutiny since he took over a nation which was in a footballing mess in 2008. Argentina were seemingly heading backwards under Alfio Basile, when the services of Maradona were called upon, and still they struggled during in South American qualification zone. The World Cup legend has had a volatile and rollercoaster ride during his short reign, only securing Argentina’s place at the World Cup on the final day of qualification with a 1-0 win over Uruguay. As the Argentinean group gather for their first training session, there were still five of their stars, missing because of club duty, notably Walter Samuel and Diego Milito, who are taking part in the Champions League final for AC Milan.

With all of their struggles through qualification, Argentina have never been far from the top of Outright World Cup Odds and that is down to the sheer talent that is in the squad. At the World Cup draw, Argentina were drawn in Group B with Nigeria, Greece and South Korea, a group on paper, which they should be able to breeze through. But event though Argentina are right up there in the odds, there remains an air of unpredictability about them, and that is largely down to Maradona himself, who is inexperienced and has shown time and again that he really doesn’t seem to know what his best team is. Barcelona and World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi however, insists that Argentina are ready, and that there is no pressure on him or the nation.

Messi himself has been indicative of the problems which have plagued the international side, as he has been criticised for not showing the same enthusiasm which he has produced for La Liga Champions Barcelona. Messi hit 34 goals for Barca this season, and as a world star, a lot of eyes of course will be on him as the greatest football show in the World kicks off. It is because of the doubts which are making people overlook Argentina’s chances of winning their third title, that Messi believes will work in their favour as other teams may underestimate the South Americans. Casting an eye over the Argentina 23 man squad, the talent is clearly there, and it is probably fair to say that if they had a coach with a stern and organised game plan they would be even closer in World Cup betting to the favourites. Those are things which do not appear evident with the manager, who has often been in the headlines for the wrong reasons, such as speaking confrontationally out of line, running over a cameraman, and being attacked by his own dogs.

Clear and simply, Maradona as a player, wowed the world, but can he do the same as a manager? That is the main question when it comes to betting on Argentina at the World Cup. Argentinean fans are questioning his management, and there are little signs during qualification that they had progressed enough under Maradona to challenge the likes of Brazil and Spain for the World Cup title. There is definitely room for improvement, but if they can pull it all together as a team, then they should be a serious threat. They have the dominating figure of Walter Samuel at the back, and with Juan Sebastian Veron, Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Diego Milito the key men in attack, there is some serious firepower there. Three English based players are in the squad, Jonas Gutierrez of Newcastle is in the squad, along with Liverpool’s Maxi Rodriguez and Javier Mascherano.

So the profile of Argentina would read “full of talent, but directionless.” There are no signs that Maradona has settled on a formation, nor which players fit correctly into his team. That could mean that more responsibility could fall onto the players to make the best of the situation, but even that has not been in evidence with the likes of Messi visibly underperforming when pulling on the shirt of the national side. The closest anyone has come to pinpointing just what Maradona is trying to do with Argentina, has been football pundits in the nation, who have seen signs of a defensive system, and individual improvisation when it comes to going forward. Argentina did run out 1-0 winners over Germany in an international friendly earlier in the year.

It may not be an Argentinean side which will be playing to their own real strengths, and that could be their downfall. However, they have three relatively easy games in their group and that could go a long way to building up both momentum and confidence. Argentina play Canada in an International Friendly on June 25th in Beunos Aires before heading to the tournament. Since qualifying for the World Cup, Argentina have been busy with friendly matches, but not against the toughest opposition. After losing against both Spain and Catalonia, Argentina have not really been tested, other than when they beat Germany in Munich on March 3rd. Looking back at the previous year, the signs of inconsistency are there, but can Maradona do what he did in 1986? Then the Argentina squad were in apparent dissaray and directionless, but Maradona led his nation on the field to the World Cup. Can he do it from the managers dug out this time?

Argentina World Cup History

• Won two World Cups in 1978 and in 1986
• Lost on penalties to Germany in 2006 at the Quarter Final Stage
• World Cup Record: Played 65, Won 33, Drawn 13, Lost 19
• Argentina have played and beaten Nigeria twice in World Cup history (1994 and 2002)
• Argentina have played and beaten Greece once in World Cup history (1994)
• Argentina have played and beaten South Korea once in World Cup history (1986)

Group B World Cup Betting Preivew: There are similarities here between the tournament in USA ’94, and it makes for some interesting betting opportunities. Why? Argentina, Nigeria and Greece were all in the same group at World Cup ‘94 and so have history and scores to settle. Who topped the group in the USA tournament then? Nigeria, thanks to a 2-0 victory over Greece.

World Cup Teams: Argentina, Greece, Nigeria, South Korea

They had one of the most entertaining qualification processes, but South American side Argentina will start Group B as firm favourites. There is absolutely no doubt or question over the ability of Argentina, epitomised by none other than Lionel Messi, but there is an unpredictability about them. World Cup legend Maradona is in charge of them for starters, and the hope is that he can somehow knit the squad into something of a team, something which they rarely showed signs of during qualification. Even with all of their troubles in securing qualification, they have always maintained their place high in the World Cup 2010 betting odds of being about fourth favourite. That is down to the class of player they have at their disposal. Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Juan Veron to name but a few. The Argentineans should, on paper, walk this relatively easy group, and then what happens is anyone’s guess, but capable of winning the tournament if they get their team act together. Nigeria showed very little of anything during the African cup of Nations back in January. They are a shadow of the former Nigeria which put in some thrilling appearances at World Cup’s past. They just aren’t that good, and along with Algeria, can be counted among the weakest of the African entrants. One thing going in their favour, is that they are in a group in which they may just be able to scrape together points to get out of, although they will need to improve on their early 2010 performances to do so. The European presence in Group B comes from Greece, who got the better of a strong Ukraine team in the play-offs. What can you expect from Greece? A tight defence and the ability to capitalise clinically on chances going forward, with Theofanis Gekas banging in an incredible 10 goals in twelve matches. They open their 2010 World Cup fixtures against South Korea, and a win could give them a great boost of confidence to get through to the first knockout stage. What of South Korea? They may be calling on experience, but they are likely to be fighting off the wooden spoon along with Nigeria in Group B. World Cup fans will remember them reaching the semi finals in 2002, but if they make it out of the group stage, it will be something of a success this time around.

Group B Betting Stats (World Cup History form in brackets)
(Final outcomes of Golden Goal, Extra Time and Penalty Shoot Out results count as wins or losses as applicable)

Argentina: Thumped Greece 4-0 at USA ‘94 in their only World Cup meeting. The South Americans have beaten Nigeria at both times of asking in 1994 and 2002, and beat the Korea Republic 3-1 at Mexico ‘86. All that should solidly confirm them as favourites for Group B. (P65, W36, D9, L20)

Greece: Will want to forget their only meeting against Argentina at the World Cup, which was a 4-0 loss at USA ‘94. Greece also lost to Nigeria at the same tournament 2-0, in a miserable group stage campaign for the Greeks, where they failed to score a single goal in their three group matches. Haven’t played the Korea Republic before at the World Cup. (P3, W0, D0, L3)

Nigeria: Beat the Greeks as mentioned above, and have lost twice to Argentina in their World Cup encounters. They will play South Korea for the first time in World Cup history. (P11, W4, D1, L6)

Korea Republic: Have only played against one of their 2010 World Cup group rivals on the world stage, and that was a defeat in 1986. New territory for them against both Greece and Nigeria in South Africa. (P24, W5, D8, L13)

World Cup Group B - Table

Group Stage Fixture List

World Cup Betting at William Hill for Outright Winner of Group B, has Nigeria at 4/1, Greece at 8/1, South Korea at 9/1 and Argentina are favourites at 4/9 (and 9/1 to Win the World Cup Outright).

Manager: Diego Maradona
Captain: Javier Mascherano
FIFA World Ranking: 7
World Cup Appearances: 14
Best World Cup: Winners – 1978, 1986

Argentina Betting Article

Argentina Team Profile

Just the name ‘Argentina’ has this daunting affect on its opponents, and the Argentine’s may need their intimidating aurora to play a huge part during their stay in South Africa, as to say Argentina were inconsistent during qualifying is an understatement.

Diego Maradona was the man put in charge by the Argentina football hierarchy and midway through qualifying they must have been wishing they hadn’t. Argentina were supposed to cruise through South American qualifying, leaving the rest of the South American nations to battle it out for the remaining two spots. That certainly wasn’t the case however, as Argentina scraped through by the skin of their teeth and only just snatched the last remaining qualifying position by virtue of a 1-0 win in Uruguay in their final qualifier. Argentina are in South Africa though, not without their fair share of good luck mind, and now that they’re here they mean business.

Despite a rocky qualification, Argentina are still rated No.7 in the FIFA Rankings, while almost every bookmaker has the Argies rated as the fourth best team in the tournament according to their outright odds. We would strongly disagree after watching an awful lot of them throughout qualifying, but we can also understand that Argentina possess some nifty players, none more so than the World’s very best, Lionel Messi. However, Messi, a player who the natives don’t exactly idolise, will have the pressure of an expectant nation upon his shoulders in South Africa and the 22 year-old, who still has tonnes of time to mature and improve his already wonderful game, hasn’t always shone for his country, so to expect more magic from the Barcelona maestro might be a rash assumption.

Nevertheless a team with tonnes of International pedigree and they themselves will fancy their chances in South Africa, so understandable the Argentine’s will be a popular punt for the FIFA World Cup as they seek out their third World Cup success, their first since 1986.

Manager

Where do we start with the ‘controversial’ character which is – Diego Maradona. Many fans around the globe will remember him fondly for his memorable displays in an Argentina shirt, even guiding them to a World Cup success when he captained the side back in 1986. However, for England fans, he will be remembered for his cheating antics in the quarter-final which seen him put the ball into the England net with his hand. That game with the English defined his career as he went on to score what many pundits tout as ‘the goal of the century’ as he weaved through what seemed the entire England squad to score a sublime solo goal. In that game the whole footballing worlds seen the very best and the very worst of the Argentine great and now the world will need to brace themselves again as the lively and charismatic Maradona aims to guide Argentina to another World Cup success, this time as coach.

Diego Maradona has managed two clubs before taking over the role as national team coach but with little success. He took over what is a talented group of players with his country but he has yet to either find the right selection or formation, or perhaps even a combination of the two, to improve Argentina’s performances on the pitch. He has come under mass amounts of scrutiny, mainly from those outside of Argentina in all fairness, but the Argentina board have shown their faith in the Argentine legend in a bid that it might just pay off in the form of a successful World Cup campaign in South Africa.

Argentina Key Players

Lionel Messi

It didn’t take us long to highlight who Argentina’s most influential player is, Lionel Messi. Quick feet, the ability to leave a player standing in awe, bags of pace, skills and tricks in abundance and a very precise and clinical finisher in the final third. Messi can turn any game right on it’s head as one mazy run or one piece of trickery can open the game right up in Argentina’s favour. The entire squad has struggled to adapt to Maradona’s tactics but Messi is the exception to the rule. He can score or create a goal out of absolutely nothing and he will be the man every opposing manager will pinpoint as the biggest danger.

Javier Mascherano

Diego Maradona has put his faith in the Liverpool midfielder to guide his side to bigger and better things at the forthcoming finals. Mascherano has nailed down a starting berth in the Liverpool as a solid and reliable defensive midfielder. However, he has now not only nailed down a starting spot in the Argentina fold but he has also secured the captaincy of his country, arguably his greatest honour as a player. However, he hasn’t had the instants impact many, including Diego Maradona, had expected as captain so the pressure will be just as much on him as the manager himself.

Strengths

Well, it’s hard to look past Lionel Messi being Argentina’s biggest asset in South Africa as he’s a football genius. Quick and nimble footwork, this unique ability to weave in and out of the tightest defences, good vision and awareness, great ball retention and a prolific goalscorer. From a forward perspective, Lionel Messi has it all. Everytime he picks up the ball, the crowd goes silent as they know something special is in the offing whether it’s a jinxing little run or a quick yet precise shot on goal. If Argentina need a goal and Messi gets hold of the ball, be afraid as the kid, who is still just 22 years-old, can punish you with aplomb.

Another player who can and will score goals in South Africa, providing Maradona starts with him, is Gonzalo Higuain. The Real Madrid forward was prolific during the previous campaign. He has a decent turn of foot, he’s great at getting into those scoring positions while he’s a very composed finisher of the ball. Dare we say it, if Higuain gets a starting role at the forefront of the Argentina attack in the summer, we would put a fair wedge on the Real Madrid forward outscoring his Argentine team mate Lionel Messi.

The two we’ve just mentioned are, of course, forward players, so the strength with Argentina is quite obviously really in that they have plenty of goals in them.

Weaknesses

Our biggest criticism with Argentina would be their poor defence. That isn’t at all surprising when you consider that Diego Maradona, the Argentina coach, never did a single bit of defending in his life as a player. That’s no way to run a football team though, despite boasting some great riches in the final third. Their defence needs tightening up before they clash with some of the World’s elite nations because it was leaky during qualifying, with even some of South American’s smaller nations locating Argentina’s goal with alarming regularity.

Another negative, and this one is a big pet hate with us, is Maradona’s tinkering. We don’t recall the great man ever recalling the same eleven for two matches in a row, while players with very few international caps were being called up in what appeared a desperate bid to get Argentina through their sticky situation during qualifying. If you watched Argentina during qualification you would have noticed a lot of stray passes, a lot of smart forward runs by the strikers which went unnoticed, while the organisation at the back was non-existent. This is because Maradona hasn’t given the team enough time to get to know one another and form some team chemistry. No-one was on the same wavelength, and against the very best footballing nations, Argentina will come unstuck unless they come together as a team. With Diego Maradona as manager, we have our doubts over whether sufficient changes will occur before Argentina kick-off their World Cup against Nigeria.

Argentina Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: South America

Position: 4th

Win-Draw-Lose: 8-4-6

Goals Scored: 23

Goals Conceded: 20

Argentina Qualifying statistics:

• Argentina severely struggled on their travels in qualifying, losing five of their nine away fixtures.
• Lionel Messi was the only player to be chosen to play in each of their qualifiers, participating in all eighteen of their World Cup Qualifiers.
• Sergio Aguero, Juan Riquelme & Lionel Messi all shared the honour of being Argentina’s top goalscorers with four goals each.
• 4 (Half/50%) of their wins came by just a one goal margin.
• Diego Maradona used a total of 49 players during the course of the campaign, which just highlights how much tinkering he has done during his spell at the Argentine helm.
• Carlos Tevez appears a fiery character when playing for Argentina, receiving two of the three red cards that Argentina received during qualifying.
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World Cup Potential: 4/5

If we were to be brutally honest about Argentina’s chances in South Africa, we would say they were slim. They are inconsistent, lack cohesion and have a manager at the helm which we simply do not rate in the slightest. Nevertheless, this Argentina team is pack full of world-class individuals, the type of individuals which can hand handle the Big Game pressure, the intense limelight and, more importantly, know how to win games. At club level the majority of these players have a deadly desire to win, that winning mentality that has helped their respective club become successful, but for their country they have failed to replicate that desire and determination, and without those key characteristics, we don’t see Argentina winning this summers showcase event.

However, while Argentina were hugely disappointing throughout qualifying for South Africa, the fact they even managed to qualify is a statement of intent in itself, and one that spells out in bold letters that Argentina just know how to get the business done when it really matters. It doesn’t matter how they got here, that’s all irrelevant now. All that matters now is bringing home the bacon in South Africa, and considering this Argentina team has goals in them, they will be a big threat to Italy’s World Cup crown.

Argentina World Cup Betting Odds

Argentina to win the World Cup: 9/2 Paddy Power

Before the World Cup the odds on Argentina were 7/1 

Official Argentina World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar)

Mariano Andujar (Catania Calcio)

Diego Pozo (Colon de Santa Fe)

Defenders

Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseille)

Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich)

Nicolas Otamendi (Velez Sarsfield)

Walter Samuel (Inter Milan)

Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes de La Plata)

Nicolas Burdisso (AS Roma)

Ariel Garce (Colon de Santa Fe)

Midfielders

Javier Mascherano (FC Liverpool)

Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle United)

Angel Di Maria (Benfica Lisbon)

Mario Bolatti (AC Florenz)

Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes de La Plata)

Javier Pastore (US Palermo)

Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool)

Strikers

Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)

Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid)

Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)

Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid)

Diego Milito (Inter Milan)

Martin Palermo (Boca Juniors)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Argentina Fixtures – Group B

27/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: Argentina – Mexico

World Cup Group B - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Argentina