WORLD CUP 2010: Argentina’s Arsenal of world-class footballers
Argentina is one team that has a full star-studded line-up. Never would have thought that the Argentinean coach Diego Maradona would say that he has yet to decide his best eleven for the FIFA World Cup 2010.
However, Maradona was composed as he expressed in a press conference, “We are calm because the work that we are doing will allow us to find the best team to play the first game and the following matches.” The ‘La Albiceleste’ has been placed in Group B and have their World Cup opener against Nigeria on the 12th of June.
The legendary squad member of the 1986 World Cup Champions also said, “I can see the boys are quite focused. With the help of God, I’m sure this team will have a good tournament.”
The humble South American prodigy Lionel Messi shares the same ideology with Maradona. He thinks that on man to man ratio, there is no better team than Argentina. He also said that the way Diego Maradona has prepared them, the team is confident of lifting the World Cup in South Africa. He further added that this confidence is a prime example of their quality and they will show it through their performance.
Though Maradona and his men are considered to be one of the hot-favourites in the tournament this summer, the way they qualified does not portray their image as dominating force in the upcoming tournament. They have been World Champions in 1978 and 1986 and will have to put in some stunning performances to balance out their reputation.
Nevertheless, Messi knows the strength of his side as he said, “Player for player, there is no better national team than ours”.
Messi happens to be the current FIFA World Player of the Year and is celebrating another out-standing year at the Barcelona Football Club. He has also gained the European Golden Boot award due to his 34 Primera Division goals. The start footballer was also the leading goal scorer in the La Liga for a second consecutive year.
The 22-year-old Messi is now expected to be the hero to take his team to the final but is also expected to be the saviour for Argentina in the tournament. Messi however said, “At this stage I don’t have to prove anything. I’ve come there to do things well for me and for my team-mates.”
This year has been excruciatingly busy for the footballers from Argentina. Skipper Javier Mascherano is adamant about the team’s decision of arriving early in South Africa ahead of the World Cup.
Pretoria has been their camp since 29th May where the ‘La Albiceleste’ has settled to train for the World Cup in South Africa. This decision was made largely due to a hectic life back home. Liverpool midfielder Mascherano said, “All the madness and anxiety that the World Cup generated in Argentina didn’t give us the privacy that we needed”.
He further explained, “We needed to get away from all that anxiety. That is why we believed it was better to arrive here, be together and not only preparing the training sessions but be part of the atmosphere inside the group.”
Mascherano, who will turn 26 on the 8th of June, said that team is fully motivated, keen and ready for the upcoming challenges. He said, “We could not be any better.” He also added, “We have a fantastic group and everybody shares the same enthusiasm from the first to the 23rd player in the squad.”
The Argentinean skipper told the media that they fear no team and will always be up for a challenge. That would be one of the reasons why their opponents always treat them with respect.
The English coach Fabio Capello has admitted that the ‘La Albiceleste’ will be a threat to them in the final stages of the tournament.
Mascherano told the media, “Diego Maradona and our team are ready. If we face England I'll know many secrets from the Premier League as to how to beat them. It will give us a big advantage.”
He confidently added, “Argentina doesn’t have any fears about any rivals. In the World Cup, we are always stronger and are ready to be competitive for the big occasion.”
The Argentineans have been placed in Group B alongside South Korea, Nigeria and Greece.
Tags: