The game itself was extremely trying as well. Argentina dominated possession, run of play, opportunities, etc but it was scoreless into the break. After Higuain's goal they took their foot of the gas and just when it looked like they were going to get away with Peru got the equalizer. I was still descending to progressively darker levels of depression when out of nowhere Martin Palermo (!?) slotted the game-winner home. Then the night got really weird/good/bad/memorable. Maybe when you are older we can have a talk about it.
Anyway with Uruguay's victory in Quito this Wednesday's edition of the Battle of the River Plate takes on monumental importance. Because people are miserable and it is the nature of South America (in soccer yes but you can say that about many aspects of life) the conspiracy theorists are busy suggesting there is an agreement between Argentina and Uruguay. This is ridiculous for a bunch of reasons. The easiest way to dispel this myth is by stating the obvious: a draw does not change either team's fate, it all depends on the outcome of Ecuador-Chile which will play at the same time. Argentina have 25 points, Uruguay sit at 24, and Ecuador are right behind them with 23. A draw would leave Uruguay at the mercy of Chile. Are they really going to sign for a draw and hope a team that has already qualified and has nothing to play for goes out and beats an Ecuadoran side fighting for its life? Probably not. Uruguay and Argentina both hold the tiebreaker over Ecuador so if Argentina wins and there is a draw in Santiago, Urguay still go through to the play-off. If there is a draw in Montevideo and Ecuador win, Argentina goes straight to South Africa and Ecuador gets the 4th place team from Concacaf. There are just too many unkowns for these teams to agree a draw.
I thought Argentina's line-up was right for the match on Saturday, although not perfect. So it was not too much of a bummer to learn it will be significantly tweaked for Wednesday. Diego Maradona has had a well chronicled series of debacles as the national team manager and his team selection has left a lot to be desired but right now it looks like he has finally gotten it right. The preliminary line-up appears to be:
Higuain Messi
Lucho Gonzalez Veron Mascherano Jonas
Heinze Schiavi Otamendi Pareja
Romero
This is a more defensive formation than what was really a 3-5-2 against Peru, and for good reason. Uruguay know the only way to ensure they live to see another day is to attack, and they will be willing to do so at home. It is prudent to shore up the side in the back and be patient. Peru allowed Argentina 2/3 of the field essentially free and the formation on Saturday was able to exploit that, but it will be much different in the final match. This line-up is better suited to win balls and battles in the middle of the park. Although I really liked Aimar's performance in Buenos Aires and admit he is a better playmaker than Veron at this point in their careers, Veron's physical attributes and ability to win tackles makes him a better option. A similar argument can be made for the inclusion of Lucho Gonzalez in place of Di Maria (who in my opinion was exceptional against Peru). Lucho is underrated in his ability to do the dirty work sometimes required to win. He is a phenomenal playmaking midfielder but can do the grunt work when asked, and in a clasico against Uruguay that is indispensable. The two guys up front are capable of making the difference in a one-on-one situation and also have the speed to make the counter-strike a realistic threat. All in all I like the line-up as it is taking shape. This will be a classic.
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