Argentina v Germany: tactical preview
Lionel Messi takes on Philip Lahm in March's friendly between the two sides - Argentina won 1-0.
Remember this fixture from 2006? The goals, the penalties, the fights?
Of most interest in tactical terms was Jose Pekerman’s decision to withdraw Juan Roman Riquelme towards the end of normal time, and replace him with the far more defensive-minded Esteban Cambiasso. In doing so, he gave up on his preferred 4-3-1-2 / 4-4-2 diamond shape, and switched to a very basic, rigid 4-4-2. Argentina went from being 1-0 up, to 1-1, to losing the game on penalties.
Sadly, we won’t be seeing Riquelme or Cambiasso in this contest, but Diego Maradona is faced with a similar tactical conundrum. Should he keep to the side he used against South Korea and against Mexico – essentially a 4-4-2 diamond, or add more steel with another central midfielder? Predicting Maradona’s selection decisions is not easy, as Argentina football expert Joel Richards points out…
Currently, Javier Mascherano is on his own in the centre of midfield, with Maxi Rodriguez and Angel di Maria shuttling either side. Those two have performed their defensive tasks well so far, but in the first real rest Argentina will face, one of them might find themselves dropped.
The return of Juan Veron alongside Mascherano is one option. He would replace one of the two shuttlers, and therefore shift Argentina back to something more like the formation used in their opening game against Nigeria, and increase their ability to keep the ball in the middle of the pitch.
Mario Bolatti is another who could feature, if Maradona wants to go more defensive. He has been given the classic Argentina No 5 shirt and is effectively Cambiasso’s replacement in the side, seemingly almost exclusively because of his crucial late winner in Montevideo in qualification. He remains a bit of a mystery – disappointing in his stay at Porto, used sparingly at Fiorentina since joining in January – but still a major part of the Argentina squad.
The composition of the midfield will determine how the front three of Carlos Tevez, Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain are used. Primarily, it affects the movement of Tevez – he’s happy to move to wide positions on either side – he played to the right against Nigeria, but to the left against South Korea and Mexico. In turn, that dictates Higuain’s drifts to the flanks – he drops into deep positions and allows Messi or Tevez to become the temporary front player. Messi appears to have a free role.
Messi, as ever, is the key player for Germany to stop. Argentina’s pre-tournament 4-4-1-1 shape meant Messi could, to a certain extent, be the domain of one of the opposition centre-backs, but the use of both Tevez and Higuain ahead of him makes this impossible. So the responsibility falls to the German midfield; Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira have received rave reviews for their performances so far, particularly for the way they controlled the game against England, but they’ve yet to face a true central attacking midfielder in their four games so far, let alone someone as talented as Messi.
Possible starting line-ups
Schweinsteiger has generally played as the deeper of the two, so his job may be to concentrate heavily on stopping Messi – not as a man-marking job, simply as a ‘try and tackle the world’s best player’ job. Schweinsteiger’s switch to a central midfield role has been a wonderful success, but this is altogether a new challenge for him.
Equally, Argentina’s biggest task is dealing with Mesut Oezil. There is a more natural solution here, in Mascherano, but does Oezil play too high up the pitch to be his main concern? If Mascherano is the only true central midfielder for Argentina, and looks to get goalside of Oezil, this will open up space for the runs of Khedira from deeper positions.
Upfront, the movement of Miroslav Klose and the consequent direct running of Thomas Mueller and Lukas Podolski are a real concern for the fairly slow Argentina defence, and a deeper defensive line than usual is probably the order of the day here, considering how easily a similarly static England defence was carved apart last weekend.
The final tactical issue concerns the full-backs. Argentina’s rarely get forward, assuming that Nicolas Otamendi continues in place of Jonas Gutierrez (a naturally more energetic player) at right-back. The key to the game could be the offensive tendencies of Germany’s duo – Philip Lahm is clearly more of an attacking force than Jerome Boateng, but which one will have to be concerned with Tevez’s movement? Would Joachim Loew consider swapping them around (they’re both comfortable on either side) to release Lahm? Would Tevez follow? Would Argentina’s midfield be able to adapt accordingly?
Despite Argentina being the favourites, it is Maradona who appears to have the greater dilemmas ahead of this contest.
Argentina v Germany: tactical preview
Good read, just as I’m in the middle of my preview!
I think, like the rest of the quarter final games, it’ll be a real tactical battle. Both have attacking players in a free role, but only one have two strikers, Germany have the more attacking full backs, which Argentina don’t, and Argentina press in a three man midfield, while Germany uses widht and their two holding midfield players.
I think Veron will play on the right of the diamond, with Maxi on the left. Maxi will play their and do a similar role to the game against Mexico – cover the full back against the opposition’s attacking wing back, in this case Lahm. It’ll basically be a two on two at that side of the field.
It’ll be a good game, no doubt!
I agree, it will be a real tactical showdown, but Veron’s pace is a problem if he plays on the right of the diamond. He’s not a carillero who can both defend and attack, like Zanetti. I agree with his inclusion, as he is an undoubted creative force, but his potential on the right of the diamond is limited.
I cant even imagine the state of mind of Maradona for this game. There seems to be sooo many options, and he will be applauded or ridiculed depending on the outcome, whatever his selection is. Except for Romero/Macherrano/Heinze/Messi/Higuain, who are the sure bets for all, so many theories are being floated around all over the net. The whole internet seems to be filled with tacticians wanting to help Maradona. Is it because of their love for Argentina or Maradona or Messi.
I wish Veron plays together with Mach and be substituted by Pastore in 45 or 50 minutes. Pastore and Messi is good combination.
This is going to be the most unpredictable match in this WC QF. We could even expect a red card on either side, one for foul against Messi and another for foul against Ozil. I am wondering who will be in charge of marking Messi – probably Khedira.
ZM, have you ever thought, what Argentina is going to be for WC’14. Messi at 27, Aguero/Higuain/De Maria at 26, Pastore at 24, all this young prodigies at their peak probably… The same for Germany as well, with Ozil/Mueller/Schweinstieger/Boatang all experienced..
Yeah I was thinking about this the other day actually. Them, Germany and Ghana are in tremendous shape. Chile too.
The prospect of that 2014 Argentina line-up – you can add Banega, Buononotte and maybe DeFederico too, together with Forlin at the back – is mouthwatering.
What if Maradona comes up with a surprise and plays something completely different and instead of dropping Di Maria drops Higuain and plays
Romero-Otamendi,Demichelis,Samuel,Heinze-Jonas,Mascherano,Pastore-Tevez,Messi,Di Maria
Both Mertesacker and Friedrich are not the fastest and the question is how much of a use it would be for Argentina to play with Higuain(yes, I know he scored against Germany in the friendly but for most parts, he was invisible and taken out of the game by Tasci). This would also free Messi from playmaking work and give him a passer in Pastore plus Di Maria would give the necessary width to play against either Lahm or Boateng. Further, as mentioned, neither Mertesacker nor Friedrich are particularly fast or good in positioning so Messi running at them with speed, diagonal runs inside from the rigth by Carlitos or a constant interchange between the 4 in attack could cause them a lot of problems.
It’s not a tested system, but if you look at Germany’s weaknesses and strenghts, this line-up could work best to shut them down and give Argentina the tools for a win.
Its very unlikely DM will do that. Being himself a player, I dont think he will deny an opportunity for Higuain to remain at the top. An experienced coach like Del Bosque or Mourinho would have tried this, but not Deigo.
I thought that we got already over the presumption of Diego being the only one calling the shots and not having a triumvirat of heads and also the idea that he is kind of stupid. A stupid and naive coach wouldn’t have practiced set pieces like he did, as an example.
I will never say Diego is stupid, I didnt say that. I only meant he will not want to deny the chance of being at the top of goal scorers for Higuain, being a player himself and knowing his players well. Whoever advises him the opposite, Deigo will give Higuain, at least 50 minutes.
Ok, sorry, it was a misunderstanding. Maybe, but I personally believe that for everyone in the camp involved winning is the main priority and they will do everything to make a maximal use of their ressources.
If we look at the Argentine camp, in spite of the frequent changes in the starting line up and having so many stars on the bench, they still look like a cohesive unit. But I think Deigo would love to have one of his players to be the top scorer and he may not want to have any changes in the front three of M/T/H. I wish Deigo does the best so that he goes all the way to the cup.
Well, your argument is based around what I think is a sketchy thesis. Friedrich is rather quick for a central defender and is playing an exceptional tournament so far. Despite Mertesacker still finding his World Cup form, his positioning skills are legendary.
Unpredictable lineup and shape from Diego. Ole claims it will be same midfield as against Mexico (http://bit.ly/aVz4LF), whereas La Nacion (http://bit.ly/brh8vg) says Jonás could come in DiMaria’s position. Brazilian press (http://bit.ly/d5Poas) are saying Maradona might include Pastore in midfield.
Anyway, in my humble opinion the shape of Mascherano + wide Maxi + wide Di Maria that was used against Mexico is suicidal against Schweinsteiger, Khedira and Ozil (basically a 3v1 in center of midfield), as you point out. I reckon either Verón or Pastore will be needed. Personally I’d flank Mascherano with both and then “unleash hell” upfront with Messi, Tevez and Higuain.
)
(it works great in Pro Evolution Soccer, I must say
Definitely Veron would be a plus in the midfield. Argentina has to play possession football to beat Germany. A midfield with only 1 central midfielder and no one actually holding the ball would allow the German midfield to attack the Argentine box quite frequently. And the German offense, unlike Mexico, has several players who can score.
Great article. It’s a really interesting dilemmna for Diego. This game may well be the making or the breaking of him. I think his formation will probably be influenced heavily by his personality – and I may be wrong but that would lend itself to an attacking line up with just Mascherano covering the defence.
He also knows that the talents of his side are heavily weighted towards the attacking third of the pitch and they can surely use Messi’s fear factor to their advantage. I agree that Schweinsteiger is the more likely to pick him up, but his presence on the field will probably also play on Khedira’s mind a lot, and he may not drive forward as much as he did in the game against England.
That would – generally speaking – leave Mascherano picking up Oezil, the full backs picking up Mueller and Podolski as you’d expect, and Burdisso to attempt to deal with Klose after Demichelis inevitably makes a mistake.
But I don’t think Germany will suffer too much with Khedira and Schweinsteiger sitting deeper in this game. If anything Germany need them to sit back given the amount of chances England and Ghana created in the last two games. They need to be tighter defensively.
Anyway, with both attacks linking so well together it will be really interesting to see what unfolds. You get the impression that with Veron available, and Bolatti (as you point out), that Argentina are the more likely team to change things during a game if they need to. Have we seen Germany switch formation at all, even when they went down to 10 men against Serbia?
There is another very important thing to be watched is set piece. Argentina had some great and very interesting set piece design in the last four games. This is one of Argentina’s main weapon.
With the absence of Veron, it is pretty strange yet interesting that Argentina often let Heinze do some medium/long ball delivery job. Yes, the full-back as the playmaker. Argentina’s tendency to attack on the left (but not very wide) made this easier for Heinze to do.
Anyways, I still feel Argentina is lack of a clear idea on how to attack.
riquelme’s withdrawal wasn’t a tactical decision, he was exhausted
I think it was a combination of both since Cambiasso came in for Riquelme
The fact he put on a completely different player, in Cambiasso, would indicate there was a tactical switch involved.
I’m a bit disappointed that what is the most exciting match (beforehand) in this round is being played out in the media with the Germans shooting barbs at Argentina and Argentina answering back.
In my oppinion, this might become a really interesting game. For Germany it would be deadly if Argentinia played with with a 433 with Di Maria on the left wing, Messi on the right wing against Boateng who surely isn’t a left full back and would be completely helpfless if he had to defend against Messi. Tevez would be the perfect striker for the middle of the attacking trio. He is a very fast and rather small player, excatly these kind of player Mertesacker hates to defend against…
Imagine if Argentinia had Macherano and Cambiasso in the defensive midfield and Zanetti on the left full back position, Özil and Müller, Germanys most creative players would face serious problems.
But with Maradona playing his 442-diamond shape,Germany has good chances to win that game. Müller will be far too fast for Heinze and Özil will have enough space to play his deadly passes, with “only” Mascherano marking him.
Also playing with Messi on the playmaker position is the best thing that could happen for Germany. If there is a german player who manages to defend against Messi it clearly is Schweinsteiger. As a German, I can only say…there is no better position for Messi.
to conclude: I think Germany will win this exspecially because of their fast wingers.
But it will be a tiugh game, ’cause the German defense will although Maradona will do (in my oppinion) everything too make them look not as “weak” as they are, have problems with the Argentinian offense power.
Sorry for my English, I’m German!
I just want to remind you that Jerome Boateng played pretty well against Robben and later Ribery in the Bundesliga when the HSV and Bayern Munich met last year. So well that neither Ribery, nor Robben hat great influence on the game.
Also Friedrich made his best match performance 2006 against Argentina.
Argentina has the better quality in players on the paper, but it’s not all so black &white as people like it to be.
Pekerman’s withdrawal of Riquelme…it still upsets me after all this time.
I think Argentina will get the better of Germany.
Coincidentally, each team’s weaknesses coincide with the other’s strengths. The static German centre-backs will have all sorts of trouble dealing with Higuain’s off-the-ball movements and Messi’s on-the-ball movements. Messi’s low centre of gravity will surely result in several free-kicks as the two towers that are Freidrich and Mertesacker will struggle to get him off the ball without knocking him to the ground. Boateng is also an area for Argentina to probe. He’ll presumedly come up against his future teammate Tevez who has the technical ability and strength to get past his man (even if Boateng is 6′3 and built like a house). There were several times when Boateng gave Milner too much space and I feel that a superior Tevez will punish him.
Having said that, Germany have an abundance of pace in attack and that’ll expose Argentina’s very slow backline. They’re a tough force to come up against when you consider how well their four attacking options move on and off the ball and I believe that this could cause Argentina some very serious problems. Demichelis always looks like he’s about to make a mistake and when you consider how experienced and ruthless Klose is at this level, he could well contribute to his own team’s downfall by making a shocking mistake and letting Klose through on goal.
For me, the match will be won in the middle of the park. If Maradona goes for a 4-4-2, they’ll spend the entire match trying to get the ball off of Germany’s three midfielders and we should see the Germans come through this comfortably. A 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 diamond will allow Argentina to really get at Germany’s back four and with the excellent technical ability of Messi, Higuain, Tevez, Di Maria and Veron…we could well see Argentina romp to victory.
Boateng vs. Messi??? I’m sure it will be Lahm vs. Tevez, because Tevez will play as some kind of inverted winger.
And I can hardly imagine anyone better to defend against Carlitos…
Sorry I meant Boateng Vs. Tevez…???
Mascherano as the only defensive midfielder, and he sees red at about one hour of game…
Excellent analysis as usual by ZM.
Some points to add.
Generally Argentina has a less balanced team compared to Germany’s. That’s the criz of Maradona’s problem. If he wants to tighten up the defensive structure, he will lose some of the attacking potency.But if he wants to keep the attacking threat then he will be exposed at the back, especially so to a team of Germany’s stature which posses pace and attacking skills.
Furthermore to compound the matter, as a coach DM didnt have much time with the team and only having a settled team for a short while (while wasting too many matches and too many players for needless and often bizarre experimentations). To make matters worse, DM does not have previous coaching experience or appears to possess a deep footballing brain.
My guess is that DM will opt for a more defensive line up just like the one he used in the friendly against Germany. The reason is that DM really wants to win the WC as a coach badly and he will do whatever it takes to win the game. As such he will not be taking any risks in this game and will add another player to the midfield to snuff out the Germans and also provide a stronger cover to his pedestrian and gaffe-prone defence. I am also expecting the Argentine attack to play a bit deeper and with Tevez aked to do more defensive duties than normal.
As for the player to mark Oezil, I believe Mascherano is the obvious choice as I don’t see anyone else doing it. But as ZM pointed out, this can be tricky as Oezil operate in the gray zone between the midfield and defence and in between the CBs and FBs. Oezil is a devillishly difficult, quick and highly mobile player to mark. If JM marks Oezil that will leave gaps for Klose, Mueller and Khedira to make forward runs. If you had watched the England game, one would have noted how Schweinsteiger had played much further than usual. So he will be another threat too.
Another area for concern for Argentina is their CBs in facing Klose as he is very good in off the ball movement and in dragging away defenders. His (relative) pace and strength will provide a very severe challenge for the porous Argentinian defence.
I also think that playing Veron will be a mistake as he’s will slow down the game allowing Germans to regroup and his style is also makes it easy to close down by Germany’s CMs. I also believe Loew will instruct his CMs to prevent Veron from spraying passes and launching attacks.
As for the Germans, I think both their CBs have improved much. Mertasacker especially seemed to have gained some of his confidence and played a lot better in the last game. However his clerances and positioning is still suspect as his ability to deal with quick attackers. Much will depend on his form and the coverage provided by Friedrich, Khedira and Schweinsteiger.
On the RB, Boeteng is another weak link, perhaps the weakness. I hope Loew will bring on Jansen instead. If Tevez drifts toward left wing then he could create endless problems.However, if Tevez moves to the flanks then Argentina will lose much of their attacking threat. Also I think Loew will again instruct Podolski to play deeper to assist Boeteng.
As for Messi, I think he has not performed to his true abilities consistently but only in patches. I doubt if Schweinsteiger will be asked to cover him since Messi plays deeper and Schweinsteiger is too important to be tasked with marking duties unless Germany is already leading comfortably. The job more likely to fall on Khedira.
I think in terms of talent, Argentina has the slight edge. However, it is unfortunate that DM is not a coach who has the tactical expertise, experience and intelligent to fully utilise these talents. If Mourinho, Hiddink, LvG, Loew, Dunga,etc in DM’s position, Argentina probably will win the WC.
So my predictions for this game are :
1. Argentina to adopt a more defensive tactic and lineup
2. Mascerano to mark Oezil
3. Tevez to play more to left wing to attack Boeteng
4. Loew will instruct Germany to attack through Argentina’s CBs using Klose’s movement and strength more aggressively and open up for Oezil & Mueller.
5. Khedira to mark Messi
6. If Argentina doesn’t score first, they will lose
I wouldn’t completely write off Maradona.
Yes, he has crazy training schedules and seems to be a loose cannon but don’t forget that Pep Guardiola’s only previous job was the Barcelona B team.
Maradona was an extremely intelligent player (so was Pep) and although he won’t have the experience of Mourinho, Hiddink, Capello or Magath, it doesn’t mean that he’s tactically naive.
ZM even did an article on how Pep Guardiola’s style of play became obsolete in the mid 2000s and it seemed that the deep-lying midfielder was dead and buried. Yet he took over at Barca half a decade later and reinvented both Iniesta and Xavi who are rightly lauded across the world for being deep-lying midfielders.
Agree that DM was a fantastic player and had an incredible footballing brain as a player. But as a manager, one requires a different kind of mindset and mental abilities. I don’t really track Argentina that closely before the WC but as I recall DM was a hugely unpopular figure back home and the team only scrapped through to WC on their last match. The only good game they had prior to the WC was their win over Germany in a friendly where DM adopted an ultra defensive line up and was lucky to win.
But he seems to enjoy far better success these days. So I am not sure if his winning streak in SA is due to his tactical prowess, pure luck or due solely to his players’ capabilities.
I think it’s a little bit of all three. Maradona’s Argentina were shocking through qualification but all bad runs must end. The 4-4-2 seems to be getting the best out of them, even if we admit that Argentina’s toughest challenge to date was a defensive Greek side.
He’s a controversial coach but he has this policy of “My team vs the world” and it seems to make the team unite. His style of coaching is very similar to Mourinho’s in that he takes the heat off his team by putting all the media attention onto himself.
Maybe he’ll win the World Cup and be deemed the greatest Argentinean in terms of both playing and managing. Or maybe Germany will beat them via a fluke goal and Maradona will be labelled as a poor manager.
All I know is that regardless of what happens between now and the final, football is a very fickle sport. So far during this competition, I haven’t seem something terribly wrong with his tactics. Although when you have those players at your disposal, it’s hard to get it too wrong early on.
But even great managers (like Capello and Lippi) can get it horribly wrong regardless of all their previous managerial accolades.
he has a great coaching staff of Bilardo, Ruggeri and Batista. I don’t know why the coaching staff is never ever looked at. Was Rijkaard as good without Ten Cate as he was with him? Would Pep be that great without Vilanova? Same with Maradona. He makes the decisions in the end but so far he has been smart and rational enough to listen to people close to him.
I think a lot of people simply forget to mention the backroom staff. I know I do.
Ancelotti needed Ray Wilkins’ help to succeed at Chelsea and get to grips with the English game.
Mourinho needed Vilas Boas at both Porto and Chelsea.
Ferguson seemed to get the best out of his squad with Queiroz about (despite the fact that Queiroz isn’t a good manager).
I think we focus on the manager because he ultimately gets the chop if it all goes wrong. The backroom staff tend to leave with their manager but very little blame (if any) is put at their front door. So it’s only right that we should focus more of our praise on the manager.
But I definitely don’t think Maradona is a naive manager. He’s certainly unorthodox and has the ability to rub people up the wrong way but he’s juggled the conundrum of Messi, Tevez, Higuain, Aguero and Milito exceptionally well so far.
The only point where I fault Maradona is for the exclusions of Zanetti and Cambiasso.
Exactly what I keep saying to myself each time I read a post ridiculing Maradona! I might be wrong (since I didn’t have much access to news at that time of the year), but didn’t Maradona fight against everyone and even threaten to resign, to assemble the coaching staff he has? People need to give the guy the credit he deserves!
Maradona was always a fighter, a winner and a leader on field. He knows what it takes to win. His shenanigans mean he is eccentric and extroverted, bit that he is a mug.
So let me get this right! YOu haven’t “…really tracked Argentina that closely
before the WC..” but you know that they have a porous defense. How many goals have they let in so far at the WC? None. So how do you draw the conclusion that the defense is porous? I know it is fashionable to think of Diego as a dimwhit on English/British blogs for obvious reasons. However this is a tactical website, which implies some more thinking that usual, I would think that participants would try to leave those cliches and biases in check.
Maradona is NOT unpopular at home (has never been), get your facts straight.
I think that drfulballitis probably got it right, Argentina will probably play:
heinze-samuel,micho
jonas-mascherano-veron-clemente
messi
- higuain – tevez
Two goals against, mate.
You see, it’s not just about thinking. It’s also about getting the boring facts right.
argentina have conceded 2 goals, one against s. korea, one against mexico
also agree re: coaching team. bilardo was manager in 86 when maradona won it.
Karlec
Argentina conceded 2 goals so far in WC.
In the qualifying matches they conceded 20 goals including 6 vs Bolivia if I recall. And their goal difference was +3 which was the worse among the qualifiers from South America.
In this WC, we have seen how their defence made numerous mistakes but often they escaped because of their opponents’ inability to exploit these chances.
It is the same for Germany, their defence is weak too but their opponents didn’t use the chances to score either.
BTW I am not from England/UK.
I live in Argentina , and during the qualifiers he became extremely unpopular as a coach … now he is seen as a genius …
those are the facts ..
peace ,
and vamos argentina!!!!!
Excellent post, Calvin. Do you have a Website? I also thaught of Jansen instead of Boateng, especially because i think he can cause many Problems for Otamendi and would try to penetrate the box.
Jansen is an offensive threat when fit, no doubt. Compared to Podolski, he is able to deliver excellent crosses. However, he never plays as LB at Hamburg – Aogo started in 31 of 34 games last season, with Jansen being the left winger (or Elia if Jansen had one of his usual injuries).
From his few showings as LB though, I remember Jansen to struggle with positional disclipline. He then got caught off guard by quick passes and then hopelessly trailed his opponent. Against Argentina, a more conservative approach with a deeper LB might be more appropriate.
Boateng has indeed fared well against Robben and was successful in blocking his signature move (as seen in the Slovakia game). When Hamburg beat Bayern 1-0 last year, he even played one half against Robben and one half against Ribery if I remember correctly. With his physical strength, he can direct wingers towards the goal line or side line. He needs to stay on his feet though. Löw pointed out during WC qualifying that Baoteng has to lay off the risky tackling. Further, he sometimes closes in on a winger too quick – maybe due to him being a natural CB? On Saturday, with Argentina’s set pieces looming, the balance between aggressive confrontation and unnecessary fouls might decide whether Germany’s left back position is the weak link some expect.
Yes Schorle1…I concede that Jansen’s a more offensive player but I thought his tackcking was way better in SA when he came on as a sub compared to Boeteng and Badstuber.
I haven’t watched Boeteng as a LB in Bundesliga much but he seems to be suffering from nerves and his positioning was suicidical on many occasions. Some of the mistakes he made was very basic in nature that I have only seen in schoolboy matches. So I guess the problem is match temperement.
He has tremendous strength and good pace but somehow his applications lets him down.I am more concerned because Tevez is intelligent, aggressive, smaller, more skillful and faster than the England and Ghana players he had faced so far.
Hi Pion17..nope I don’t have a website. Yes agree with you..I thought Jansen did well when he came on as a sub in the WC unlike Boeteng who seems to be a bundle of nerves.
Wooow good stuff!
With the caveat that I have no idea what Maradona will actually do:
1. Sometimes attack is the best form of defence. To cover Messi, Tevez, and Higuain requires five-and-a-half players. Better to retain those three and continue to play them high, while deploying di Maria and Maxi deeper (and at least one of them wider). Agree that starting Veron seems counterproductive.
2. Yep, Mascherano is the only player in the Argentinian squad up to the task of marking Oezil. He can’t be too worried about leaving gaps, he’ll have enough on his hands.
3. The Lahm-Boateng-Tevez orientation is kind of a game theory problem. Tevez has the advantage because it’s easier for him to switch sides than it is for the Germans to swap places. I think he’d much rather play on Boateng’s side, whichever side that is. The risk is giving Lahm space to counterattack, but I think it’s worth taking.
4. Klose will no doubt be a handful for the CBs. But as Jonathan Wilson wrote at SI, “there is a lack of guile about Lukas Podolski and Thomas Muller: Podolski… is best at running in straight lines, while Muller… is yet to beat a fullback one-on-one.” (Oezil is another matter, which returns us to the second point.) Argentina’s line is, if lacking in genius, at least more positionally disciplined than England’s or Australia’s, and surely DeMichelis and Burdisso watched Germany-England and saw what happened when Terry went AWOL.
5. I don’t think that any player in the world can mark Messi one-on-one — and that trying to do so would be especially problematic for Germany, who, if Messi beats his man, have negligible pace at CB. He has to be the joint responsibility of Schweinsteiger and Khedira, even if that means giving di Maria or Maxi space out wide.
6. Germany isn’t strong enough to shut the game down after taking a lead (and vice versa). It took them four goals to kill off England for good, and they’re not going to score four against Argentina. If a team falls behind, they’ll have a fair chance to come back.
“they’re not going to score four against Argentina”
I won’t let the door hit me on the way out.
surprised no one mentioned Clemente Rodriguez who could come in this game to mark Muller. Jonas on the other wing to shut down Poldolski. 3-4-3 , veron and mascherano in midfield.
heinze-samuel,micho
jonas-mascherano-veron-clemente
messi
- higuain – tevez
Ah since ZM didn’t use my mail, I ll post this anecdote:
Check out this hilarious video:
http://bayern.theoffside.com/team-news/maradona-to-muller-this-press-conference-is-mine.html
Ahead of the Argentina – Germany friendly back in March, the then uncapped Müller was appointed by the German team manager to attend a press conference with Maradona. Maradona did not know Müller and hence wanted him to leave, or otherwise would leave himself. He later apologized (after being made aware that Müller is a player), claiming he expected to do be interviewed along with a German coach.
With Müller now leading the tournament in goals/assists so far, my guess is that Maradona does know him by now ;=)
I think it’s quite likely that Maradona will come up with a 4-4-2 formation, fielding the first XI that played in Munich back in March, with the back four of: Otamendi-Demichelis-Samuel-Heinze and Jonas Gutierrez in the midfield, as his work-rate might prove priceless when Argentina are without the ball. Tevez could start on the bench.
This game could go either way but I think Germany might just have the edge. They’re on fire after beating England and they have lots of creativity and skill to expose Argentina’s weaknesses at the back. If Germany score first, I can’t really see a way back for Argentina, unless Messi produces a moment of magic(he still hasn’t scored in this tournament, how many times did he hit the post, though?). And when Germany do score first, I can see them scoring another one on the counter, as they did twice against England.
It’s going to be a cracking game, that’s for sure.
I don’t know if there’s something wrong with the website or the web host but I couldn’t access this site at all the past month. I was able to get to this site only just today. Also, most of the pictures don’t load completely. I only see the top half of a picture usually.
Didn’t see a website comment section so I posted it here.
First of all stop this crap about Germany’s “creativity and skill” about only “slight edge” of Argentina in terms of talent, its not “slight” its huge. I am fed up with that hype around German team. What was so impressive about them in matches vs Serbia or Ghana? You seem to get carried away after Germany beat utterly poor England in 1/8. The class of players don’t change overnight. Muller and Ozil are “nobody” in international football sense, yes they have potential but they are nobody yet. Of course everything can happen, and Germany has a fair chance to get positive result, but don’t make ridiculous comparison of Muller/Ozil/Schweinsteiger to Messi/Tevez/Macherano as if its nearly equal, its not and so u will hopefully all see that on the match day.
Form is temporary, class is permanent.
Having said that, Ozil and Muller have both progressed rapidly and now look like German XI regulars. Of course they’re nowhere near the level of Messi and Tevez but that doesn’t change the fact that they are still very good players.
Argentina won’t breeze through this match. A lot is made of Germany because of their win over an abysmal England but they are still a very good outfit. Germans are notorious for turning it on when the occasion arises and this is a big occasion.
If Messi has a bad day (and he has had quite a few in the Argentina jersey) and Mascherano gets himself stupidly sent off, anything can happen. Schweinsteiger, Khedira and Ozil proved that they may not have the reputation of Messi, Xavi or Essien but they certainly can hold their own.
@Rique
Perfect, that’s exactly the kind of arrogance we need. I hope that the whole Argentinian team thinks like this…
Honestly, I think, if some of the German players would play in Spain or in the Premier League they would get much more recognition internationally. But it seems that Bundesliga players for non-Germans still appear to be “inferior”.
Anyway, I am looking forward to the match, as this may very well be THE match of this World Cup. Gonna be a close one, of course.
So far it’s you players who are making arrogant remarks about Argentina national football team, so it appears you are searching for it in wrong place my dear Hindenburg, ohh sorry i mean Hirngabel
As the Argentine team is the stronger side, it is not unusual to try to break the harmony. Seems to be news for you, funny. As I recall this tactics did not work for England and Rooney very well, so my fear was, it would backfire on the Germans. On the other hand, seeing, how it got under your skin, I am pretty positive. Thank you, you made me a little more confident.
Your team was pretty impressive so far, by result. I am not sure Germany will win, but after this game, you will know the “nobodys”. Even you.
I am so happy the former world class player Ballack was a no show, even when Rique would had some name recognition happiness.
Lenocka zria ty tak zloradno
It doesn’t get under my skin much, i just think this all “intelligent” analysis of future game based on some very shaky judgments is ridiculous. The fact that Germany has some Turkish guy who played good vs Australia and decent vs England don’t convince me at all. During ENG-GER i watched him closely, he is not bad but he is certainly over-hyped. Muller… yeah i watched that kid during CL final too.. he did cost you the game failing to score one on one so… Anyways i don’t write off Germany, they can win that’s for sure, but since God is with Argentina, in fact he coaches them so they can’t lose 
Chill out, Rique.
I don’t think anyone in Germany doubts that you have great players on your team with fantastic skills. The offensive line with Higuain, Tevez and Messi is without any doubt deluxe.
However that doesn’t automatically mean that our players are nobodys. Half of the starting XI has reached the Champions League final this year (among them “nobody” Mueller – the topscorer of this World Cup so far) and several of the team have just recently won the U21 EC (among them “nobody” Özil) – that all doesn’t come from pure luck and hype. Even you should be able to admit that there is a decent amount of talent involved.
But as I said, this feeling of superiority can only help us. =)
LOL how are Muller and Ozil ‘nobody’ players??? Seriously – Ozil has been absolutely brilliant this World Cup!
To be fair though – Most Argentina fans I know are predicting and expecting a Germany win, while there have been lots of Germany fans who are predicting an easy win for Argentina. So there have been arrogance and feelings of superiority from both sides.
I think this will certainly be a very close match.
Oh and forgot to add, I have seen some Germany fans talk nonsense about Argentina too. About how they are actually not a good team at all, but have just gotten ‘lucky’. So yeah – the animosity is there from both sides.
I just hope we get a clean match on Saturday.
You just need good contrast, and during this match you will see how far more superior Messi-Tevez is compared to Ozil-Muller, all you need is that contrast, and you will get it, the sharpest possible, it will even make your eyes bleed
@Rique
Guess, we’ll just have to see about, whose eyes are bleeding tomorrow. =)
Have fun at the match! I think it will be a great one.
It seems that you don’t know much about Germany. They were runners-up in 2002WC, 3rd place in 2006WC and runners-up in Euro2008. When we looked at the team in those matches we would not had give them a chance. But the important fact is that they are a great team that possess decent individuals in contrast with Argentina’s star power. The Teamgiest vs Dreamteam. However I think that Argentina will win this not because Germans make defensive mistakes(urr… like Demichelis) or Argentina’s off the ball movement but their on the ball movements. That’s because their standout players in this WC(Tevez and Messi) have low center of gravity which will cause problems to tall Mertesacker and physical CMs and Freidrich.
::::FACEPALM::::::
Yes, those darn robotic cold hearted Germans! Tricking everyone into thinking they can actually play football!
Rique: Dios mio, man. Lio and me, we’re gonna fuck you up.
The Dude: Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man. …
[Couldn't resist quoting The Big Lebovski here]
Don’t look at the names alone. Playing a World Cup, having a run, may matter much more. So who’s chances are higher to score on Saturday: zero-goal-Messi or Nobody-but-current-WC-Top-Scorer-Müller?
Why can’t Maradona field a more defensively team a la Brazil against Germany: 4-2-3-1. I would like to hear from you experts here.
Romero
Otamendi-Burdisso-Samuel- Heinze
Marsherano-Bolati
Tevez – Messi – Angel Di Maria
Higuan
Because you need to have good dependable defenders to play successfully on the counter attack.
In my honest opinion I think that Germany’s five midfielders can dominate Argentina’s trio. Mascherano is the only central midfielder. Di Maria and Maxi have done well as carilleros but have limited defensive abilities.
I think Higuain will be really starved of service up front, and I see him drifting out to the right wing all to often with the current formation.
The weak link in Argentina’s defence is Gaby Heinze; Mueller’s pace will be a big problem for him. Di Maria, who has excellent work-rate, will find himself stuck in his own half for the majority of the game. He is a killer when he plays down the left wing, but unfortunately his defensive duties hinder his creativity (Nigeria game he was awful).
As for Messi, I think he should play on the right wing, not as a central ‘free role’.
All in all, I believe Argentina should line up in a 4-1-4-1 formation (please don’t kill me for dropping Tevez)
[Right to Left]
Romero – Otamendi, Burdisso, Dimechelis, Heinze – Mascherano – Messi, Veron, Maxi, Di Maria – Higuain
This is the only way I can see Argentina having any control over midfield. It might not be the most flamboyant, tiki taca football, but it can stifle Germany and with the brilliance of Messi, Di Maria, and Higuain, they can grab a goal and defend well.
I cheer for Germany, so I know this:
Tactically and logically thinking, Germany may take this but practically I’m sure Argentina will win simply because, they are Argentina. I hope I’m wrong.
Umm what? Germany are tournament-players, they have reached the semi-finals in the last 2 tournaments plus they’ve been finalists in the last Euro Cup. They’ve beated Argentina the last 4 times they’ve met on the WC… so I think it’s the opposite – that Germany will win this upcoming match against Argentina simply because, they are Germany.
The funny thing is, everyone is saying Argentina must change their system to deal with Germany not the other way around.
good sign for germany, or they simply have no other systm available…
That idea was implemented by ZM…
Germany of course has to deal with Messi. Schweinsteiger or Khedira, one of them must stay behind.
As I am German I cheer for our side, but that will be a close game, and whoever it wins can make it to the top of the tournament. Same with Brazil-Netherlands tomorrow.
Not just ZM, you can believe me. It’s everywhere, starting with Argentina.
Probably got to do with the fact that German teams are machines, little oiling and fueling it’s all they need. Argentinian sides, on the contrary, tipically are chaotic gangs of half-gangsters (also called animals). And now the gang got the mother of all bosses…
Never mind the all-time stats Germany-Argentina.
That’s funny indeed. Germany is about to face incomparable more talent and striking power than they have done so far and all the hype goes around Maradona’s dilemma, nervousness and so on. Löw is surely having a glass of good wine and siesta.
I guess that is kind of expected. As ZM pointed out in a previous article, Germany tactically adjusted for their Australia game, so there’s no doubt that they will adjust for the Argentina game!
I would have liked to read a little more analysis on changes that we can expect to the Germany team though.
I believe you inadvertedly omitted the word “successfully” twice in your second meaning. After “adjusted” and before “adjust”.
No problem, a typo can happen to anybody.
Germany will adjust through playing style and NOT through formation or personnel.
It would definately favor Germany if Argentina lines up with Tevez, Messi, Di Maria and Higuain because that means Argentina will mostly defend with six or seven players (the back four + Mascherano and Veron/Maxi Rodriguez + maybe one of either Tevez or Di Maria) against five German attackers (Klose, Özil, Podolski, Müller + one of the holders).
On the other side Argentina would attack with five against eight (that is if Podolski shows the discipline to work back like he did against England).
Thats why ZM thinks that Argentina will have to adjust in the personnel department which will probably produce a formation they have not played in South Africa yet.
This is a great preview. I think you have a small typo in this sentence:
Primarily, it effects the movement of Tevez – he’s happy to move to wide positions on either side – he played to the right against Nigeria, but to the left against South Korea and Mexico.
This should be:
Primarily, it affects the movement of Tevez – he’s happy to move to wide positions on either side – he played to the right against Nigeria, but to the left against South Korea and Mexico.
Thanks for noticing.
Tevez-Higuain-Messi
Burruchaga-Valdano-Maradona
It is like 1986 all over again. What would Bilardo do?
I think that if Diego moves Messi and Tevez slightly wider, Lahm and Boateng would be foolish to try to get forward. If one of them gets caught out, the result is a 3-on-3 with three of the best players in the world.
Germany has been doing well with the quality movement of their front four making space for each other. I would just pack it in at the back with the other 7 guys if I were Argentina making sure the zones and lanes are always covered. I don’t see Veron being useful towards accomplishing this goal. Let Messi-Tevez-Higuain make it happen in the attacking zone by themselves just as Bilardo did in 1986 with Burruchaga, Valdano and Maradona.
I am shocked that everyone is writing off Germany so much. They are arguably the most balanced (with Brazil) of offense and defense in this whole tournament. In the end I see Muller causing serious problems which will open up the middle for Khedira and Lahm on the overlap to exploit. Germany should take this one 2-1 in one of the best matches of the tournament.
Argentina’s defense has yet to be tested the way Germany will.
Actually most big sites/experts are predicting a Germany win and writing off Argentina – which is probably why you see so many discussions of what tactics Argentina should employ in order to have a fighting chance against a dangerous Germany squad.
Comparitively speaking, I haven’t read many such posts suggesting changes to be made for the Germany squad – very few fans seems scared for them – I guess that’s probably coz either everyone believes they have the tactical accumen that Argentina lacks or that they already have the perfect team to play against Argentina… I don’t know.
That said, I do think Germany will beat Argentina. Argentina has a stronger strike-force, but Germany has the upper-hand on the midfield and defense, two factors which I think are going to be crucial in this match.
Argentina’s best defense against Germany is their attacking play. Germany will need to deal with Messi, Tevez and Higuain as they all can score from nothing, a good example is Tevez’s wonder goal. I can’t see any German except Ozil doing the same. Maradona should play the attacking team and let the weaker team adapt.
England made Germany look really good but England never exploited Germans weaknesses and still managed to score 2 goals. How many goals is Maradona’s team going to score and they are a great side?
Fantastic article ZM! The discussion is very good too.
I’m surprised that few posters mentioned Pastore.
I expected Maradona to go back to the defensive shape he used in the Munich friendly, but that does not seem to be the case from what I’m reading.
This is Maradona’s make-or-break game so expect some surprises.
Don’t forget, Pekerman also took off Crespo for Cruz in that game. I believe he did so entirely because Cruz would provide better defensive coverage on set-pieces. With Aimar, Saviola and (an admittedly very young) Messi on the bench, the game was screaming out for somebody nippy to harry the German backline. To have a holding midfielder and a lumbering target man come on for Riquelme and Crespo was playing not to lose.
I remember thinking (with great exasperation) the same thing about Cruz and Messi.
Pekerman played for the draw, Lippi went for the win. Lippi got lots of credit for putting on four forwards, but he knew the Germans do quite well in penalties.
Here’s Jonathan Wilson’s take on the game. Interesting read [especially at the end]:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/world-cup-2010/writers/jonathan_wilson/07/01/germany.argentina/index.html
I am impressed by Jonathan Wilson, impressed he didn’t jump on that German bandwagon, it seems so “smart” and popular to do it now also good points about Schweinsteiger hypocrisy.
Interesting preview and matchup.
Argentina have lined up in a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield, but have played like a 4-3-2-1 with the “4-3″ and the “1″ have pretty traditional roles and Messi/Tevez having free roles.
Germany’s 4-2-3-1 seems to have traditional roles from the back 4, one holding mid, and a striker, with one holding mid (#6) allowed freedom to move forward and the “3″ freedom to interchange with each other and the lone striker.
Argentina’s tendency to hold the back 4 won’t help in possession but could cause them to combat the movement of Germany’s from 4.
In my view it will come down to the whether the players with free roles can find spaces to play from or perhaps down to Messi’s magic.
I read Jonathan Wilson’s analysis (thanks to Stevenson).Hmmm..quite interesting.I think he made some very valid points but he was also mistaken on several fronts.
Firstly about Mueller. He’s not a winger and it is not logical to expect him tear down the wings and beat fullbacks. His strength, as pointed out by ZM is as the 2nd striker. In this WC he operates in the zone between the CB and FB. This is because Loew’s philosophy of keeping the ball flat and low and utilise through balls than crosses to score goals.
Second point is about Mascherano marking Oezil. There is no doubt the ability of JM as the finest DM in the world. But Oezil as I had pointed out is an elusive player to mark. He’s not a typical playmaker who doesnt need too much time on the ball to create chances. He also doesn’t make forward dribbling runs ala Messi. He only needs a touch or two most of the time. As such JM will not be able to prevent him from creating chances. Furthermore, Oezil’s movement and positioning (in the gray area between midfield and CBs and between CBs and FBs) will make JM’s task tougher.
The way to stop Oezil is to deny the space as Serbia and Ghana (as least for the majority of the match). But these countries have a much superior CBs combination than Argentina who let 20 goals in the WC qualifying rounds.
I think Argentina has a slight edge here due to their experience and a deeper pool of talents. But they could still lose out to the Germans if DM does not adopt the appropriate tactics in allowing Germany take control of midfield and make their trademark lightning breakway runs.
In my view, this German team is still a work in progress. Come 2012, they will be more ready. Loew needs to find a better full back and may be another pair of CBs. Offensively he has the personnel with Marin,Kroos, etc waiting on the wings. As for defence, there are enough young players available and all Loew has to do is to get them enough matches to blend in. But I hope he will not consider Ballack again for the national side.
There’s no question this is yet an unfinished side and some changes need to be made. I have a feeling Loew avoided drafting in all newcomers to give the team balance and not have a completely inexperienced side. Having said that the weaknesses are obvious. Friedrich and Mertesacker are still slow and Boateng isn’t a natural fullback. I’d gladly move him into the center and pair him with Hummels or Hoewedes.
And Loew I think needs to find a way to incorporate Kroos. He’s far too big a talent to leave out but given the current formation it doesn’t look likely unless Oezil play Podolski’s role and Kroos, Oezil’s current role. I’m saying this because he has done that for Bremen times and time again.
I think the Mascherano Oezil confrontation, if thats the match up will come down to Oezils movement and whether Mascherano will be able/want to follow him. From what I have seen this world cup Oezils first touch can be suspect, its not terrible but its not great. He tends to get away with it because he manages to find a position with space and/or he reacts very well. If his first touches aren’t spot on and Mascherano is close then he wont be creating much… But he only has to get it right once for it to change the game
Germany are getting too much credit for the England win, they played well attacking, but got the goals through poor English mistakes, but too much credit or not they have still been impressive. Neither side look like being good enough at keeping sides out to win the world cup, but both have been good. I tip a German win, which looking at the sides would be an upset.
It will be better if Messi plays on the right wing in Barca-esque 4-3-3. Schweinsteiger has to move to left to help Boateng cover Messi. Maxi Rodriquez could also exploit the space by pushing forward. So Germany will have problem on the left side cause neither Schweisteinger nor Podolski is known for defensive ability.
I wouldn’t underestimate Argentina’s tactic skills – yes DM is not really an experienced coach, but IMO his role is anyway more to be the “loudspeaker” and motivator. I assume that Bilardo in the background will have a big influence on tactic etc. and that this team works similar like the Klinsman-Loew team did 2006…. so IMO there is no hope that Argentina will commit tactical suicide against Germany
…
it will be a tough game and one of the highlights of this WC – hopefully without dubios referees’ decisions…
I think the Germans will be able to exploit the left wing of argentina if the coaching staff keeps the same 11 they used against MEX. Heinze has a lot of ball possession and wastes a lot of time with useless passes to the CBs instead of trying to setup an attack from the back. And if he tries to start an attack he is very wasteful with his stupid unprecise diagonal balls to Higuain or long line passes to Tevez or Di Maria. Furthermore he shows his age when he’s unable to come back to his LB position after he joins the attack and leaves a gaping hole on the left wing ready to exploit for Müller. The misery goes on with Di Maria who is somehow blocked inbetween Heinze and Tevez. He’s at his best if he can attack the FB (Lahm) but instead Tevez takes away his room to maneuver. Most of the time he loses the ball with his needless dribblings and sloppy passing.
Another weak link is the infamous Demichelis who will make mistakes if under pressure. As Löw said Klose works as a decoy for the defence. Klose tries to lure the CB away from position to create space for Özil and Müller (sometimes Khedira) to penetrate in to the danger areas where they will be free to finish after double passes or deadly through balls.
On the other wing there is Otamendi Vs. Podolski who is far more one dimensional than Müller or Özil. If Otamendi stays deep like he always does it will no problem to stop the pacey runnings of Poldi.
In the Offense I think the biggest threat for Germany will be Tevez and not Messi. Messi plays way to deep and central to be of immediate danger, Khedira and Schweinsteiger will not let him let go past themselfes. Tevez could be the X Factor as he can change inbetween the lines of defense and central midfielders (like Özil does). If he finds a gap he will exploit it with his pressure and aggressivness. Higuain will face off Friedrich who plays a tremendous tournament and is not slow at all. Mertesacker, the other CB will be the Demichelis of Germany. He’s very slow and makes a lot of bad decisions. Boateng on the left has the possibility to go forward more than Lahm if Tevez lets him but his crossings and wingplay is very sloppy not unlike Heinze but at least he has the pace to come back. I don’t think Mascherano will be manmarking Özil he is way too important for supplying the ball and keep his position as the backup of Messi in the center. Argentina will be best advised if they sacrifice Di Maria or Maxi R. for a second Midfielder who tries to help Mascherano and will hustle Özil. If they play with the same tactics from the Mexico game they will have huge problems to avoid goals against the quick and straight forward attack play between the german offensive players.
Great discussion guys..have been following this website for the last 4 months and have never been more compelled to comment..
In my opinion DM would start with
Otamendi-demichelis-burdisso-heinze
mascherano-bolatti-maxi
messi
higuain
tevez has a free role between the channels connecting messi and higuain..its basically messi sitting on top of the midfield..one of schweini or khedira will have to come out to stop messi..and if messi gets better of him he has just the other(presumably khedira) and the other two CBs in front of him with tevez to his side and Higuan waiting for a through ball..should work in the first half..
in the next i see Pastore coming and messi moving ahead with tevez..pastore becomes the link who delivers the ball to the holy trident..
the reason i say DM will start all 3 of masch-bolatti-maxi is because he can’t afford to let germany play on counter..and a fresh Tevez/messi can be counted off to work their asses off in the first half..pastore would relieve them of that in the second half..
i have a feeling this is going to be a match for the ages..with a landmark performance..it boils down to who is going to provide it?
Oezil?Messi?Tevez?…
just might be Pastore or Lahm(who I think is gonna be way more up and running than the last 2-3 games)
I agree that while Germany have less “tactical” thinking to do, they still have the biggest problem of all – how to deal with Messi.
In an ideal world for me, a purely bustling DMC would come in for Khedira and simply defend and destroy anything that comes into that square in front of the back four. I don’t think either Schweinstiger or Khedira are particularly suited to the real defensive nitty gritty, let alone the work of Messi.
But I’d imagine Maradone (or Messi) would counter by essentially playing a free-role – interchanging particularly in the centre-attacking position and right-attacking position. Argentina’s right for example is particularly dangerous because Podolski isn’t the most defensive minded of wide players.
I also worry about Metselder and his lack of pace/agility – nobody’s really “got at” him so far so the likes of Tevez/Messi/Di Maria may find some joy.
So Argentina’s best form of defence is attack – force Germany’s midfield further back, hopefully ostracising Ozil and Klose from their supply of football.
I don’t think it will be as easy as that – if Messi and/or Tevez are marked out of the game then I think Argentina can become slightly one dimensional and lack that spark. I think Germany are the favourites, and probably my favourite side right now. I love the setup, the formation, and I think if any player has stood up and made this World Cup his own then it’s Ozil. It would be amazing to see them go on to the final, with an 11 that England (or the English media) so patronisingly wrote off.
I think Maradona might go for extra cover in mid-field with the inclusion of Bolatti. He did a good job against korea.
And throw-in Pastore to add more sting to attack. Messi on right as he plays at Barca.
Otamendi Burdisso Samuel Heinze
Macherano Bolatti(Maxi or Veron)
Messi Pastore Tevez
Higuain
The invididual quality of the Argentinian players (and I say this as a German) across the team is substantially higher.
We’ll need good tactics and a bit of luck to beat them. Possible? Yes. But If I had to bet 100 Euros I’d go for Argentina.
Was the same thing against England…which team has the bigger names??? Which team won???
while i agree that the german defense looks unsecure at times, please stop saying that friedrich is slow. he was a fullback for most of his career and has more than sufficient pace for a centre back. mertesacker on the other hand is definitely slow, but he could cover up that weakness by his positioning most of the times, but it seems he’s out of form lately.
i think setpieces have to be taken into account. Argentina has scored three already in the competition. Germany has one if one counts the first goal against England. The Argentinians have practised them a lot. Germany has not and the team does not have a reputation for scoring from set pieces. I think one during the qualifiers. And look how beadly the corners are taken by Schweinsteiger and Özil. I think if Argentina sits deep Germany might not have the tools to break them up. Although if Podolski is injured and Kroos Camps in that might change as he is good at delivering. On the other hand they still lack the Training defending and conducting pieces.
Though highly unlikely, I would love to see Higuain dropped, in favor of Diego Milito. As shown with inter this season, he has the ability to come up with a goal out of nowhere, in really closed, defensive games. Where a link-up plays seem very unlikely, and the forward is stranded up front, without support.
Outstanding writeup per usual ZM. Here is another well written preview by Carlo: http://dodgyatbest.blogspot.com/2010/07/carlos-corner-argentina-v-germany.html
With Brazil out of the way (and Italy out as well), I think that we are set for a great clash between these two teams. Of course, the biggest factor is gonna be the history involved between these matches (2 finals, QF in the last world cup), but seeing Brazil out will be another great motivator for these two teams.
It’s the test of the Argentinian management/manager now. Pastore is desperately needed – more mobile and versatile than Veron for me, so a bit safer.If there are no changes at half time there’s something very wrong with the management.
Argentina are far from a perfect side – another key weakness which they don’t have the resources to tackle is the poor quality of the wing-backs – they are not great going forward and can’t provide added width. They’re also slow to track Podolski and Muller coming inside which gives Mascherano too much to do, giving a bit of space to Ozil.
One thing I haven’t really been able to focus on is the contribution of Maxi Rodruiguez – is he doing enough defensively or going forward? Is there an alternative who isn’t watching it on the telly in Milan?
Ah – chopped off my first few lines acccidentally. Argentina need a another central midfielder to do the jobs that the forwards are coming deep to do. It’s painful to watch. They should have made a change in the first ten minutes when ti was obvious Germany had too much in central midfield.
It’s the test of the Argentinian management/manager now. Pastore is desperately needed – more mobile and versatile than Veron for me, so a bit safer.If there are no changes at half time there’s something very wrong with the management.
Argentina are far from a perfect side – another key weakness which they don’t have the resources to tackle is the poor quality of the wing-backs – they are not great going forward and can’t provide added width. They’re also slow to track Podolski and Muller coming inside which gives Mascherano too much to do, giving a bit of space to Ozil.
One thing I haven’t really been able to focus on is the contribution of Maxi Rodruiguez – is he doing enough defensively or going forward? Is there an alternative who isn’t watching it on the telly in Milan?
Simply put, Argentina has been playing with a huge gap in the central midfield for the whole tournament, and the first really serious team they’ve come up against has exposed them woefully.