Argentina: two-time World Cup winners are co-favourites

Argentina qualified on 8 June 2005 as the first South American team for the FIFA World Cup 2006. A 3-1 win against their arch rivals earned them a ticket to the World Cup finals in Germany, where the “Albiceleste” are intent on achieving one big aim above all else: they want to make up for their early exit from the FIFA World Cup 2002 in Korea and Japan. Their chances of doing so aren’t bad, for the Argentines are currently considered to be one of the world’s best teams. They gave everybody proof of their class at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2005 in Germany. Twenty one days after the win in the World Cup qualifying game, Argentina however lost 4-1 to Brazil in the final in Frankfurt/Main. 

Here you can find information about the star of the team ...

José Nestor Pekerman is in an envious position. The head coach of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) could send four different sides out on the pitch that could all hold their own against the world’s top teams. “Thirty to 50 players can be counted amongst our extended squad,” said Pekerman. At the moment not even World Cup winners Brazil has a similar proliferation of top class players at their disposal.

Pekerman takes full advantage of the luxury of having an unbelievably large number of players to choose from. At the start of June 2005, he selected a completely different team for the World Cup qualifying game against Ecuador – the match ended in a 2-0 defeat – than four days later in the glittering 3-1 win  against Brazil. Only Coloccini, Zanetti, Kily Gonzalez and Tevez were in action in both games.

Things were similar at the Confederations Cup. Goal-getter Hernan Crespo, one of the world’s best strikers and the little midfield magician Andres D’Alessandro weren’t even selected by Pekerman. And he merrily rotated his personnel. In essence, a different formation was sent onto the pitch for each match. Only key defensive players Sorin and Zanetti as well as playmaker Riquelme were assured of a place in the team.

The high class generation change has gone almost unnoticed in Argentine football. Nobody is more pre-destined to spark off the upheaval than Pekerman, the world’s most successful youth trainer. He guided the Argentine U-20 juniors to the World Championship title on three occasions (1995, 1997 and 2001). Many are in the meantime regulars in the two-time World Cup winners’ current squad.

Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano (both Corinthians Sao Paulo) are just two names that represent the present team rebuilding process. D'Alessandro (VfL Wolfsburg), Luis “Lucho” Gonzalez (River Plate), Cesar Delgado (Cruz Azul Mexiko), Mauro Rosales (Ajax Amsterdam), Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Javier Saviola (AS Monaco), who have all only just left the junior ranks, also embody the youthful freshness of the 2005 “Albiceleste”. A total of ten players stem alone from the golden crop of players born in 1981 that became junior world champions with such superiority.

The young team has the job of polishing up the big football nation’s World Cup record. The last triumph at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico lies already over two decades back by the time the World Cup in Germany begins. Back then, the Argentines had taken two of the previous three championships after winning their first title on home soil in 1978. Twenty years ago everybody reckoned the team around superstar Diego Maradona would influence the course of the World Cups for many years to come. In 1990 the team again reached the final in Italy but lost to Germany in the revenge for the final four years previously.

Maradona’s downfall came at the 1994 finals in USA after a doping scandal. With him the whole national team got caught up in a downward spiral. England were beaten in 1998 in France but then in the quarterfinals the South Americans were knocked out by the Netherlands. At the 2002 World Cup in Asia, the “Albiceleste” even went out of the competition at the group stage. The win at the 2004 Olympics in Athens was more than a bit of a consolation. It was the first gold medal for Argentine football. Even so coach Marcelo Bielsa resigned in September 2004. Pekerman then took over the position as national coach. After initial scepticism as to whether the former junior team coach would also be successful with the seniors, the team under Pekerman’s guidance proved they were able to playing very good football.

Qualification for the World Cup was celebrated in Argentina as if it had been a great triumph. Above all, because it was gained with a 3-1 win over Brazil in Buenos Aires. Again at the Confederations Cup, which began a week later, the players in the sky blue and white jerseys convinced the international pundits of their class. But the team gave their weakest display in the final against Brazil. “We shouldn’t however forget that we played a great tournament,” said Pekerman after the 4-1 defeat against Brazil. At their 14th World Cup appearance in Germany the coach and his team will want to end their apprenticeship by winning the ultimate title in the football world. Without a doubt, Argentina will go into the final as co-favourites to win the title.

"FIFA WM" / "The World Cup Winners" - Argentina

Here you can find more information about the star of the team from Argentina...

Here you can find more information about the trainer of the team from Argentina...