Team Profile: Argentina

Probable Starting XI: Abodanzierri, Collocini, Ayala, Samuel, Sorin(c), Cambiasso, Luis Gonzales, Messi, Riquelme, Teves, Crespo

Three things you can say about Argentina: they play dirty, they've got great players, and they hate England. Having won two world cups under questionable conditions (in 1978, they hosted and were accused of skewing the games in their favour - dodgy story; in 1986, they punched their way into the semifinal - dodgy hero), the argentines make no bones about the fact that a bit of spit, the odd dive and cheat is part of their footballing ethos. which makes for great world cup narratives, because good stories need good bad guys, and down in "the bowels of the world", you can always find 11 willing men to play the bad guy.

Captain Sorin leads the albiceleste

Of course, that isn't to say that Argentina only amount to thugs, thieves and pickpockets. Their manager Jose Pekerman, who won two world youth cups with argentina jr, has on his hands a wealth of talent throughout the squad. many of his juniors are now seniors, and the challenge for all involved now is to turn their under-19 success into a senior one.

At the back, Argentina have a surplus of options. names like milito, colocini, demichelis and burdisso are fast becoming household, yet it will probably be the experienced rearguard of walter samuel and roberto ayala that will form the rock in front of goal. youth and pace may have deserted them, but the aforementioned four reserves provide plenty speed in backup. in juan pablo sorin, argentina have a captain who leads by example, bombing down the left wing to start lots of quick attacks.

Cambiasso: Argentina's non-threatening defensive midfielder

in front of the backline, argentina typically sport tough tackling holding midfielders born and bred for sole purpose of breaking opponents' legs. this incarnation of argentina, however, lacks in this department. esteban cambiasso, who appears to be getting the holding midfield nod, is much more elegant than his predecessor diego simeone, bearing a more intelligent pass but lacking the aggression and hard-as-nails bite to his game. aldo duscher, notorious for breaking david beckham's foot appears at best number two in the pecking order, while javier mascherano, perhaps simeone's true longterm successor, lacks the international experience to earn him a starting place.

but what argentina's midfield lack in brutality, they certainly make up in huge quantities of attacking skill. argentina are in fact blessed with a glut of world class attacking midfielders, players who roam behind the strikers to either deliver that incisive pass, storm into the box, play that wily flick, or score from 25 yards. arguably, this argentina team will be built around the talismanic juan roman riquelme. unfairly criticised for being too slow, riquelme's value lies in his wonderful skill on the ball, ability to do the unpredictable and his cultured attacking nuous.

Riquelme ahead of Aimar as playmaker and pivot

supporting riquelme either from the bench or on the pitch are names like pablo aimar, leo messi and even sergio aguero (ok, so aguero might be supporting from an armchair in madrid, but still...). aimar, whose attacking ability is second to few is also frustratingly erratic and injury prone. a fit and consistent aimar would definitely challenge riquelme for the playmaker role, and in any other country bar brazil, aimar would start in spite of blowing hot and cold. of course, there's barcelona's wonderkid leo messi - the teenager the whole world expect to save football. the heir to ronaldinho's throne not only as the catalan hero but the world's greatest player. at 17, surely this is expectation beyond messi, yet he does have plenty talent, and plenty talent around him to simultaneously attract and deflect the media's gaze. and then, there's sergio aguero, whom i won't speak much on simply because the boy is barely 16 and will for all likelihoods not go to germany, but is already, believe it or not, hailed as leo messi's successor. absolutely ridiculous but still, lots of fun.

but back to adults - argentina's wingers look like a shadow of their central midfield counterparts. players like luis gonzales, mario santana and juliano galletti do not share the fame of kily gonzales, yet in june, are likely to share a flight with the seasoned wide man to germany. these wingers, tested at the confederations cup last year, looked out of sorts and underwhelming, and it is pekerman's challenge to construct a workable midfield four that is at once balanced, on form and of the quality you'd expect. yet, argentina's midfield, while arguably not as strong as brazil's has more depth, and has adequate replacement in every position.

Crespo is finally out of Batistuta's shadow

Up front argentina have in hernan crespo a striker who's spent the last two world cups in the shadow of batistuta and the dugout ceiling. his patience has finally paid off, with the little finisher firmly first choice, and rightly so. crespo's fame needs no extending, and the striker who seems to do little but score unfashionable goals will hope to finally make his mark at the highest stage.

while crespo is quietly effective, his strike partner carlos teves is the one with edge-of-the-seat appeal. teves is argentina's wonderkid from two years ago, when he set the world alight en-route to an Olympic gold medal. teves, who plies his trade in corinthians, is widely acknowledged as the best player in brazil, which says much about his continental reputation. a strong, robust but small striker, teves posesses a shot as mean as his looks, is a threat from free kicks, can dribble astutely, and has an eye for goal that should make him a darling of the world cup.

Can Pekerman turn boys into men overnight?

the final analysis for this nation of humongous talent is this: that inexperience and youth might stumble them while precocious ability and promise might make them the team of the tournament. argentina's international form has been patchy, and pekerman's failure to get the best out of the best has been frustrating. but pekerman's boys have always been big tournament players, as evidenced by the two junior world cups and the olympic gold medal. the question is: will senior success follow so soon?

argentina's campaign will be challenged first by a powerhouse group consisting Holland, Serbia & Montenegro (that's former Yugoslavia, to those who think they're nobodies), and Ivory Coast. apart from the curious chelsea link (crespo, robben, drogba and formerly kezman), this dangerous group will test argentina's beguiling form by fire. just one indifferent outing against a wrong opposition can spell doom in a group so tight - still, all moneys will be on argentina to top the group, ahead of a new look Holland. the tie with the dutch certainly features as the tournament's most highly anticipated first round clash.

Argentina have a slew of world cup enemies in their half of the draw

Progressing thereon, they are likely to meet either mexico or portugal, following which a likely quarter final against either england or germany is likely. with heaps of world cup history between argentina and all of holland, england and germany, the albiceleste will have to settle lots of scores before they can get their hands on the top prize.

Likely stars:

Teves
Potentially a major star, not just for argentina, but of the entire tournament. Teves will be sure to underline his status as the rightful heir of maradonna's no 10 shirt. this is his first senior tournament, and one suspects it takes only one goal to set him off on another confident streak.

Riquelme
Much of argentina's hopes will rest on this creative force, who is enigmatic in his ability to appear and disappear from games. Great technique and ability, but might find life hard against strong and physical europeans. Still, Riquelme has the ability to make any defence look silly.

Messi
Perhaps too young to be counted on to star, but messi has the talent and reputation to do what a young michael owen did in france 98. Don't count on too many starts for this teenager, but when he does come on, count on.

Trivia:

Most likely to beat up a referee: Take your pick... it could be anyone. Ultimately, you'd expect Sorin to lead by example =)

Most likely to miss in a penalty in a shootout: Riquelme, in a repeat of his champions league semifinal fluff.

Most likely to get a bigger contract after the tournament: Teves. Barcelona, Madrid, Juventus, Milan, Chelsea... the Corinthian door will be rammed down as soon as the world cup is over. The best player in Brazil won't be an Argentine for long.

Most likely to retire after the tournament: Ayala. Argentina have tons of younger, faster centrebacks waiting in line, and this should be his international swansong.

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