Ayala's biggest nightmare

Yesterday I relived Bergy's beaty v the Argies in 1998, pity Baptista could lift the ball over Ayala (in stead of 'just' cutting inside) and volley it in.

Your thoughts?

Bergkamp did him nicely.

Well, it depends how you look at it. In some ways, it was worse with Bergkamp because he basically ass-raped him with an unbelievable first touch + dribble. It was also a golden goal so that must have felt like a dagger through his chest.

But then again, Bergkamp was a genius and on a different galaxy in talent compared to Baptista, so maybe Baptista's will give him a worse nightmare in some ways.

The all round defence last night was poor from Argentina, not helped by a relatively poor game for Mascherano

Torrente wrote:Well, it depends how you look at it. In some ways, it was worse with Bergkamp because he basically ass-raped him with an unbelievable first touch + dribble. It was also a golden goal so that must have felt like a dagger through his chest.

But then again, Bergkamp was a genius and on a different galaxy in talent compared to Baptista, so maybe Baptista's will give him a worse nightmare in some ways.

Think about the same.

Voted for 2007, becuase Baptista is no Bergy, it was a final and he made two major mistakes.

Then again, he is inextricably linked with that Bergkamp goal.

rai quagmire wrote:Bergkamp did him nicely.

He did indeed. He also got mugged by an unknown 18year old englishman in the match beforehand too. 98 Wasnt a great competition for Ayala and co

Definately the Bergkamp goal, because forever on his global footballing epitaph he will be remembered as the poor fall guy for Bergkamp's goal

Owen made Ayala look like a sloth in 98 as well

Not the best of World Cups for him

I'd rather suffer the Bargkamp goal than the Baptista goal. Bergkamp's goal was technically perfect. Sometimes you just can't imagine something that perfect happening.

To be mishandled by a sloth with less ability in his whole body than Bergkamp's pinky is another thing.

Ayala was actually a pretty average defender back in 98 and was never really that good in Italy. It was only when he moved to Valencia that he became world class imo.

Most overrated defender me thinks!

I also remember another howler of Ayala's against Inter in the CL where he missed a simple clearance and let Vieri score which practically gifted the game to Inter.

The Bergkamp one was pure genius, and he was just beaten for pace by the Owen knock & run.

Yesterday will hurt the most.

Shame that he'll be remembered for these moments almost as much as being possibly the world's best defender over a good 5-year period (2000-04), and playing a crucial part in breaking the Real-Barca duopoly.

Ricardo Jol wrote:Most overrated defender me thinks!

get out of the city!

toon h wrote:

Ricardo Jol wrote:Most overrated defender me thinks!

get out of the city!

Ricardo doesn't rate Riquelme as well. He is a member of the anti-argentinian brigade.

The Hitman™ wrote:The Bergkamp one was pure genius, and he was just beaten for pace by the Owen knock & run.

Yesterday will hurt the most.

Yes but yesterday will be forgotten soon enough, secondly its a mistake that many defenders have made at some point in their careers and finally it was just one aspect of an all-round Cr@p Argie performance from the whole team

The Bergkamp goal ensured that Ayala will be forever remembered in the world of football as Bergkamp's bitch.

To our 12th player!

Ayala retired from international football.

http://www.ole.com.ar/notas/2007/07/17/01459065.html

I feel sorry for him really. He was a fantastic player and servant for Argentina. He deserved to go out on a high.

Definitely one of the best defenders of the past decade (at least for me).

sheva7 wrote:

toon h wrote:

Ricardo Jol wrote:Most overrated defender me thinks!

get out of the city!

Ricardo doesn't rate Riquelme as well. He is a member of the anti-argentinian brigade.

Both I rate but Ayala hasn't played great since 2004 he should have retired from international football at that time!

Riquelme only plays well if the team is completely built around him and when the tempo isn't too high

Ricardo Jol wrote:

sheva7 wrote:

toon h wrote:

Ricardo Jol wrote:Most overrated defender me thinks!

get out of the city!

Ricardo doesn't rate Riquelme as well. He is a member of the anti-argentinian brigade.

Both I rate but Ayala hasn't played great since 2004 he should have retired from international football at that time!

Riquelme only plays well if the team is completely built around him and when the tempo isn't too high

He played very well at the last WC.

Ayala was quite average, especially in the air very vulnerable! Riquelme played allright but the team was too vulnerable because when the Germans got him out of the game the heart of the Argentine team was gone!

Disappointing to see him retire. A fantastic defender and one of the best consistently over the last few years. A legend at Valencia and sure a few more great years to come at Zaragoza. As for his bloopers. Bergkamps was pure genius. All or most defenders would have been beat by it. But, it was in the World Cup, as was the Owen goal, which is watched and remembered by a much wider audience than the Copa America, therefore it will be the one he is remembered for by most football fans. For him though, wearing the Argentina badge, Sunday night would have hurt more.

Roberto Ayala is without doubt one of the best defenders of the millennium (all six and a half years of it). Sure he had a terrible game and was outclassed by Bergkamp and outpaced by Owen. So what? His achievements at Valencia establish his credentials. He marshalled Valencia's defence and brought others to a higher level. Without him we wouldn't have won La Liga twice and the UEFA Cup in three years and the rest even when we won no trophies. He kept us competetive. He is a Valencia legend.