The World Champions or the World No.1 team?

Which is the better team - Italy or Argentina?

One has won the most recent Fifa World Cup, the other is 1st in the Fifa World rankings. So who are the better team?

Lets see the potential starting Line up of each team: (Italy and Argentina)

World Champions

-----------------------Buffon--------------------

Zambrotta---Cannavaro---Materazzi---Grosso*

----------------------Gattuso--------------------

------Camoranesi----Pirlo----Perrotta---------

----------------Toni--------Gilardino*-----------

*Oddo maybe at RB and Zambo switching to the left
*Maybe Di Natali or Iaquinta ahead of Gilardino


World No.1

-------------Abbondanzieri------------

Zanetti---Ayala---Samuel*---Heinze

-------------Mascherano*-------------

Messi------Riquelme------M. Rodriguez*

-----------Crespo-------Tevez---------

* Milito instead
* Cambiasso
* Lucho Gonzalez

Defence: I think the defence is very tight. Italy just edge it I think with Materazzi in WC form.

Midfield: Argentina wins it hands down for me Apart from Maxi Rodriguez, they are all World Class players.

Strikers: Tough. Toni = Crespo and Tevez > Gilardino, so the Argies win out on that as well.

Depth:

Italy
Aquilani
Bonera
Lucarelli
Quagliarella
Panucci
Chiellini
Barzagli
Di Natale
De Rossi
Curci
Ambrosini
Amelia
Iaquinta
Oddo
Zaccardo
Del Piero
Inzaghi

Argentina
Demichelis
Burdisso
Cambiasso
Sergio Aguero
Gago
Coloccini
Ustari
Sosa
Ledesma
Lucho González
Diego Milito
Gabriel Milito
Javier Saviola
Palacio
Aimar
Veron
Julio Cruz
Higuin

Argentina has more depth IMO, able to replace anyone in the starting Line up.

Form book: Italy finished first in their Euro 08 group, winning 9 of the 12 matches.

Argentina romped to the Final of the Copa America where they failed to show up against a young Brazil side. Currently second in the WC qualifications having lost just one match.

germany

Toni Kroos wrote:germany

Who?

why are you calling the argies the world number one team, this team is the biggest underachiever, only england is more worse

only names doesnt make a team great or team spirit, than must barca dominate the cl again and the spanish league too

Toni Kroos wrote:why are you calling the argies the world number one team, this team is the biggest underachiever, only england is more worse

In the Fifa World Rankings, they are first. It's official matey, not something I've just spewed up here.

Spain are the biggest underachievers, atleast Argentina has managed to win a couple of World Cups.

the fifa world ranking is a joke, we all know that

no and spain is no underachiever, they really had never great players to win anything, and they will neve win anything in the future,

lack of quality players, lack of mental strenght, lack of tactical cleverness

Toni Kroos wrote:the fifa world ranking is a joke, we all know that

How many teams do you think are better than Argentina mate?

germany, brasil, italy

in the same league

Toni Kroos wrote:the fifa world ranking is a joke, we all know that

no and spain is no underachiever, they really had never great players to win anything, and they will neve win anything in the future,

lack of quality players, lack of mental strenght, lack of tactical cleverness

Get real, the Spanish have an abundance of great players who perform wonders at Club level.

Problem with the Spanish is that traditionally, Club football is more important than International football - its in their culture, whether they be Basque, Catalan, Andalucian - to the Spanish, their identity is borne out of their clubs more than their international side.

Can you imagine Beyern Munich adopting a policy like Atletico Bilbao where only Bavarian players can play for the team?

No.

Time and time again you prove to have little concept of the footballing world outside your little bubble.

Spain are massive underachievers. Individually their side is more talented than Germany; but German players follow a tradition very different to Spain

come on, what spanish player has influenced a spanish club side besides RAUL

i cant remember, foreign players the big stars in all achievments from spanish teams

the spanish players are MITLÄUFER


they never had real greats, now they have a lot of young talent

Toni Kroos wrote:come on, what spanish player has influenced a spanish club side besides RAUL

i cant remember, foreign players the big stars in all achievments from spanish teams

the spanish players are MITLÄUFER


they never had real greats, now they have a lot of young talent

Fernando Hierro.

Now please f@ck off.

Toni Kroos wrote:come on, what spanish player has influenced a spanish club side besides RAUL

Xavi and now Iniesta.

Toni Kroos wrote:come on, what spanish player has influenced a spanish club side besides RAUL

Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Puyol, Ramos, Villa, Valeron, Vicente, Cassilas, Xavi, Iniesta, Hierro, Mendieta, Nadal etc etc etc.

Plonker.

Merry Krimbo wrote:

Toni Kroos wrote:come on, what spanish player has influenced a spanish club side besides RAUL

Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Puyol, Ramos, Villa, Valeron, Vicente, Cassilas, Xavi, Iniesta, Hierro, Mendieta, Nadal etc etc etc.

Plonker.

great a lot of names, but thats not good enough to be called greats

nobody missed xavi after his injury, is he a starter for barca now??


all this players nothing specizal in comparison to german counterparts, germany always had the better players and will always have

scholl >>>> lusi enrique
lahm>>> ramos
casillas == kahn
nadal, poyuol <<< kohler,linke

valeron, guardiola <<< möller, effenberg, ballack,

oh jesus i could go on and on

Toni Kroos wrote:
scholl >>>> lusi enrique
lahm>>> ramos
casillas == kahn
nadal, poyuol <<< kohler,linke

valeron, guardiola <<< möller, effenberg, ballack,

oh jesus i could go on and on

Laughable.

Where's Hierro? He pisses all over the German counterparts.

Luis enrique was better than Scholl too, and to the Valeron/Guardiola list you can add Iniesta and Cesc.

Toni Kroos wrote:
oh jesus i could go on and on

Please don't, you're talking $h!t.

ok

hierro <<< sammer

Toni Kroos wrote:germany

germany are neither world champions nor world #1 team. the only thing they've got over argentina is penalty taking ability

Argentina are the best team in the world in qualifying campaigns and group stages of tournaments. When it really matters they turn into a very average side true story

If the Argies played against Germany right now on Neutral ground, the Germans would get an arse kicking.

Talent wise Spain > Germany

no team in the world will ass kicking this german side

i will always bet for the german side when it comes to competetive matches, argies are loosers, germans born winner mentality

Germany 0-2 Italy. You were at home, so I'd call that ass kicked.
Italy 4-1 Germany. I'd call that ass kicked.

Scott Parker wrote:Germany 0-2 Italy. You were at home, so I'd call that ass kicked.
Italy 4-1 Germany. I'd call that ass kicked.

So would I, so would I.

yeah and tired after the argie game, oh yeah and we missed FRINGS, i still believe with frings we had beaten the italys, KEHL was too limited in his actions


4:1 was a friendly with a completly wrong tactic, after this game klinsmann changed the tactic, this game was the best what the german team could happen

Toni Kroos wrote:yeah and tired after the argie game


4:1 was a friendly with a completly wrong tactic, after this game klinsmann changed the tactic, this game was the best what the german team could happen

why would a team of "born winners" be tired after playing a team of "losers"? surely a team of "born winners" would be able to finish off a team of losers easily, without even need extra time or penalties or much effort at all

germany are a great side. and have in the past had several spells where they could legitimately call themselves the best in the world. now is not one of them.

Black Magic wrote:
Strikers: Tough. Toni = Crespo and Tevez > Gilardino, so the Argies win out on that as well.

Don't think so. I'd take Toni over Crespo any day of the week, without even thinking about it. Also Gilardino isn't part of the squad nowadays, let alone the starting lineup. Italy(under Donadoni) play a 4-3-3, with Di Natale and Camoranesi supporting Toni upfront. And if Cassano maintains his form he will be starting instead of either Camo or ADN I think.

Anyway, in my opinion these teams are more or less on the same level.

we are not the best, we are "one of the top4 sides" in the world

the team with better day form and more luck will win if they play against each other

Red n' Black wrote:

Black Magic wrote:
Strikers: Tough. Toni = Crespo and Tevez > Gilardino, so the Argies win out on that as well.

Don't think so. I'd take Toni over Crespo any day of the week, without even thinking about it. Also Gilardino isn't part of the squad nowadays, let alone the starting lineup. Italy(under Donadoni) play a 4-3-3, with Di Natale and Camoranesi supporting Toni upfront. And if Cassano maintains his form he will be starting instead of either Camo or ADN I think.

Anyway, in my opinion these teams are more or less on the same level.

I rate Crespo very highly, I've had the pleasure of seeing him score live. All round I'd say Toni is a bigger contributer. Crespo is a scoring machine in the national team - it all evens itself out.

Apologies for the line up, I just took a rough guess.

Black Magic wrote:
Apologies for the line up, I just took a rough guess.

No worries dude, I've seen Italy play with the lineup you've listed anyway

Red n' Black wrote:

Black Magic wrote:
Apologies for the line up, I just took a rough guess.

No worries dude, I've seen Italy play with the lineup you've listed anyway

Yeah it was more of a Lippi line up. Which strikers do you think should go to Euro 08?

If I had to pick 5:
Toni
Iaquinta
Di Natale
Del Piero
Amauri