Riquelme retires from international football

blutgraetsche wrote:
Probably because we are a federal state already, we need more 'symbols of unity' than other centralist countries like the UK, for example.

That'll be why we've got 4 national teams then?

Replace "UK" with England, and you get the deal.

The national team setup is very London-centric.

Teams from the Northwest feel a lot less ownership of the national team and aren't as worried... they don't refer to it as the 'People's republic of Mancunia' for nothing.

Yep. We had to take banners down at Old Trafford that had in big bold writing -


MAN UNITED > ENGLAND.

Course you have to admit Parks, that does rather undermine all this banging on about 'developing English talent'!

Bayern fans do have such tendencies as well, probably due to the general 'seperatist' feelings down there . But a banner like that would be a serious affront over here, and the club would get a lot of flak for it.

Roger_Hunt wrote:Course you have to admit Parks, that does rather undermine all this banging on about 'developing English talent'!

Fair point. I'm not that far inclined though, just have some very hardcore fans, where everything begins and ends with Man United.

@ Blut

Had to be taken down as someone had complained.

Roger_Hunt wrote:Me too. I've had enough of our players getting injured on international duty.

EPL> Bundesliga because of the amount of foreign imports... hence top clubs> national team in England.

Often the same in Spain and Italy too.

Mr Hunt, I still think it's to do with more than just the number of foreign imports, though that is a lot of it.

The whole club vs country preference is one deserving of a separate thread and one I wanted to ask you and the other Deutschies, Blut... but you may have answered it already!

Anyone watching England in the WC could be forgiven for giving up on them, I suppose... judging by Orange World's view of the Macedonia game, since then too I hear...

Allez_les_rouges wrote: Anyone watching England in the WC could be forgiven for giving up on them, I suppose... judging by Orange World's view of the Macedonia game, since then too I hear...

I think that most England fans felt frustrated in the WC that the players team was not playing to its capabilities (much as in Euro 2000), and a lot of that was due to the manager (i.e. formation, not dropping players who weren't performing).

Despite a lacklustre showing against Macedonia, it's way better now... remember that we were without key players for that game. I'm not saying we're world-beaters or anything, just look as if we're getting better.

Sure, I didn't see the game so can't comment... was just on my way back from seeing the Germany game, checking the other games on my phone and "match action" report seemed pretty furious about England's failure to keep the ball etc... "this is no better than the World Cup!"...

Yeah but without Rooney, Cole, Neville, and with Lampard ... and the new system is still bedding in.

It wasn't pretty but it was better than the WC imo.

The thing about Riquelme retireing from intl footie not only afects the argentine team because Basile looses an alternative but it's a great deal for the 4-3-1-2 formation(I believe in english it's 442 diamond?) that sort of is THE playing scheme and formation in Argentina. It tops all other formations and if it's changed, it usually leads to a lot of pressure from the media and ppl to towards the coach. Besides it's Basile's favourite.

But I think it's a good thing for the national team. We could play a 4-3-3 like Bielsa once did with a typical in the box 9(we'll have to wait a couple of years IMO...meanwhile...Diego Milito?) and another two in the attack that aren't tied to the sides of the field and with certain freedom to change sides(Messi?, Tevez?Aguero?Rosales(always apreciated this player)?). In the middle a DM(Mascherano/Gago?), an offensive midfielder like Maxi on the right and maybe Lucho Gonzales on the left?

so it would be
---------------Mascherano(Gago)-------------

Maxi------------------------------------Lucho


---------------Diego Milito(?),----------------
T/M/A----------------------------------T/M/A

*T/M/A=Tevez/Messi/Aguero of course

Nice formation, but I would try:

---------Abbondanzieri----------
Ayala------Heinze------Burdisso
--------Gago--Mascherano-------
Maxi------Cambiasso------Messi
---------Aguero--Tevez----------


Crespo could come in for Aguero now. Aimar could rotate with Cambiasso/Gago (I know they are different players) - but a change of formation would allow this. For the next WC Ustrari in for Abbon & Gonzalo Rodriguez in for Ayala. Could always revert to a 4-3-3 as well or a 3-1-4-2 with Gago coming into a midfield quartet. Cambiasso could always play deeper next to Masc, swapping with Gago.

Of course the likes of Lucho, Palacio, Bilos, Cavenaghi, etc, should get a look in too.

My team for 2010

--------------------------Ustrari----------------------

---Zabelyta(sp)-----Gonzalo------Hienzi-----------RB

-------------Cambiasso-------Mascherano(Gago)-----

-------------------------Maxi--------------------

-------Messi------------Milito(kun)--------------Tevez(kun)

with the likes of

Cavanaghi,Palacio,Lucho,Aimar, Biglia ext getting a chance hope

ayala and crepo should play until the copa to get thier experience to the youngsters