Argentina finds right blend at Copa America

LIMA, July 25 (Reuters) -- Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa has spent the best part of the last two years trying to find a way of blending his country's new generation with the old guard.

At the Copa America, he finally seems to have found the right mix.

The team which took Argentina to the final against Brazil consisted of four survivors from the 2002 World Cup side -- Javier Zanetti, Roberto Ayala, Juan Pablo Sorin, and Cristian Gonzalez -- alongside the likes of Javier Mascherano, Luis Gonzalez and Carlos Tevez, undoubtedly Argentina's three finds of the tournament.

It is the first time since their ignominious first-round exit at the 2002 World Cup that Argentina have looked their old selves and Bielsa has every reason to be delighted with their progress, despite Sunday's penalty shootout defeat in the final.

Bielsa, who surprisingly kept his job despite the failure of two years ago, had been trying fruitlessly to rebuild the side ever since.

Although results were acceptable, performances were often lacklustre.

Bielsa, whose introverted style seems out of place among Latin American coaches, was becoming increasingly unpopular back home and many felt he would not survive a poor tournament.

"The reality today is that we're getting better as a team," said Cristian Gonzalez after the semi-final win over Colombia.

"We've a lot more to give because some young players, who are only 20 and 21 years of age, have virtually established themselves in the national team and this is very important for the future of Argentine football," he added.

REMARKABLE COMPOSURE

Mascherano, in particular, has looked outstanding playing in front of the defence. He has shown remarkable composure for a 20-year-old, his work-rate and tackling are excellent and so is his distribution.

Luis Gonzalez has also enjoyed an excellent tournament on the right of the midfield and his two goals have been a welcome bonus.

Argentines already know about Tevez, the 20-year-old forward with the distinctive scars which remain from a household accident when he was a child.

He has now made an impact on the international scene, scoring from free-kicks in both the quarter-final against Peru and the semi-final against Colombia.

Luciano Figueroa, 23, who had an unhappy spell with English premier league Birmingham City, scored his first two international goals against Uruguay while Cesar Delgado, 22, tormented Argentina's opponents with his speed and trickery in attack.

He appeared to have scored the tournament's winning goal when he put Argentina 2-1 up in the final against Brazil in the 87th minute. But the world champions equalised in the third minute of injury time and won on penalties.

Meanwhile, Barcelona striker Javier Saviola, who has often been overlooked by Bielsa, scored a hat-trick in the 6-1 win over Ecuador before a niggling hamstring injury reduced his appearances in the tournament.

Bielsa's dilemma is now whether to bring back players such as Hernan Crespo and Juan Sebastian Veron when they are once again available.

But it is not something which bothers him: "Having a lot of good players is not what I would consider to be a problem," he said.

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