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A good problem to have Argentina overstocked with attacking talent
Being slapped with the tag of "The Next Maradona" has proven to be a lot like wearing a helmet made of cement: heavy, cumbersome and ultimately totally debilitating. For all of Argentina's illustrious history, only one man has managed to deliver even a World Cup semifinal away from home, Diego Maradona, and so perhaps it's understandable that the country is forever searching for an heir apparent. Dozens of players have been earmarked as the new Maradona (remember Diego Latorre?), but one guy who, in his brief career, is coming close to living up to the hype is Pablo Aimar. Still just 21, he has already won three titles with River Plate (two Apertura and one Clausura) and, since his move to Valencia in December, he has jumpstarted Hector Cuper's side, turning it into a legitimate Champions League contender.
The knock on Aimar has been that he is still raw, that he is too light and naive to perform at the highest level. He has proved his detractors wrong. There is nothing raw about his skills. In fact, in terms of ability, he is arguably already among the world's top 10. Sure, he needs to gain experience (a few pounds of muscle wouldn't hurt either), especially if he's going to be playing in the hole behind two strikers, but that will come. Whether he can step up and help Argentina to the World Cup is a different matter. Right now, Argentina looks truly terrifying from the midfield up: Javier Zanetti, Juan Sebastian Veron, Hernan Crespo, Claudio Lopez, Diego Simeone, Matias Almeyda, Fernando Redondo, Juan Riquelme, Kily Gonzalez, Javier Saviola, Martin Palermo, Gabriel Batistuta, Aimar ... it's enough to make an opponent want to crawl back under the electric blanket. If Aimar is indeed Destiny's Child, if he's the prodigy who will follow in Maradona's footsteps and bring Argentina the World Cup it has been desperately chasing since 1986, coach Marcelo Bielsa needs to do two things: sort out his defense and pick a viable front seven (assuming he continues to play three at the back) out of this talented bunch. It will be interesting to see how he approaches the latter issue. In the friendly game against Italy last week, Bielsa played a 3-4-2-1 system. Crespo was the lone striker, with Aimar and Kily Gonzalez (who predictably shaded left) just behind. Zanetti (right) and Juan Pablo Sorin (left) were on the flanks, while Simeone and Veron manned the middle. It worked very well against a befuddled Italy, but what happens when Batistuta returns to the starting lineup? Do you simply stick him in Crespo's place? Probably not a good idea. Crespo has had his ups and downs, but, lest we forget, he is the second-most expensive footballer in history and is the second-highest scorer in Serie A this season. Furthermore, he is the kind of busy, workmanlike forward who can harass defenders and chase down fullbacks. This is crucial in the modern game (unless you happen to be Brazil) and is something Batistuta used to do very well, but, at age 32, he can not be expected to run himself into the ground. Okay, so you make room for Batistuta by dropping Sorin and moving Kily Gonzalez back to the left side of midfield. There's no room for Lopez or Palermo, but then, you can't have everything. But what happens in central midfield? Can a Veron-Simeone pairing provide enough defensive cover, especially behind a front three? Also, what if Redondo (who has been out all season but will be still only 32 at the next World Cup) returns to full fitness? A Veron-Simeone tandem simply doesn't guarantee enough defensive cover (as Lazio found out this season), especially since, to get the best out of Veron, you need to give him the freedom to come forward when he pleases. Simeone-Redondo (or even Simeone-Almeyda) makes a lot more sense in terms of all-around play, not to mention the fact that if Redondo plays like he did last season in the Champions League, he's in a class of his own. Except if you do that, you need to find a place for Veron. He's Arentina's answer to Zidane and Figo, one of the top five in his position in the world. But he's not a striker, Zanetti is untouchable, you'd rather have Kily Gonzalez on the left so ... you have no choice but to play him in his best position, which is in the hole behind two forwards. Alas, that's where Aimar plays. Solving this riddle will be a major headache for Bielsa. No matter what he chooses, someone will be unhappy, he will be second-guessed forever and odds are he will pay with his job if he does not deliver the title. But don't feel too sorry for him. Dealing with an abundance of talent, in the larger scheme of things, certainly qualifies as a minor inconvenience. Besides, if you're one of those people who generally believes that the glass is half-full, Bielsea has nothing to fear. No matter what he does, his front seven will be packed with talented superstars. It's at the back where Argentina's glass is almost bone-dry. Take the magnificent Walter Samuel (hailed by Maradona as "the best defender in the world" -- a little premature perhaps, but not too far off the mark) out of the mix and it's slim pickings. Against Italy, Bielsa played Roberto Ayala (a guy with the turning circle of an oil tanker and the speed of Mount Rushmore) and Nelson Vivas (who, at club level, struggles to make it into Arsenal's second-choice back four). Vivas especially is one of the great mysteries of the modern game. Bielsa's predecessor, Daniel Passarella, was so strapped in his search for competent defenders that he fished him out of the Swiss second division for France 98. This earned him a move to Arsenal (and, later, a loan spell at Celta Vigo) where he has spent most of the past two-and-a-half seasons watching from the bench or the stands. Sure, there are others. Mauricio Pochettino is a serviceable stopper and Jose Chamot (though, like Vivas, not a starter at club level) is versatile and experienced. But the point remains: Argentina looks like a Lamborghini from the front and a Lada from the back. So in addition with finding a spot for Aimar (or Veron) in his starting XI, Bielsa will have to find some decent defenders as well (unless, of course, he just clones Samuel, which might not be a bad idea). Still, a lot can happen in 16 months. Bielsa will be keeping his fingers crossed. Based in London, Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com.
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