|
|
|
Favorites dropping like flies
Italy beware after Argentina joins France on casualty list
Posted: Wednesday June 12, 2002 11:24 AM
Updated: Wednesday June 12, 2002 2:03 PM
CNNSI.com's World Cup analyst Gabriele Marcotti is covering every kick of the tournament, with a "91st Minute" column filed each matchday. Click here to submit a comment or question to Marcotti's mailbag.
Two down... Italy next?
The World Cup has lost the two pre-tournament co-favorites -- France on Tuesday, Argentina on Wednesday -- and Italy could be the next to fall on Thursday. Great news for neutrals and those who enjoy uncertainty, not as great for fans of those countries.
Argentina drew 1-1 with Sweden in Group F after being behind for much of the game following a beautifully taken free kick by Anders Svensson. Marcelo Bielsa reshuffled his pack to include Claudio Lopez, Pablo Aimar and Matias Almeyda in place of Kily Gonzalez, Juan Sebastian Veron and Diego Simeone, but it made little difference. Against a well-organized defense, Argentina's siege yielded little results, while Sweden, when it did manage to counterattack, looked dangerous.
For all their individual skill, Aimar and Ariel Ortega drowned in the tight spaces, while Gabriel Batistuta, the lone point man, was often overmatched. Meanwhile, Hernan Crespo was stuck on the bench until the 58th minute. When Bielsa finally sent him on, it was for Batistuta, which meant Argentina continued playing with just one centerforward. A minute later Sweden took the lead: was it the gods' way of punishing Bielsa?
The finale was an all-out Argentine siege, but all they got in exchange for it was a penalty, which Ortega ironically missed -- though Crespo was there to turn in the rebound.
Credit Sweden though. The Scandinavians defended well and attacked intelligently, exploiting Argentina's weaknesses, just as they did earlier against Nigeria and England. Tommy Soderbergh and Lars Lagerback and their troops have done a nation proud.
England needed a point against Nigeria and that is what it got with a scoreless draw. Nothing less, nothing more. The Super Eagles, with nothing to lose, fielded a number of young players and held the initiative for much of the match, coming close to scoring on numerous occasions. England defended in numbers, just as it had done after taking the lead against Argentina. It looked dangerous on the break on several occasions (Paul Scholes hit the post), but for much of the game, particularly in the first half, it was all about Nigeria.
It's a shame to lose the Super Eagles, a team that, in terms of individual talent, must rank in the top six at this World Cup. As a group however, Nigeria failed to turn that talent into cohesion and results which is why it's now going home.
Group B's games were an emotional roller-coaster, with South Africa (who lost to Spain 3-2) and Paraguay (who, despite being down to 10 men, beat Slovenia 3-1) trading blows at a distance.
Ultimately, it was Paraguay, at the end of a breathless 90 minutes, that managed to squeak into the second round on goal scored. Cesare Maldini's men certainly made it hard for themselves. After 22 minutes, they were down a man following Carlos Paredes' sending off, and at halftime they were a goal down thanks to Milenko Acimovic's stunning run and strike.
And, with 10 minutes gone in the second half, South Africa had leveled the score at 2-2 with Lucas Radebe (Raul, Gaizka Mendieta and Benny McCarthy had scored earlier).
This meant that in the remaining 35 minutes Paraguay needed to score three times and Spain had to notch another goal to beat South Africa, if Cesara Maldini's men were to qualify.
Which is exactly what happened.
First, Raul found the back of the net, making it 3-2 for Spain.
Then, spurred on by the inspirational Jose Luis Chilavert and Carlos Gamarra, the South Americans came storming back.
Nelson Cuevas, who had come on just minutes earlier, pulled one back in the 66th minute. Seven minutes later, it was Jorge Campos who rifled the ball past the goalkeeper from the edge of the box to level the score.
And then, with six minutes to go, Cuevas entered Paraguayan soccer lore with a wonder goal, skipping past two defenders and slamming the ball home to fix the final score at 3-1.
Credit Parauguay for a tremendous performance, but also Spain for giving their all against South Africa and becoming the first team to notch three wins in the first round. Coach Jose Camacho made eight changes against South Africa and the guys who came in (especially the dazzling Joaquim) proved that Spain is one of the deepest teams in the competition.
 |
| |
 |
|
Nelson Cuevas (Paraguay).
These are the things players dream about. To come on as a substitute and score the two goals that allow your country to advance to the next round of the World Cup. In less than 30 minutes on the pitch, he managed to turn the tide of a desperate situation, lifting Paraguay to the second round and lifting himself into the history books.
|
|
 |
Andre Arendse (South Africa).
His shocking blunder early on against Spain meant his team faced an uphill struggle the rest of the way. It was particularly crucial because, without it, the game could have taken a totally different turn. Unlucky, but these are the perils of playing between the sticks.
|
 |
Anders Svensson (Sweden).
His dazzling freekick put the first nail in the Argentine coffin (the South Americans chaotic finishing did the rest) -- an unstoppable strike that sent the co-favorites packing and a just reward for a guy who has had a difficult season at club level.
|
 |
|
| |
Argentina's downfall may well cost coach Marcelo Bielsa his job. It seems crazy that such a talented side could fall at the first hurdle, scoring just two goals in three matches. Equally, it is sad to see a generation of stars -- from Roberto Ayala to Javier Zanetti and from Gabriel Batistuta to Diego Simeone -- all of whom have probably played in their last World Cup, exit the competition in this way.
Bielsa must bear many of the responsibilities because the side ultimately executed his instructions. His 3-3-1-3 system was the same he used so effectively in qualifying brilliantly for the World Cup -- where he failed perhaps was in not realizing that adjustments would be required against European and African opposition.
Most strikingly, his insistence on using wingers when he only had one natural winger (Kily Gonzalez) on his team is difficult to accept. He may have gotten away with the likes of Ariel Ortega as a right winger in South American qualifying where the pace is slower and the games are more technical.
Against Sweden and England however, both of whom are physical, high-tempo sides, Ortega was not able to express his talent fully. Furthermore, the reliance on the star-crossed Claudio Lopez over Kily Gonzalez also proved to be a questionable decision.
The thought that will stick in people's minds, however, was the fact that Hernan Crespo, arguably one of the world's five best centerforwards, only played a handful of minutes in the entire competition. True, Bielsa's system called for just one striker, and that spot went to Gabriele Batistuta.
But ultimately, it's players and not systems that win matches.
Would Argentina not have been better off finding a system that suited its players rather than forcing its players to adopt a formation unsuited to them, especially when it meant leaving out one of the best forwards in recent memory?
|
 |
|
In Group G, Italy reverts to a familiar 3-4-1-2 formation in its must-win encounter with Mexico. Coach Giovanni Trapattoni is likely to introduce Pippo Inzaghi up front and Rino Gattuso in midfield (as both Christian Zanetti and Gigi Di Biagio are injured). It's not the first time Italy has struggled early in the tournament and it has usually delivered the goods, but the elimination of Argentina and France, the other two favorites, does not bode well.
If Croatia wins by two goals against Ecuador it will automatically qualify, regardless of what happens in the other match. A one-goal win, a draw, or even a loss may be enough, but that will depend on other results, so it's unlikely that Mirko Jozic's men will want to take a chance on that.
In Group C, Brazil has already qualified for the next round and is likely to worry mostly about turning on the style against Costa Rica. But the game will be very serious for the Ticos, who need to avoid defeat to ensure qualification.
Turkey, on the other hand, will be hoping for a big victory over China (Senol Gunes' troops are behind on goal difference) coupled with a Brazilian win over Costa Rica. That is the only combination of results that will see Turkey advance.
|
 |
Francesco Totti (Italy).
He's at his best in a deeper position behind two strikers, but until now he's been played up front. He'll get his wish playing in the hole against Mexico, a game Italy must win to be sure of qualifying. Back home, they believe he is on the verge of joining the Zinedine Zidanes, Luis Figos and Rivaldos among the world's elite. He's not there yet, and delivering the goods in a crucial match like this would be a good place to start proving he belongs.
|
 |
How far do you think Denmark will go after the first round? I originally thought they could go no farther than the round of 16, when they'd have to face a team from the "Group of Death." But since Denmark has played very well (in my opinion) and the teams in Group F have failed to impress, I now think Denmark has a good chance of going into a rematch with Brazil in the quarterfinals, and possibly making the jump into the semifinals. I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts on this subject. Congratulations on a great column!
--Alex, Mexico City
Answer: Denmark has indeed played very well. I think Morten Olsen's 4-2-3-1 system has caused lots of problems for the opposition, because few teams play with two genuine wingers these days. Jon Dahl Tomasson, of course, is proving to be versatile and intelligent -- interpreting that "hole" position in such a system is not easy, and he has linked up well with Ebbe Sand.
The heroes of the system though are Stig Tofting and Tomas Gravesen. Their constant running and ball-winning in the middle of the park is what makes it happen. I think their distribution has been fairly good as well (better than I expected), which is a further boost as it gives the team more options.
The one concern is defending down the flanks, particularly on the left. Against France, the insertion of Poulsen allowed Tofting and Gravesen to patrol wide more often, but I don't think it's something Olsen will do again because it means dropping Sand, who is so important up front.
I think, on a good day, Denmark can beat England. Tomasson coming from deep will put an extra strain on Nicky Butt, while the wide men will test the English fullbacks. Having said that, the Danish back line is vulnerable to speed and on set pieces.
Click here to read Marcotti's most recent mailbag, and here to submit a comment or question.
|
|
|
|
