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The one they've been waiting for
England confident it can get even with Argentina
Posted: Monday June 29, 1998 03:47 PM
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English coach Glenn
Hoddle believes this team can avenge the 1986 loss to Argentina (AP) |
SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AP) --
England
manager Glenn Hoddle is convinced his players can rise to the occasion
Tuesday night and overcome two-time champion Argentina for
a place in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
French security officials consider the match a high-risk affair as
thousands of ticketless English fans -- including some of the hooligans who
wreaked havoc two weeks ago in Marseille -- converge on this industrial
city in south-central France.
The Argentinians were the only nation among the 16 survivors of the
qualifying round to win all three first round matches without conceding a
single goal.
Daniel Passarella, who captained Argentina's 1978 World Cup winning team on
home soil, believes his team is moving in the right direction to see off
England's challenge.
"We have got better and better and I am feeling good about what we could do
in the competition."
But the South Americans were not really stretched by the opposition -- Japan, Jamaica, and Croatia.
In contrast, England was provided with a more testing examination, a 2-1
defeat against seeded Romania,
sandwiched between impressive 2-0 victories over Tunisia and Colombia.
Hoddle had full confidence in his players.
"I haven't seen any reason to suggest we can't beat Argentina," he said
after Sunday's training session. "It's all about how is going to take their
opportunities when they get them."
Tuesday's encounter is the first competitive match between England and
Argentina since their 1986 World Cup quarterfinal clash in Mexico City
where Argentina triumphed 2-1, helped by the Maradona's "Hand of God"
goal.
Hoddle, who played in the 1986 match, said victory for England in St.
Etienne would even out old scores.
"That feeling of injustice has stayed with us a long time," he said. "We
have got a chace of readdressing that balance and turning that result round
and getting it out of our system."
Hoddle's confidence was fortified by England's high-class performance
against Colombia, fielding a very attacking team.
"We knew we could hunt the ball collectively well against them because they
play a flat four at the back," Hoddle said. "Argentina play a little bit
deeper, with three at the back and they stretch the pitch. There will be
certain things we will work at. Sometimes you don't have to change the
team, you can change the shape."
Hoddle praised they way Passarella had molded his team. "He has disciplined
their players and brought them up in the way he wants."
Noting Argentina had not conceded a goal for eight matches, Hoddle said,
"There comes a time when you do concede goals and if we can keep creating
chances we can score."
Passarella's only injury worry is defender Roberto Sensini, who was able to
take time out for the match with Croatia, both teams having already
qualified for the second round.
It is difficult to assess how Argentina will react under pressure on the
basis of its group matches, especially against World Cup debutants Japan
and Jamaica who fell victim to the lethal finishing of Fiorentina striker
Gabriel Batistuta.
Batistuta, who has topped the scorers in the Italian league for two of the
last three seasons, netted the winner against Japan and claimed a hat-trick
in the 5-0 win over Jamaica, playmaker Ariel Ortega weighing in with the
other two Argentine goals.
"For us, it's just another match, with nothing beyond soccer involved,"
Batistuta said.
Meanwhile, Ortega predicted another spectacular goal, much as the one
Maradona had scored shortly after the 1986 "Hand of God"incident, when he
dribbled past half a dozen English defenders.
"I will try to score a goal like Maradona. Say, if I dribble past one, two
English, I will try to keep going," he said.
Much will depend on whether England's defense, marshalled by Tony Adams,
can nullify Batistuta and whether Sensini can perform the same task for
Argentina against sharp-shooting Alan Shearer.
"England has many good things, as it showed against Colombia, but also has
weak spots. Such as getting complicted when you attack them with low
balls," noted midfielder Juan Veron.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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