2010 FIFA World Cup: Argentinean Squad Against Nigeria

Manager —Diego Maradona :

The former World Cup winning captain will try and repeat his feat as coach. Under fire from the media both at home and abroad during a bumpy qualification, Maradona has the support from the fans and players alike and should be poised to lead Argentina deep into the tournament.

Maradona will likely play cautiously during the knock out rounds, but against Nigeria he will be playing to attack from the beginning in a bid to get the best out of FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, who thrives playing in a three man attack.

Line Up:

Sergio Romero; Martin Demichelis, Walter Samuel; Gabriel Heinze; Jonas Gutierrez, Juan Sebastian Veron, Javier Mascherano, Angel Di Maria; Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, and Gonzalo Higuain.

Formation:

When Argentina has the ball, Jonas Gutierrez will be asked to get forward down the right and add width to spread out the opposing defense.

When the South Americans are defending, Jonas will have to drop into a right back position. Mascerano and Veron will sit in front of the back three, with Veron distributing the ball from a deeper position than he normally plays for his club side Estudiantes. Up front, Messi is expected to play a free role behind Higuain and Tevez, who will both have the freedom to drop deep and switch out wide when they see fit.

----------------------------------Romero

---------------Demichelis------Samuel--------Heinze

Jonas-------------Mascherano--------Veron-----------Di Maria

----------------------------------Messi

------------------------Tevez------------Higuain

Key Player —Javier Mascherano :

The Argentinean captain will have an enormous amount of responsibility in midfield as Maradona has opted to play a very attacking line up. Jonas Gutierrez will be expected to cover most of the right flank, and the Liverpool midfielder will often be forced to come across for back up, especially with Nigerian left-back Taye Taiwo flying down the flank.

El Jefecito will also be important in recovering the ball and stopping Nigerian counter-attacks in front of a solid, but not quick back three. With very little depth in central midfield, the ex River Plate star will have to watch out for cards because a suspension could be devastating to his team’s cause.

Player To Watch —Angel Di Mari a :

Although most casual fans will be familiar with the likes of Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez, Di Maria has actually been Argentina’s best and most consistent attacking threat since returning from a four match suspension against Peru last October.

Di Maria was voted the Player of the Year in Portugal after leading Benfica to the title, and now it looks as though Angelito will be joining Real Madrid . A hero with Argentina during the Olympic Games in 2008, Di Maria is a tricky dribbler who will look to get to the end line and whip in crosses for the likes of Higuain, but he is also well known for his long range shooting as seen during Argetnina’s 5-0 friendly win over Canada.

Prediction:

Argentina simply have too much talent for Nigeria, a side in disarray. Messi is likely to be the man Lars Lagerbak keys on, which will open up plenty of space for Di Maria and Tevez to exploit. Argentina wins 3-1.