Argentina's Possible Line-Ups and Formations

If there's one thing that has defined this Argentine National Team led by Diego Maradona, it is the element of surprise. Whether or not this is a factor that will, at the end of the day, be beneficial or detrimental to Argentina's cause, remains to be seen. 

Recently, when asked whether he has a basic idea of how he'd like his team to play, Diego has said that he is heavily influenced by the styles of both World Cup-winning coaches Bilardo and Menotti. Those of you who are familiar with Argentine football history will know that Bilardo and Menotti represent two entirely opposite philosophies. They are the poles which define the tendencies in the Argentine game. 

To put it in simple terms, you could say that Menotti is the "Latin" element and Bilardo, the "European." Menotti's style is about the "beauty of the game;" about open, attacking, short-passing football. Bilardo, on the other hand, stands for order, tactical rigidity, and results. 

So the question is: How does Diego intend to reconcile these two opposite influences? Thus far the conceptual contradiction has made itself quite evident all throughout his short life as coach. A more optimistic Diego has fielded disorderly "attacking" teams, with dismal results; the more cautious Diego has assured us that he will play with a secure 4-4-2 formation. Now it seems that he's, once again, giving into his sweet tooth and changing things up, in an attempt to fit Tévez and Maxi Rodríguez into his line-up. 

Following are a few possible formations we could see in South Africa. But 15 days is an eternity for this coach, so things could certainly change a great deal between now and then. 

1. The guarantee  

                                                                        Romero 


                                               Otamendi / Samuel / Demichelis / Heinze


                                            J. Gutierrez / Verón / Mascherano / Di María


                                                                   Messi / Higuaín

This team is solid in the back and well-suited for counter-attacking. The four defenders won't do much other than just defend (except for Heinze, perhaps). Messi plays a little further back and Di María further forward than the formation would indicate. The down-side is that there's very little in the form of play-making, as the only true “passer” there is Verón. But this could very well be the team fielded against tougher opponents, such as those you'd expect to meet after the first round.

2. Diego's sweet-tooth

                                                                        Romero 


                                             J. Gutierrez / Samuel / Demichelis / Heinze


                                                M. Rodríguez / Mascherano / Di María

                                                                          Tévez

                                                                    Messi / Higuaín

This is a more attacking formation which Diego, oddly enough, seems to be keen on. The idea is to fit Tévez and Maxi Rodríguez into the line-up. The trouble, however, is that you have a couple of players in “unnatural” positions; Tévez takes on the role of play-maker, and Jonás Gutierrez is in right-back position. This also excludes Verón, which does leave a bit of a hole in mid-field.

3. An alternative?

                                                                        Romero


                                              J. Gutierrez / Samuel / Demichelis / Heinze


                                                   M.Rodriguez / Mascherano / Di María

                                                                         Pastore
    
                                                                    Messi / Higuaín

Personally, I would go with the first formation. In a World Cup, solid defense is the top priority. If, however, I had to choose an alternate formation, to be used against lighter-weight teams, or in order to give Verón a rest, it would likely be this one. I think J. Gutiérrez can play as right-back just fine, but I think Pastore (not Tévez) would be most suited for the attacking midfield position. Pastore is a brilliant player who could very well make his mark in this World Cup, if given enough time and space.

These are just a few possible options, and you can probably think of more yourselves. But don't put your bets down on any quite yet. You can probably count on Romero, Mascherano, and Messi, but the rest is anyone's guess.