the ever changing faces.
I've wanted to say so much about this year's crop of mini-Argies. Namely, that they are very, very mobile, which is always a good thing. The goalkeeper, Romero, looks like a solid player. In the attack, Maxi Moralez, the dwarf (no kidding, that's his nickname, el enano), has probably been the most dynamic so far, for all of his five feet three inches. Aguero has played well enough considering the hype, but Zarate isn't living up to his billing, in my opinion. The defense is pretty straightforward as well: Insua, Fazio, and Cahais are permanent fixtures, and Mercado seems to be the first-choice rightback. The midfield seems to hold many permutations that revolve around Banega, whether it's Yacob or Sanchez, Cabral or Piatta or Escudero.
Playing favorites for a moment? I adore Matias Sanchez (#8), who doesn't really stand out in either offense or defense, but goes for every single ball and doesn't pull out of any tackle (even though it got him suspended for the Poland game, har har). I keep going back to his assist in the Panama game, where he was deputizing at rightback, but charged up and went for a ball that would have been considered lost by other players. He just managed to get a foot on it, sending it into the box, where Zarate was waiting to loop the ball into the back of the net. Anyway. Sanchez = ♥. I'm also fond of Cahais, but then again, I have a weakness for the captainly types. Sigh.
The mini-Argies started really well against Poland; there were a couple of scares on the defensive end, but for the most part they kept the pressure away from themselves. Piatti had this one Romanesque moment (referring to Riquelme, not the ancient empire) where he slotted the ball through three defenders and found Aguero at the other end. Too bad that move didn't work out.
Banega is everywhere; he really is a complete midfielder, able to both control proceedings from a deeper position and come flying into the attack. It's almost like watching a mini-Masche (too bad he's Boca-bred). I was going to say something about how well Argentina were controlling the game in the first half-hour, but then they conceded their first goal of the tournament. Insua lost track of his man, Janczyk, who beat the offside trap and buried it past Romero at the far post. A simple, direct play, as opposed to the highly engineered displays of attacking aptitude that Argentina had been trying to put together.
Just before the end of the first half, a one-two between Maxi Moralez and Aguero sent the dwarf tearing into the box, and Di Maria was on hand to tap in the short cross. The difference between the two teams' preferred choice of attacking style was so clear at that moment.
Argentina struck only a minute after the restart. A pinpoint pass from Insua found Aguero just inside the box, and with an overhead flick and a half-volley, the minis were in front. That was the best thing I've seen Aguero do so far in this competition; hopefully he continues to exceed my expectations with plays like that. Bialkowski, the Polish keeper, prevented further damage to his team's chances with a good stop after a set play gave Aguero a clear shot inside the box.
Things got a bit ugly between the two teams. A replay of a foul inside the Argentina box showed Fazio making the "yak-yak" sign at Jancyzk, and Cywka was carded for an unnecessary challenge on Yacob. Through the scrums, Aguero had two more chances to make a mark on the game, but Bialkowski was equal to one, and then he sent a free kick over the bar. Poland looked beat, physically and perhaps mentally as well, and made three quick substitutions to try and revitalize their game.
Hey, we got to see Acosta without his headmask! What an adorable kid. As long as we're being superficial, I gotta say, the mini-Poles are quite attractive.
Aguero finally shut the lid on Poland. After receiving a pass from Moralez inside the box, the defender lost his footing, and Aguero took the ball calmly past Bialkowski and side-footed it home. A couple of fantastic finishes to cap off a great game for Kun, and it's probably going to be Mexico in the next round. Whomever the opponent come Sunday, it's comforting now to see Argentina control this game and get the best out of the attack.
MOTM: Aguero.
Oh god, someone needs to remind me to write these posts:
- transfer mini-roundup for Liverpool and Valencia, plus schedules for the 07/08 season
- that Beckham-inspired post that I really don't want to write but I should because it's Important
Playing favorites for a moment? I adore Matias Sanchez (#8), who doesn't really stand out in either offense or defense, but goes for every single ball and doesn't pull out of any tackle (even though it got him suspended for the Poland game, har har). I keep going back to his assist in the Panama game, where he was deputizing at rightback, but charged up and went for a ball that would have been considered lost by other players. He just managed to get a foot on it, sending it into the box, where Zarate was waiting to loop the ball into the back of the net. Anyway. Sanchez = ♥. I'm also fond of Cahais, but then again, I have a weakness for the captainly types. Sigh.
The mini-Argies started really well against Poland; there were a couple of scares on the defensive end, but for the most part they kept the pressure away from themselves. Piatti had this one Romanesque moment (referring to Riquelme, not the ancient empire) where he slotted the ball through three defenders and found Aguero at the other end. Too bad that move didn't work out.
Banega is everywhere; he really is a complete midfielder, able to both control proceedings from a deeper position and come flying into the attack. It's almost like watching a mini-Masche (too bad he's Boca-bred). I was going to say something about how well Argentina were controlling the game in the first half-hour, but then they conceded their first goal of the tournament. Insua lost track of his man, Janczyk, who beat the offside trap and buried it past Romero at the far post. A simple, direct play, as opposed to the highly engineered displays of attacking aptitude that Argentina had been trying to put together.
Just before the end of the first half, a one-two between Maxi Moralez and Aguero sent the dwarf tearing into the box, and Di Maria was on hand to tap in the short cross. The difference between the two teams' preferred choice of attacking style was so clear at that moment.
Argentina struck only a minute after the restart. A pinpoint pass from Insua found Aguero just inside the box, and with an overhead flick and a half-volley, the minis were in front. That was the best thing I've seen Aguero do so far in this competition; hopefully he continues to exceed my expectations with plays like that. Bialkowski, the Polish keeper, prevented further damage to his team's chances with a good stop after a set play gave Aguero a clear shot inside the box.
Things got a bit ugly between the two teams. A replay of a foul inside the Argentina box showed Fazio making the "yak-yak" sign at Jancyzk, and Cywka was carded for an unnecessary challenge on Yacob. Through the scrums, Aguero had two more chances to make a mark on the game, but Bialkowski was equal to one, and then he sent a free kick over the bar. Poland looked beat, physically and perhaps mentally as well, and made three quick substitutions to try and revitalize their game.
Hey, we got to see Acosta without his headmask! What an adorable kid. As long as we're being superficial, I gotta say, the mini-Poles are quite attractive.
Aguero finally shut the lid on Poland. After receiving a pass from Moralez inside the box, the defender lost his footing, and Aguero took the ball calmly past Bialkowski and side-footed it home. A couple of fantastic finishes to cap off a great game for Kun, and it's probably going to be Mexico in the next round. Whomever the opponent come Sunday, it's comforting now to see Argentina control this game and get the best out of the attack.
MOTM: Aguero.
Oh god, someone needs to remind me to write these posts:
- transfer mini-roundup for Liverpool and Valencia, plus schedules for the 07/08 season
- that Beckham-inspired post that I really don't want to write but I should because it's Important