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November 17, 2010 – International Friendly, Doha (Qatar)
On Wednesday, November 17, 2010, soccer supporters will be watching the big clash between Brazil and Argentina. And there is no bigger matchup.
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BRAZIL
Since 1993, two World Cup titles, four Copa America victories, and three Confederation’s Cup trophies are among the list of what Brazil has won over the past 17 years.
Current coach, Mano Menezes has essentially taken a different path than what ex coach Dunga had done with the Seleção. While Dunga relied on many veterans and fielded an older, counter-attacking team, Menezes has been putting together sides that have many players in their early 20s, some even in their teens. Recent lineups have included Ramires, Nilmar, Robinho and Dani Alves as “veterans.” The rest of the team include players that Menezes has coached from prior stints at Gremio and Corinthians and several other young rising stars that may not be ready for the Copa America relative to other players, but will have significant experience by the time the 2014 World Cup arrives.
Nowhere to be found, players like Maicon, Julio Cesar, Luis Fabiano, Lucio and Juan have yet to receive a call-up by the new head coach. But not Ronaldinho. Many view this as a probable going-away game for the 30-year old. Or perhaps it was a business decision to help get more TV rights and help boost attendance for this rivalry. The call-up of Ronaldinho is definitely inconsistent with the several other veterans that have been excluded in recent memory, but it will be nostalgic to see him don the yellow shirt once again.
From the perspective of many though, it is time to move on from Ronaldinho and let players like Coutinho, Hernanes, and Ganso run the midfield. Of these three, only Coutinho has been called up for this game. The rest of the midfield is comprised of several midfielders under 25 years old such as Lucas, Sandro, Ramires, Elias and Jucilei. Lucas and Ramires will start as the holding midfielders with Coutinho and Ronaldinho as the attacking midfielders.
In the defense, there are no major surprises, the newest addition to the squad is Manchester United’s Rafael. The starting backline will most likely be Dani Alves and Andre Santos on the flanks with David Luiz and Thiago Silva in the middle.
At the front of the attack, the forwards include Robinho, André and Neymar. Before his recent injury, Alexandre Pato was the most in-form striker at the National Team. Unfortunately a recent hamstring injury will prevent Pato from playing this week. Most likely, Robinho and Neymar will start up front.
ARGENTINA
The last trophy Argentina has won was the 1993 Copa America (Olympics do not count). Over the years, one could make the argument Argentina puts together one of the most entertaining sides to watch – unfortunately most entertaining does not always mean title-winning
With the upcoming Copa America in their backyard next summer, there is no margin for error, so Argentina will look to bring experienced players who have been around the block.
Sergio Batista has been put in charge after Maradona era. Despite the fact that Argentina has been known as a football factory for young talent, there are hardly any new faces on the team. Players like Burdisso, Heinze, Demichelis, Cambiasso, both Milito brothers and even legendary Javier Zanetti have been called up by Batista since the World Cup. All these players are either in their early 30′s or late 20′s and have begun to show that time is catching up to them. Zanetti is currently 37 and still is the best option Argentina has at the RB/LB position.
For the match against Brazil, do not be suprised to see Zanetti and Heinze as the fullbacks with Demichelis and possibly Burdisso anchoring the middle of the defense. , Walter Samuel recently went down for the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury. In his place, 22 year old Nicolás Otamendi was called up to replace him, but he has yet to make an impact with his new club, FC Porto.
In the midfield, there are no big surprises as we will see once again players like Mario Bolatti, Javier Mascherano, Andrés D’Alessandro, Ángel di Maria, Ever Banega and Javier Pastore. If Batista plays Pastore along with playmaker Banega and the ball-winning Mascherano, Argentina may have found the long term solution to the midfield problem that has existed since Juan Roman Riquelme left the international scene. Others players in the midfield include Jose Sosa, Lucas Biglia and Nicolás Gaitán. Do not expect to see too much from these three.
Up front Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito and Ezequiel Lavezzi are the better group of forwards in the world.
Despite the different approaches Argentina and Brazil have employed, both teams will be looking to win on Wednesday. If Argentina wins, it will be almost expected, but will show that Batista is on the right track for the Copa America. If Brazil wins, they will be ahead of the curve and well on their way in their preparations for the 2014 World Cup.
Nevertheless, fans worldwide will be the ultimate winner as the world will get to see the likes of Messi, Ronaldinho, Robinho, Tevez, Neymar and many other world class stars on the pitch at the same time.
