Boca Juniors coach Alfio Basile has been offered the Argentina job by the Argentinian Football Association.

AFA president Julio Grondona has chosen the former national team boss to replace World Cup casualty Jose Pekerman.

President of the club Mauricio Macri has confirmed that they are looking for a new manager although Basile is yet to accept the offer.

"Our vice president Pedro Pompilio spoke with Basile about the proposal that Julio Grondona has made to him, so Boca will start to look for a new coach for this season," Macri revealed.

"Basile has said that he is going to travel with the team to Mexico for the pre-season tour anyway, but we have to start to look for a new coach for when he comes back.

"Grondona has decided that Basile deserves a second chance with the national team, so we don't think that he will refuse the offer and we can't stop him from going.

"It's true that we will have to move quickly because in two weeks we will be starting the Torneo Clausura in Argentina.

"But we are happy that Basile has been elected because he has had a lot of success in the short time that he has been in Boca and he will take that to the national team."

Since moving to Boca a year ago Basile has won both the Recopa Sudamericana and the Apertura in 2005.

World Cup winner Americo Gallego is next in line for the role, should the Boca boss refuse.

Gallego has a proven track record as a manager, having won two national titles at River Plate, one at Independiente and Newell's and one in Mexico with Monarcas Morelia.

I think he was a good coach in 94, Argentina played some very good football against Greece and Nigeria and I think they would've won that World Cup if Maradona didn't take those drugs. As soon as he went, Argentina crumbled to Bulgaria and Romania. Just shows what kind of effect Maradona had on the team, even though he was way past his best his sheer presence bought out the best in his team mates. This is what Argentina has lacked since 94, a true leader who call rally the troops together in tough situations.

Anyway back to Basile, he's a good attacking manager and I think he'll do better than Pekerman because he won't just pick his favourites from the youth team.

I love Coco and all the success he's brought to Boca, so I think this is a good pick. I still would have preferred Bianchi, but Basile is an excellent option I never really thought about. Good work by Grondona for once.

Of course, Boca are now totally screwed. The transfers have been horrible (loads of players out, Bobadilla in) so now I can't wait to see what Macri has in mind.

I was hoping for bianchi but basile seems like a good option as well. The team in 94 was good, and he has done a good job at boca as well. Let's wait and see.

the team in 94 could have been reach the final or even win it. too bad maradona was banned and everything mess up.


watch this! one of best moment of basile era

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4D2D-rQqVY...hernan%20crespo

I love that goal. What a setup...what a strike.

I was hoping for Carlos Bianchi. But looks like its going to be Basile.

I just wanted to know if anyone knew when the first schedule game for the national team is? Obviously, they have to play qualifying games for the WC and Copa America. But does anyone know when the first schedule game is?

I read in the papers here that Boca is Asking for Basile to continue as their coach, while doing the NT, because the season is 2 weeks away, no time to get a replacement in time, and Lavolpe already turned them down for that very reason.

Next game is against Norway, 22.08.06

i wonder if this man will bulid this team on riquelme again or.... aimar will finally get play more offten.

the main problem for pekerman is that his team lose possesion instantly without riquelme. That just weird because if you look at the other players all of them are top quality.

Indeed that's pretty strange. I think Riquelme may remain an integral part of the squad until the Copa America is over, but then Aimar is younger so my guess is that he will give El Payaso some more playing time.

I disagree. Why should Aimar get more time on the Seleccion? Hes not really doing anything at club level. And to be honest I have never seen him take over a game while playing for the national team. Honestly, I dont even remember him playing a great game!

All due respect, but that's because he never gets the opportunity. Sure, a few years ago he got a shot but for right now if Riquelme is out, the team is dead and unfortunately Riquelme can't play this level of football forever. Hopefully he can continue until 2010, but with so many young players clamoring for a spot, we'll need a replacement.

Okay Aimar may not be the replacement. Messi can do the job as well and in a couple of years he'll have accumulated the experience necessary to perform as a playmaker at the World Cup.

aimar didnt played well in WC 2002 but since then we never really know how good he actually is, why? how can we judge his real ability if he never played a full match , not even his prime? the last time he was a starter and played full match is like 100 years ago??
or you never even notice his effect on the team like in confederation final ? in mexico game at extra time?

i'm pretty sure riquelme would be in 2010 altough it depend on his consistency in the next 4 years from now. zidane was 35 in latest WC and beckham was 31. If figo can lead portugal to semifinal in his old age, riquelme can do the same thing.

messi is not a playmaker, i think he's more a second string striker . Is he good at freekick , corner & long range shot? Altough he still very young and improving , i dont think those area are his ability.

It's sad to see Basile leave Boca but hopefully he'll provide the motherland with the success he brought to us.

I personally believe that Messi will end up being the playmaker by 2010. He plays more like Maradona than anyone I've seen in recent years and the only reason people may doubt his ability there is because he's yet to really be played in that role. He won't have the cutting through balls or the dead piece specialties of Riquelme, but will be able to make constant, dangerous runs into the opposing team's defense and a free role will allow his imagination and skill to completely take over.

That being said I've heard that Coco loves Aguero; can't wait until he's called up.

I am hoping we see aimar and roman play together.

I also agree that Messi will be able to play in both PLaymaker or second striker position. As far as Aimar is concerned, he is a great player but I just dont think he is "hombre de seleccion". He has played many games on the national team, and honestly how many games can you remember Aimar playing a great game?

Hopefully this move to zaragoza will be a rebirth for him, because he has not been the Aimar of old of Valencia, and well I am still waiting for him to show completely on the national team.

David

but "so far" messi does not have riquelme deadball & smart passing skill.
but again, he has stamina, dribbling & speed that riquelme lack.

the thing that still disapointed me is that pekerman squad and tactic were actually GOOD enough to win this 2006 world cup.
ayala flying header, rodriguez 20 yards volley and 24 passes goal were enough to proof argentina & pekerman quality.

everything looks great at least until that ridiculous subtitution and leaving all great players on the bench after taking the lead probably just to respect the host. argentina had 63% of ball possesion while riquelme was still there.
now for bassile, i can say its not that easy to reach pekerman quality standard.

anyway how old is abondanzieri now? i use to think he's weak GK but his performance was very convincing on this world cup.

I don't think Pato could be much older than 33 maybe? He can play in the Copa America perhaps but I think that'll be it for him. There's still Lux, Ustari, and Franco (of whom I do not hold a high opinion. Ustari is better than the rest).

The good thing is that Basile is not a fool and will not pick bad players to go to the WC. He will pick the right players, not idiots like Scaloni.

Yes Pato's time is coming to a close thankfully. He was solid in 06 but he honestly wasn't overly tested and thank god he just didn't make any stupid blunders.

I agree that Ustari's time is coming soon. Such a fantastic keeper and so young.

It's amazing how even with some of the "odder" picks that Pekerman made to the seleccion that we still looked like we had a real chance to win the whole shebang.

pato is not tested yet? i mean he played well in WORLD CUP, yes worldcup... is there any harder test?

but his performance in this world cup was good maybe not in spectacular level but its good. He didnt let any ball in againts holland & germany and made some important save.

now i really think that friendly dont mean shit! england beat germany
5 - 1 in friendly, but look oilver kahn performance in WC itself. pato let 6 goals in 2 friendly matches but appearently he play will full confidence in this world cup conceiding just 2 in 5 matches.

also, do you guys think ayala ,sorin will keep playing for NT?



scolani has nothing to do with argentina failure in this world cup, pekerman did nothing wrong beside the subtitution he made in 2nd half againts germany. basile first have to lead his team in qualifier & copa then get out from WC group stage conviencingly then throw all the greatest players he has on knock out stage. there's no holding back like pekerman & bielsa did. Leaving great player in his prime on the bench is the worst thing ever.

the first match for basile is


Brazil, Argentina Schedule Soccer Friendly in London Next Month

Aug. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Brazil will play archrival Argentina in a soccer exhibition match at Emirates Stadium in London on Sept. 2, the Brazilian Football Confederation said.

The game at the new 60,000-seat arena in north London will be the second for Brazil under new coach Dunga, who was appointed last week as replacement for Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Dunga's first match in charge is Aug. 16, when Brazil visits Norway in Oslo. After playing Argentina, Brazil has two more away friendlies scheduled, at Kuwait in October and Greece in November.

Dunga, Brazil's 1994 World Cup-winning captain, today named his squad to face Norway and included eight players from the 23- man roster which was eliminated in the quarterfinals the World Cup in Germany.

BRAZIL SQUAD: Gomes (PSV Eindhoven), Fabio (Cruzeiro), Juan (Bayer Leverkusen), Lucio (Bayern Munich), Luisao (Benfica), Alex (PSV), Cicinho (Real Madrid), Maicon (Internazionale), Gilberto (Hertha Berlin), Marcelo (Fluminense), Gilberto Silva (Arsenal), Edmilson (Barcelona), Elano (Shakhtar Donetsk), Julio Baptista (Real Madrid), Jonatas (Flamengo), Morais (Vasco da Gama), Dudu Cearense, Daniel Carvalho (both CSKA Moscow), Robinho (Real Madrid), Fred (Lyon), Wagner (Cruzeiro), Vagner Love (CSKA).

Talk about some heat for a first match.

I suppose this is as good a place as any for this article:

Verón: “My Albiceleste Future Depends On Me Alone”
Juan Sebastián Verón has still not given up the dream of donning the Albiceleste shirt that ‘Brujita’ seemed to have lost any chance of wearing under José Pekerman. The player sees his return to Argentina as a golden opportunity to show new Coach Alfio ‘Coco’ Basile that he still has the goods to perform at national level.



"Whether or not I deserve another chance with the national team will surely depend on what I can show when the Apertura tournament kicks off”, explained Verón, back at his beloved Estudiantes de La Plata after ten years in Europe. The ‘little wizard’ approves of Alfio Basile as "a highly experienced and capable Coach".

His debut wasn’t what Verón had hoped for, his team going down 2-0 to Argentinos Juniors at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, but at least “I felt good. There are a lot of things to improve, but we’ve got time to modify some aspects before the Apertura and we’ll take it from there” explained the ex- Boca Juniors, Sampdoria, Parma, Lazio, Man United, Chelsea and Inter man.

--

It is great to see La Brujita back in Argentina; and I for one would welcome his return to the national team. Of course his rumored friction with several players, most notably Sorin, are still quite relevant now.

NOw here is a player that was tested...in a WC stage and didn't produce any good results......why should we give him another opportunity?

he was good in 1998.
but in 2002 ?? most midfielder in the world is better then him.

and compare to riquelme ? not even close.

he used to have a great assist , corner , freekick and control his team but now it wasnt the case anymore.

I remember the game btw Argentina and Romania in WC 94.. definitely the game of that tournament... an El Classico....wow that Argentine team was a delight to watch with short-passes quick 1-2's. Currently, with the talent at Basile disposal and if he keeps true to his footballing principles Argentina shd definitely be the team to watch in near future..

Btw does anybody have that game Arg-romania in WC 94....it will be great if some torrent of if possible the full game is available for download..

Check the Video section, and if you do get it, send me a pm with a link of the torrent please

riquelme shouldn't play. he had his chance with pekerman.... now its time for a really offensive team:

---tevez---agüero---

----aimar---messi---

i am sure about tevez, Kun and messi, but im still not convinsed about aimar... maybe insua should get a chance... although i hate him because he is a traitor, i know he is a good player...

i know they are all small forwards, but we must change that mith that old fashion, big central forwards are a MUST.

Or...how about Riquelme instead of Aimar? Aimar actually did have his chance with the NT and actually failed, unlike Riquelme who has been the driving force behind the team in recent years. Most people agree that there is no better playmaker in the world than Riquelme (alonside Ronaldinho and Kaka, but they're not Argentinian). And if you just look at the fact that Argentina has almost never lost a game while Riquelme stays on the pitch, it's clear that he still merits a starting spot.

Chelito Delgado must also start for now I think as he's the only outright striker among them. Although Tevez can do the job, everyone in that attacking section is short.



Later on Kun can come in for Riquelme or Tevez and we'll see what happens. But right now, Messi and Tevez work excellently with Riquelme and seeing as they're the two most talented attacking players we have (alongside Aguero), Riquelme and those two are pretty easy choices to me. I think Palacio should be called up again at some point, he only played for 10 minutes in the WC and he kept slipping. Once he's back at Boca he's been on fire again.

edit: Actually I'm managing Argentina in Football Manager , so for the hell of it I'll post my FM lineup here (I'm in 2007):



On the bench I have Gago, Demichelis, Samuel, Sorin, Cufre, D'Alessandro (sometimes Aguero), and Palacio. It works like a charm for me, should work fine for Basile.

Why do you still have Cambiasso? Is he actually good in FM?

In FM he is awesome. In fact in 2007 for me, he's worth like 12 million euros and his stats are excellent. Beats me why he's so good, but I can't leave him sitting there when he'd instantly command a spot in my lineup.

Anyway, now we have a serious problem. The #10, the midfield general, is gone.

What to do? I have an idea. Knowing that Coco Basile is in charge, and knowing that Federico 'Pocho' Insúa played at the top of his game at Boca, I propose that HE be the successor to Riquelme in the NT. He basically succeeded him at Boca and continued to bring results, so I see no reason why Basile shouldn't try him out.

That said, el Payaso should start the next game. If he doesn't, that'll be sad because it means that he's pretty much fallen out of favor with the NT. D'Alessandro is very talented, but he's volatile, like Rooney but not quite as bad with the temper. I think Pocho should be above him in the pecking order for now. Let's see what happens at Zaragoza. If that team is suddenly hovering around the top of the table in Spain, then Coco needs to have a long thinking session about how he should use Pablito and D'Alessandro.

I think by the time the next match comes Tevez will have recovered his good form. However, Palacio is far more deserving at this point.

tevez still failed to sparked in the last games with west ham. i think like adriano, he need to regain his top form.

aimar deserve the chance now! just like riquelme during veron's era i think aimar is always a second rated argentina playmaker during romi's era. He now 26 or 27? at his peak age and last chance to show something great to the NT.

No doubts that Basile likes offensive football. He loves the typicall 4-3-1-2 , though this tactic was virtually errased from argentinian fields for a more defensive 4-4-2 .

Right now, the NT is doing some friendly matches, so he is not calling local players, although he said that he will call them for the next America Cup... so...

Is this tactic going to succeed? Who should be called?

a nice ALTERNATIVE team could be:

---------------------Ustari------------------

Zabaleta-----C. Diaz---Gioda------??????

-----------------Mascherano----------------

Belluschi----------------------------Maxi R.

-----------------Montenegro----------------

-------Palacio-----------------Agüero------

Obviously, the original team should have other players such as Ayala, Milito, Aimar, Saviola, maybe Tevez and Crespo (but Basile likes the gnomes xd)...etc, etc.

I love the 4-3-1-2 - players like Messi and Maxi Rodriguez can realy flurish in that system. Messi should play behind the strikers, paring with the enganche.


--------------Ustari-------------------
--------Ayala----------Milito---------
--Zableta-------------------Heinze--
-------------Mascherano------------- =====>sub in Cambiasso, or vise versa

--Messi----------------------Maxi R./Lucho--
-------------Aimar-------------------

--------Kun------------------------ ======> sub, Tevez, Saviola or Palacio
-------------------Crespo--------- ======> find a new #9!!!!

that would be the "european" version of the team. Its a pitty that Heinze is not in good shape though. I like the formation.
Although, knowing "el empleadito" Basile, he will call more local players.

Merged.

Basile will likely employ a playmaker, as is tradition in Argentina. But I can't help wondering, with so many talented midfielder-strikers, why not try a non-playmaker style with the attack? Now that Roman is gone, there isn't any player who really requires a playmaker system. We'll see how Pocho does tonight.

There are some quality playmakers as i said, Aimar, Montenegro, Insua, D'Alessandro...
Aimar should be the first option though....

Appart from this, i must disagree with you Xyrus, Insua's best performance was in Independiente, where he won matches alone (one for example jejeje, against boca 2-1, independiente with 10 players because Jairo Castillo "misteriously" saw the red card).

PD: sorry for the clon topic, i didn't see this one.

Decent article from SI.com:

Feeling the Heat
The Basile era kicks off to mixed reviews in Argentina



Less than a month since taking over as Argentine national team boss, Alfio Basile is already feeling the heat.

After two matches, his squad has dropped two consecutive matches, starting with last month's painful 3-0 loss to archrival Brazil in London.

It couldn't have been a worse debut for Basile, a manager who had been hailed for his good work at Boca Juniors before taking charge of the national team in mid-September.

Basile's second game was a 2-1 loss to Spain on Wednesday, and his side's performance wasn't any better. At times Argentina was outplayed by a Spanish side that has been experiencing tough times. Like its counterpart, Argentina was hoping to get back to its winning ways, with a focus on demonstrating its huge potential, but it faltered once again.

It's no wonder Basile has been questioned by the local press. He is a manager who tends to drastically change the norms of the system when he initially takes charge of a team, and this has led to immense criticism in the past. His side is clearly in a transition period, and it could be a long wait before it begins to play the attractive style of soccer that has become customary of the national side.

But before this happens, Basile must deal with one of his biggest problems: finding a suitable replacement for Juan Román Riquelme, who retired from the national team after receiving heavy criticism back home following his disappointing World Cup performance. Now Basile must not only find a new anchor man, but also get immediate results -- unless he wants to be out of a job by the end of the year.

Obviously, Basile needs time to work with the side, and essentially must have stabilized a strong unit before next year's Copa América, a competition which Argentina has won a record 14 times (the last time under Basile's first stint with the national team in 1993). Basile actually did well at his first go-around, winning two successive Copa Américas and holding the record for a 33-game unbeaten streak before his reign came to an abrupt end after Argentina's elimination from the round of 16 at the '94 World Cup in the U.S.

But this is a new era that begins with promise. Although Basile hasn't gotten off to the best start, there are positive signs. It's clear that his change in approach is going to be vastly different than that of his predecessor, José Pekerman. Here are some of the issues Basile is facing:

Life after Riquelme

Riquelme's sudden retirement from the national team may well mean the loss of Argentina's most gifted player, but for some, it didn't come as much of a surprise. Riquelme was Argentina's key conductor during the Pekerman era, and the team's game plan was centered on him during the '06 World Cup.

He gave an extra touch of class to the side, but his inconsistency got the better of him, particularly during the World Cup when he was heavily criticized by the Argentine press for not giving 100 percent. Many considered him the main reason why Argentina didn't go further in the competition, and this clearly played with his emotions.

But Basile kept faith in him, and selected Riquelme as the captain to lead the team in the Brazil friendly. However, once again it was a below-par performance by the midfielder, who announced his retirement shortly after the match. Basile was strongly against the decision, as he favors the idea of playing with a strong midfield anchor, but he could do little to change the player's mind.

Basile is now without a playmaker, essentially the most important ingredient of his team formation, and it's unlikely he'll be able to find a player of Riquelme's caliber to fill the gap in the near future.

Argentina is a country that produces an abundance of talented midfielders, but strangely, Basile doesn't have too many top-quality options to occupy Riquelme's vacancy. The first player Basile seems to have taken an interest in is Federico Insúa of Borussia Mönchengladbach, a player he coached at Boca Juniors and who is expected to be an integral part of his national team.

Insúa demonstrated that he was the most highly skilled player of last season's Argentine Clausura Championship and has what it takes to fulfill this role, although it won't be easy to make the transition to a very competitive national team. Insúa was given the responsibility of the playmaker role during Wednesday's friendly against Spain, but he was unable to take control of the midfield and was replaced by Pablo Aimar in the second half. (Aimar is another of Basile's possible alternatives for the position, but he has yet to show true national-team potential.)

It may take time before Basile finds a suitable replacement. Although this is one of his main concerns, he has said that if he doesn't find a new Riquelme in the next couple matches, he may go without an anchor-man role on the team and adopt a typical 4-4-2 formation.

But here's the biggest surprise. Basile may gamble on an unlikely player in former national-teamer Juan Sebastián Verón. The stylish midfielder has been in good form since returning to Argentina at Estudiantes de La Plata, and Basile recently said he hasn't ruled out the possibility of Verón's return to the national team. But the "Bruja" is clearly in a race against time -- he'll be 35 by the time the 2010 World Cup rolls around.

Spanish silver lining

Argentina arguably put more talent on the field than Spain did Wednesday, but its 2-1 defeat wasn't all that surprising. This version of the Albicelestes has yet to find its identity under Basile, but time and experience will change that.

For its second test of the new era, Argentina wasn't all that bad, but the team clearly lacked ideas when it came to breaking down Spain's defense. Argentina was outplayed at times, and it was clearly evident that it needs a lot of work before it can defeat one of the world's top sides.

Argentina was a shadow of its World Cup team, and similar to the Brazil match, it allowed its opponent far too much possession. Its defense also looked particularly unstable, as it came under fire time and time again against the Spaniards. If it wasn't for some imprecise finishing from the Furia Roja, Argentina could easily have lost by a much larger margin.

One positive of the match is that Basile was able to find a good mixture between players from the Pekerman era and his new players. Seeing some players who have limited or no national-team experience was interesting. Sergio Agüero, Rodolfo Arruabarrena, Daniel Bilos and Leandro Somoza -- to name a few -- did enough to demonstrate that they could be essential to Basile's plans in the future.

Looking to local talent

Although the entire squad that faced Spain was European-based, Basile has expressed his intent to field as many players as possible that play their club soccer in Argentina.

"We must give the good players that we have here an opportunity now since they haven't yet been sold," he said. "We will be giving them a shot while we still have them here."

This is a very positive sign since many believe there has been a lot of talent in Argentina that has been overlooked by past managers Pekerman and Marcelo Bielsa. In the past two World Cups, more than 95 percent of Argentina's players were selected from European clubs, and it has often been difficult for managers to work with them, as they haven't always been released by their clubs.

Basile is in favor of the idea of using as much new blood as possible, and has confirmed that he will begin to work with a local-based national side in January, in order to help him select a good mix between Argentina's top local and foreign-based stars.

"I can't say that all the players from here or from there will play," he said. "But it's much easier for me to add the stars from Europe to those from here if I've already had time to work with them. All of them are Argentines and we must do our utmost to put together the best team possible."

Other locally based players that have impressed, and could soon become part of Basile's team, include Fernando Gago and Rodrigo Palacio (Boca Juniors), Daniel Montenegro (Independiente), Mauro Zárate (Vélez Sarsfield) and Fernando Belluschi and Gonzalo Higuaín (River Plate).

The future of Argentine soccer is in the hands of players like these, and that of more established youngsters like Lionel Messi, Agüero and Carlos Tévez. These are some of the most promising players that have emerged from Argentina in the past few years, and Basile sees them as key players for the new generation of the national team. They're all still developing, but they're likely to be important contributors as Argentina looks ahead to next year's Copa América and the 2010 World Cup.

Basile is also a big fan of Argentina's shorter players. He likes the idea of utilizing them to play the ball on the ground, and get past opponents with skill and speed. Argentina has traditionally fixated its success in attack on a target man, such as someone like Hernán Crespo. But from what we've seen so far, Basile's system is likely to be much different. He'll likely make the most of the trademark of Argentine soccer: speed and ball-handling skills.

Sudamericana: Join the club

The power of Argentina's domestic league has been on display in this year's Copa Sudamericana. On Wednesday night, San Lorenzo, Lanús and Gimnasia La Plata advanced to the quarterfinals with big wins over tough Brazilian opponents. River Plate and Boca Juniors will be looking to complete what will be a historic triumph for all five Argentine clubs in their second-leg clashes Thursday night. Although both are behind the ball after first-leg defeats, they still have good opportunities of keeping the streak alive.

Gregory Sica

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writ...rgentina/1.html

I will post something in spanish, i found this, a recent interview to Basile in Ezeiza International Airport

Pese a la derrota ante España, Basile se mostró tranquilo en su regreso al país. "Estamos tristes, pero no es un drama", tiró Coco en Ezeiza. También habló sobre la falta de ideas en la ofensiva: "La culpa no es de los delanteros. Acá atacan y defienden todos".
"No jugamos bien, lo sabemos. España jugó mejor y el estado de la cancha era un desastre para los dos. Igualmente, con Luis Aragonés en ningún momento quisimos suspenderlo", aclaró el técnico.

Sobre la lesión de Maxi Rodríguez: "Es una pena, y no soy médico para decir cuánto tiempo demandará la recuperación. Lo importante es que esté bien". Y al ser consultado sobre si seguirá buscando un enganche, luego de la renuncia de Riquelme a la Selección, el Coco expresó: "Hay que conseguir un conductor".




I would like to analyze this phrase:: "Everyone must attack, everyone must defend", as i said in other post, the 4-3-1-2 is an extremely difficult formation because of that... everyone must do (in some way) "everything".... only the enganche and the punta focus on attacking.

WHOO!! Good job Basile! Argentina is first in the FIFA world rankings now, beating Italy and Brasil.

http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/statistics/ind...rticleid=133499

Do we deserve it? Its all good and fine, but we haven't won a world cup since 1986, and the last time we won Copa America was 1993- I hope that Basile shrugs this off and remains hungry for this summer. I really want a Copa America championship.

Sshhh...no one needs to know.

i think one of fifa ranking rules is that you get a big point from away victory.
argentina lost twice since world cup at neutral ground and as visitor

but they won againts world cup runner up in their homeground while brazil just lost to portugal

but italy still deserve to be number one, at least for a year. i always thought the ranking is useless... however fifa does have the point... just because you win world cup doesnt mean you're always no.1 team in the world. Italy is clearly not spectacular team in world cup and their performance before and after the world cup is so-so. But that's tournament, luck often beat quality.



off topic for a second, can you help me to make gif image of this maradona freekick?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uksJeFqO0Gg

thanks

Argentina's head coach Alfio Basile believes that his side must win this summer's Copa America due to a lack of trophies in recent years.

Argentina recently held their first preparation training session for the tournament and Basile is putting a big emphasis on players currently playing in Argentina's leagues.

He said: "We have to create a united group of players and the only way to reach that is playing many games and working a lot.

"The advantage that the players that are in Argentina have is that I can see them every day."

Basile went on to say: "They don't have anything to be in envy of the players that are in Europe because they are very good players. That's why I want to see them play."

The Argentine national side have not won the Copa America since 1993 and Basile is determined to work hard to put things right.

"I am going to work twice a week with players that play in Argentina," he said.

"It's not only for training. I also want them to play so I have asked Grondona (the president of the Argentine FA) to organise at least two friendly games."

On the subject of Riquelme, who retired from international football in 2006, Basile will not rule out a return for the former Argentina captain.

"He told me that he had resigned from the national team but that doesn't mean that maybe in the future his situation changes," he said.

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skysports.com

I totaly agree with Basile, HE MUST WIN COPA AMERICA!!
I don't want to say its DO-OR-DIE, but if he doesn't win, he will loose the fan's confidence.

Does he plan on calling on players like Messi for the Copa America? Those kinda players that are over in Europe would vastly improve our chances of winning it.....

why not call crespo? inter is in very very good position in the league already. also saviola since barcelona will always play messi instead of him.

saviola scored hattrick in previous copa but got injured and didnt play the rest..

I wonder if he will call any of the euro players if they are not tired?

Well, again this looks like a bad joke:

Basile called 20 players for the next friendly against Suiza in Saint Jakob:

-Abbondanzieri, Leo Franco;
-Ayala, Burdisso, Heinze, Javier Zanetti and Gaby Milito;
-Cuchu Cambiasso, Gago, Mascherano, Lucho González and Jonás Gutiérrez;
-Lionel Messi, Javier Saviola, Carlitos Tevez and Hernan Crespo.

Pinola and Ezequiel Garay were also called for the first time.

I say, if Higuain and Aguero were turned down because of a "bad moment", why are Gago, Jonas and Pinola going to play? I'd like to see Biglia instead of Gago, he did very well in Anderlecht, as well as Frutos (but we already have many strikers)