Despite producing some of the greatest football players on the planet are Argentineans adaptable to the demands of English football…and the answer to date I believe is no!
In the fall of 1978 ex-Tottenham boss, Keith Burkinshaw stunned English football with the audacious double signing of Argentine World Cup winners, Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa. Last week history repeated itself in the capital as east London neighbors West Ham United captured two of the hottest properties on the current Argentine national team, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. In the preceding 28 years though it was slim pickings between two of the great footballing nations.
Back in the good old days of muddy pitches and one substitute, signing foreign players was practically unthinkable as British players dominated the British game. The general consensus was that these namby-pamby ‘JF’ types couldn’t compete in a league that relied on brawn over brain and to a certain degree that consensus was correct.
It took Ardiles a good season and a half to adjust to the physical demands of England before he became a true star and a legend at White Hart Lane while Villa despite scoring what is generally considered Wembley’s greatest ever goal in the 1981 Cup Final replay never really came to terms with the pace of the game.
Another member of that victorious ’78 World Cup side was Alberto Tarantini who played just 23 games for Birmingham City after his move from South America. Yellow and Red cards blighted his stay in England along with a venture into the stands to have a punch up with some supporters being the most memorable highlight.
Despite the success of Ardiles though it would take another two decades before England would look towards the shores of one of their greatest football rivals for more talent. Juan Sebastian Veron, a giant of the game in Italy transferred from Lazio to Manchester United for the staggering figure of over $50 million dollars and promptly fell flat on his face. A move to Chelsea to resuscitate his career also collapsed while his international teammate, Hernan Crespo could not settle at Stamford Bridge despite two cracks at the whip and the constant pampering of his owners.
Fulham flirted with Facundo Sava for three seasons however the striker is not best remembered for his goals but for keeping a batman mask stuffed down his shorts in case he found the back of the net (which he managed on 7 occasions).
Only Gabriele Heinze at once bitten and I guess not twice shy Manchester United has come to England and really made an impact. In fact United’s dismal run last year coincided with Heinze getting badly injured, which is why I’ll keep a close eye on him this campaign.
With the track record of Argentines in England being more miss than hit it will be very interesting to see how Messer’s Tevez and Mascherano perform over the current season while they’re parked at Upton Park – because parked is what they are until someone moves in with a bigger offer as this double transfer stinks to high heaven but that’s for another topic!
Moving on…if you’ve ever watched Argentine football on FSC you’ll know that it is a fantastic league and the best in South America. The skill level is exceptional, the pace at times frenetic and it certainly wouldn’t be considered a safe place for less physical specimens as the tackling can be at times be frightening in its ferocity. With passionate crowds and intense media exposure it is incredibly similar in almost every facet to football played in, you guessed it…England! (English sailors brought the game to South American in the late 1800’s)
Why then has that not translated to Argentinean players flooding the English market because over in Italy and Spain they seem to flourish?
Obviously the Latin culture plays a big part in the comfort level and maybe there is still lingering resentment of the Falkland Islands however I seriously doubt that this would impede a professional footballer from giving his best. Perhaps there is a superiority complex as Argentineans have certainly taken football to another level yet haven’t beaten England internationally since 1998.
I’d like to think it is because footballing wise (playing/supporting) - perhaps we’re the same and that a fear of failure has crept into both of our psyches. English players are notoriously bad travelers and it would take someone with huge canjones to travel South while after seeing the likes of Veron and Crespo suffer the EPL has developed some bad mojo.
I hope for both countries sakes that Tevez and Mascherano become huge hits this season. If they fail I feel that Argentineans will once and for all give England a wide berth despite the amazing riches they can earn here. When you compare the wages between the two countries it is night and day which is why I can’t understand why there has never been a Argentine invasion.
When the World Cup draw was made in Leipzig last December, this was the group match that whetted my appetite. And yet, now that both teams have qualified for the knock-out stages, and are merely jockeying for position in their group, there could be a sense of anticlimax.
It is likely that Holland will field a weakened team, while Argentina are also sure to rest some of their star players. If so, we will be denied the chance to see the best team - Argentina - of the first round. Their 6-0 victory against Serbia & Montenegro last week was one of the finest displays by a team in World Cup history.
Holland have produced nothing to match that. In fact, like England and Portugal in other groups, they have scraped their way through matches, without ever giving the impression that they can score goals for fun.
However, when Argentina and Holland meet in World Cups, there is always an unpredictable scoreline. In the 1974 finals in West Germany, Holland ran riot in a thunder storm and won 4-0 thanks to the magic of Cruyff. Four years later, Argentina defeated Holland 3-1 in the final with Mario Kempes running riot. In 1998, Argentina were fatigued after their victory against England and lost 2-1 to Holland and a sublime Dennis Bergkamp goal.
Matches between the two are always exciting. This one will only be the same if both take it seriously. I fancy a high scoring draw...your thoughts?
Is there a better team in the world than Argentina at killing the game. It is a master class in how to milk the clock and keep possession. On this form, who would bet against Argentina making a run. Plus we haven't even seen Messi yet...a frightening prospect.
The roof is closed in Gelsenkirchen, which should make conditions a little cooler, not that that will help S & M as Maxi scores an absolute beauty after smart work from Saviola.
I'm beginning to detect a theme in this tournament...early goals and late goals, anyone else catching this and what do you think it signifies?
Who will break into the 'B4' and who will avoid the drop. So many questions will be answered over the next nine months because it's back - the greatest show on earth - The Barclays Premier League.
