[falcao]

Batistuta might miss the Argentina-Brazil game July 26. But it doesn't get any easier for Brazil because Crespo is his replacement:

Argentina replaces Batistuta with Crespo

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (July 13, 2000 5:10 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa said on Thursday he was fortunate to be able to replace injured striker Gabriel Batistuta with a player of Hernan Crespo's calibre for next Wednesday's match against Ecuador.

The Argentine side, which has won all four World Cup qualifying matches to date, will not change its strategy despite the absence of Roma's Batistuta, Bielsa told reporters in Buenos Aires.

Bielsa said few national teams had the luxury of a quality backup such as Hernan Crespo, who was transferred earlier this week from Parma to Italian champions Lazio for a world record $54.16 million.

"It's very unusual for a team to have so many quality players, so much depth, it's not common at all," Bielsa said.

Crespo will shift to the striker position replacing "Batigol," who injured a knee tendon and is also doubtful for Argentina's match against Brazil the following week.

Argentina have sent a team doctor to Rome to check on the injury.

The coach faces a challenge in keeping his team from looking beyond Ecuador, who have six points from four games, to the their next match against Brazil -- Argentina's fiercest rivals.

"Ecuador boast players who overall are very creative. It is a very complex team that we must confront and we have that firmly in mind," said Bielsa.

Argentina: Roberto Bonano; Roberto Sensini, Roberto Ayala, Walter Samuel; Javier Zanetti, Diego Simeone, Cristian Gonzalez; Juan Sebastian Veron, Ariel Ortega; Claudio Lopez, Hernan Crespo.

 

[Ze da Fiel]

bring the whole lot.....we don't care, will take on all of them!

 

[falcao]

Ze da Fiel, I think you are very confident. Maybe too confident. I also think Brazil will win, but only because they are playing at home and have been better in the recent Arg-Br games. I think maybe 2-1.

What do you think, Ze, 6-0?

 

[Ze da Fiel]

I think it wil be a 4x0 or a 4x1 honeslty!!
See falcao, we are playing crap..Argentina are playing good.....when we face them, is the only time we play with heart, and its an extra motivation, cause we love playing these teams that are so cocky....we always kill them...and this time it will not be any different.
Do you remmebr confedaration cup in 97.....Australia held us to a 0x0 in the first game....then Terry venables was saying that they would beat us in the final.....in 30 minutes of the first half it was already 5x0, the game finished 6x0
remmebr last year? argentina thought they were all that after they beat us in buenos aires...then we gave them a rpivate leeson of football....we simply murdered tehm......and Luxemburgo will use the video of that game to stimulate the players!

 

[falcao]

yeah, i remember 97 confed cup and the arg friendly last year. but those brazil teams had romario-ronaldo and ronaldinho-ronaldo. this team does not have attackers like that. it has inexperienced attackers who are under pressure to score goals and win a permanent national job.

 

[Batigol9]

SWEET DREAMS...

 

[Ze da Fiel]

falcao,
Ronaldinho is not exaclty the experinced guy is he? the guy is only 19, never had a shag in his life etc....
AND HE WILL PLAY AGAINST ARGENTINA....Franca is more experienced than him and will play alongside ROnaldinho Gaucho.
Djalminha has played every sort of game, so experience the only part of our team that does not have in the defense with Edmilson (wach him he could be OUR threat) and Roque Jr.

 

[falcao]

ze da fiel, i disagree with you about the experience ronaldinho guacho has. look, he played in the copa america 99, he was the leader who took brazil to the final of confederations cup 99 in mexico, and he was the leader again in the olympics qualifying. he already has played many, many games in the most important shirt in the world. he is ready for any game!

i'm not worried about roque jr because he has been with the team a couple of times. but i agree with you about edmilson; i don't know what could happen with him.

 

[Ze da Fiel]

Common falcao,
COnfedaration cup? that is simply a useless tournament.
also pre-olpmyic is U-23 the level is not high..too many crappy players. And Copa Ameerica he was bench, and hte pressure is only 1 % of what it is for a WC qualifier.
HE IS NOT EXPERIENCED.....although he will be one day!

 

[isgna]

Ronaldinho is 20 (born on 3/21/80), but he is FAR from being what Ronaldo was when he was 20, after all Ronaldo won the FIFA World Footballer of the Year award when he was 20 (1996) and also the following year when he was 21 (1997).



[Edited by isgna on 19-07-2000 at 17:43]

 

[falcao]

nobody is comparing ronaldinho gaucho with the real ronaldo! when ronaldo was 19,20,21, he was the best player in the world and had played for the best teams of holland, spain, italy and had led leagues in scoring, plus he had been on a team that won the world cup 94. relatively speaking, ronaldinho guacho has done NOTHING next to ronaldo.

but, still, ronaldinho gaucho has showed he is one of only a handful of players brazil can rely on today!

 

[TAZZ]

It doesn't matter if Ronaldnho plays or not he is not the man to watch the men to watch are your midfielders.....i mean the real midfielders and if they are on song it will be hard for Arjentina t ocome away with a result.

 

[falcao]

tazz, you argie, the brazil midfielders are crap. they are not playing well enough to influence the result against argentina. veron and ortega will dance around them (unless luxemburgo tells emerson to foul all the time).

if brazil is not careful, this game could be the biggest embarassment in brazilian football history.

 

[falcao]

Crespo, Lopez lift Argentina over Ecuador

BUENOS AIRES (July 19, 2000 10:29 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Argentina made light of the absence of Gabriel Batistuta on Wednesday as they beat Ecuador 2-0 to maintain their 100 percent record in the South American World Cup qualifiers.

Hernan Crespo, standing in for the injured Batistuta, gave Argentina a first-half lead and his striking partner Claudio Lopez scored the second early in the second half.

Argentina, who lead the South American qualifying group with a maximum 15 points, dominated the match and played some flowing soccer.

But the game was marred by some controversial referee decisions, particularly an astonishing penalty awarded to Argentina in the second minute.

The penalty was given when Ariel Ortega, who has a reputation for theatricals, went tumbling over with replays showing that he was barely touched by the Ecuador defender, who was charged with the foul.

The free kick from which the incident arose always appeared to have wrongly awarded foul on Ortega, who again threw himself to the ground dramatically.

Juan Sebastian Veron saw that justice was done by sending missing the penalty.

It was the second time in three home games that Argentina were given a penalty for a clear dive by Ortega. The first, against Chile, was converted.

Referee Daniel Bello also failed to send off Argentina defender Roberto Ayala for a two-footed challenge that result ed in Alex Aguinaga being carried off on a stretcher late in the game. Ayala did not even receive a yellow card.

ARGENTINA TAKE CONTROL EARLY

Argentina took complete control early on and created a host of chances.

Ecuador goalkeeper Francisco Cevallos made a point blank save from Crespo, Javier Zanetti was close with a volley from the edge of the penalty area and Ortega headed over from six meters when it seemed easier to score, all in the first 20 minutes.

A goal seemed inevitable and duly came in the 23rd minute. Ortega, who for once resolved to stay on his feet rather than throw himself to the ground and claim a free kick, crossed from the right and Crespo sneaked in behind two defenders to score with a diving header.

Crespo forced an excellent save from Cevallos from a similar move five minutes later, while Ecuador's only real first-half threat came when Eduardo Hurtado chipped just wide after goalkeeper Roberto Bonano sent a clearance straight to him.

Lopez sealed the points six minutes into the second half when he disposed Augusto Porozo, homed in on goal and flicked the ball past Cevallos.

The crowd sensed a goal avalanche but it never came as underdogs Ecuador, inspired by Aguinaga in midfield, refused to lie down and kept at their passing game. Ecuador remained on six points from five games.

---------------------------------------------
just like i told you guys, it doesn't matter that batistuta is missing. crespo is better than any player brazil has right now. crespo is MUCH better than any of luxemburgo's players right now.

 

[TAZZ]

Always the pessimist

hahaha you and i both hate Optimist Falcao i guess that is why we get on so well......hahaha

But i am never lucky in teh Brazil Argentina super classico. Something will almost always go wrong for me and mighty Argentina.

Emerson is the man but its down to Zanetti Veron and Ortega.

if they bring their A games it will be difficult for Brasil.

 

[falcao]

if the argies bring their A game and brazil keeps playing the same way, it will be horrible to watch.

at this very minute, arg is unquestionably the deadliest team in the world. (hats off to france and holland, but they are not as feared as argentina.) if brazil can't dominate ecuador, peru or paraguay, how are they supposed to handle argentina?

the home advantage for brazil will be huge. and if the brazilian players have any pride at all, they will turn in a good performance. i have my fingers crossed.

 

[Guest]

home advantage for brazil it is judt a talk infact it is a disadvantage.
i bet with ya thatif we are 1-0 down at half-time the crowd are gonna chant "luxemburgo out"
our players get booed by their own supporters.
that is horrible nobody can play when he is getting booed by 50,000 supporters of his own team.

ronaldinho gaucho should start against argentina
i wish.

P.S:why is he called gaucho?
what does gaucho mean?

 

[Ze da Fiel]

Falcao,
if we have a team of kids and play Argeintna we can beat them....and VICE VERSA...its a derby, and derbies are only decided in the last minute of the game
and i do think we will win....i do think that these players will have some embarassment and put on a good performance.....this is the way brazil has always been.....and it will not change. ALWAYS after terrible performances the team plays well.
Tazz......this is a game for MEN The nerves are already rising
it's WAR now

 

[Ze da Fiel]

Anelka,
taht is not horrible, that is TRADITION. If they have no respect for a sacred shirt, we cannot have no respect for them!
Gaucho is the person who is born in the state of Rio Grande do Sul