Loco, Piojo Lopez was the hazmerreir of whole Argentina for years, that then Valencia played for him, and only for him, an leave him 40 metres of open space to counter, is another thing.
But when he had to pressure, he reduced his own space, and without skills he comitted some of the most horrendous crosses, dribblings and nonsense I've ever seen...but because he ran, because he was a good a good student he stayed...and btw till last minute, because then Bielsa couldn't support him anymore and ended out of the team in the door of the Cup.
The team was dinamic, was phisically outstanding, players were comitted to the cause, and had a great attitude, but once the cassette didn't respond, they have no variants, and the players involve either.
The only one with that kind of response is one of the most critized, el Burrito. The rest, Veron can't dribble, Crespo either, Lopez no way, Kily just run over rivals, and the other off mids were defenders: Sorin and Zanetti...this was the base of the team, why he waited years to include Aimar? and Gallardo? why not Saviola?, why not Roman?, but above all, because he was so rigid, any of these also can do better, if the system wasn't change.
They could still won the Cup with his way of playing, but watch the games and is all base in number superiority and pressing, six passes is a miracle, and nevertheless even not being the best choices, in order from where were used, and how, still Sorin, Zanetti, Veron, and many high quality players, this out of the question, but look how much better they played in Copa America, with more variants, with less rigid tactics, with more elaboration, with more pause, and it was the same coach, and many of the same players too.
Copa America, and Olympics, only manteined the sacrifice in the recovering of the ball, the way they play were toally opposite, with similar tastics display, but when you change names, smae tactic, isn't same game, as simply as it sound.
Being a River fan, I'm surprise you liked Bielsa proposal, that by the way, wasn't my ideal, but far also from shit, I'm not saying that, but is notorius that when he realized he didn't take advantage of the characteristics of our players before, then change and succeeded...he left the NT.
In WC the group was competitive, but Nigeria wasn't the old 96 Olympic's amazing team, they were out of from, England is always tough, and Sweden a very good intelligent side, but nothing impossible man, of course could be better less competitive rivals, that will provide as usually happens, the time to find the WC team, that many times is different, but wasn't that bad either.
All I'm saying is that above all, I get bored as HELL!!!! watching Argentina, and on the other hand I enjoy a LOT: the copa America and Olympics.
I hope Pekerman makes us play as he did before, but the truth is that is going to be hard, to take the ship in the middle of the storm as he receive it. That Bielsa deserve respect, and not moronic attacks like once defenders of him like Niembro and many journalists, NO DOUBT, that wasn't the worse, not even a single doubt, but results aren't always great display, he lacked of variants always, and he was obsessive with an idea that BTW at some moment EVERYONE knew, and when the players to applied it aren't precisly capable to turn the wheel in the middle of the problem, not much fantasy in them, they had no answers.
If all the time he waited God Knows why, Lopez, Husain, etc, he gave it to Gallardo, Aimar, Roman....and why that obsession with extremos, when was years of the last great Bertoni, Houseman, wings in Argentina????....why always choosing only game breakers as DM, why the rush and pression, instead of possession of the ball as almost every argie team plays.
Let's say he was revolutionary, and let's give that for him, as much as I for instance can like the human being, the honesty, and perseverance of Che Guevara, NEVER in my ****ing life will like a communist goverment, never in my ****ing life will like the argie NT to play like Bielsa wanted, I won't change, and btw I support you when you say that he don't deserve disrecpect, and he hadn't luck, but in many ways if luck could be Piojo lopez being an icon of argie futbol lifting a WC?? no thanx, I pass....but anyway, never existed clearly that chance as was praise.
Finally: you know what is the problem of talking of just tactics? GIVE me names man, give me names , and I will tell you if they can apply that tactic, there is nothing wrong in tactics, and finally wrong is the obsession many times with the not that much said: ESTRATEGY (the one I said in my first post).