Jonathan Wilson
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The South American country have gone 22 years without silverware and their manager will need to overcome schedule issues and tired European-based players to buck the trend
• More football newsWhen Santiago hosts the final of the Copa América on 4 July this year, it will be 22 years to the day since Gabriel Batistuta received a quick throw-in from Diego Simeone, turned away from Mexico’s Raúl Gutiérrez and curled a brisk left-foot finish into the bottom corner of Jorge Campos’s net. It was a goal that meant Argentina defended their continental crown; it was also the last time that any Argentinian scored a winner in a major international final.
Nobody could have foreseen then that seven Copas América and six World Cups later, Argentina would still be waiting for another title. They have won five Under-20 World Cups and two Olympics in that time, their clubs have lifted the Libertadores eight times since but the drought at full international level goes on. The urge to scratch that itch has motivated almost everything Gerardo Martino has done since he replaced Alejandro Sabella as the Argentina coach, and certainly explains why his squad selection, even for the upcoming friendlies against El Salvador and Ecuador, seems so conservative.
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• More football newsWhen Santiago hosts the final of the Copa América on 4 July this year, it will be 22 years to the day since Gabriel Batistuta received a quick throw-in from Diego Simeone, turned away from Mexico’s Raúl Gutiérrez and curled a brisk left-foot finish into the bottom corner of Jorge Campos’s net. It was a goal that meant Argentina defended their continental crown; it was also the last time that any Argentinian scored a winner in a major international final.
Nobody could have foreseen then that seven Copas América and six World Cups later, Argentina would still be waiting for another title. They have won five Under-20 World Cups and two Olympics in that time, their clubs have lifted the Libertadores eight times since but the drought at full international level goes on. The urge to scratch that itch has motivated almost everything Gerardo Martino has done since he replaced Alejandro Sabella as the Argentina coach, and certainly explains why his squad selection, even for the upcoming friendlies against El Salvador and Ecuador, seems so conservative.
Continue reading...
More...