Group D is on the menu for the afternoon and I know guys are hankering and hungering for my crackpot analysis of this once in a life time competition the Copa América Centenarío. I'm just on time because this post will go out on the day before this group commences. All in all I've ran out of opening commentary so I'll definitely be winging it for these next to couple of lines. The combatants we have in this group are; Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Panama. An odd cluster of teams sort of like Group B of this competition that comprises of Haiti, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. It's almost like the same scenario, you have a clear favorite (Argentina/Brazil). A nearly team (Chile/Peru). Middling teams (Ecuador/Bolivia). Then you have struggling hopefuls (Panama/Haiti). It sucks that the teams I highlighted to do badly come from my beloved CONCACAF but this is how the football gods has deemed it. I'm rambling so without further ado here is the Copa América Centenarío's final group. Group D Argentina Bolivia Chile Panama Argentina
Certainly my pick to win the competition, Argentina come into the United States desperate to hoist trophy. Even the soft spoken Lionel Messi was echoed my sentiments and said his country hasn't win a major competition in years and needs to right to the ship. No one should ever feel entitled. People get ahead on graft, handwork, creativity and flat out good luck. If Argentina is going to win this tournament they are going to need a combination of at least three out of the four things because clearly coming in on their reputation alone in big tournaments haven't worked for them. Beaten finalist in both the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Copa America. The Argentines could had used a bag full of dumb luck to grab at least one of the titles. Who coach Gerardo Martino picks for this competition don't really matter because I believe a third tier Argentina player is as good as most first rate players in most other countries. The Patagonians are a talented bunch they just need some luck. Which is insane seeing this guy Martino can call on Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuaín, Ángel Di María and Lionel Messi at any given time. He just needs a four leaf clover to get them over the hill. Key Man- Lionel Messi was a doubt for the tournament due to injury and also for legal matters as he is currently fighting tax evasion allegations in Spain. Messi himself has come out and said he will play this summer in America. Not like Argentina would miss him but having the best player in the world playing for you wouldn't hurt in their noble quest either. Bolivia
Having to come done to sea level is never fun for Bolivia. In the capital La Paz they get to enjoy the comforts of home like vivid support, familiar surroundings and most importantly thin air and altitude. The Bolivians play their football high in the clouds and the effect can leave opponents literally gasping for air. It's a definite advantage and they have benefited it from the past. Truth is they need all the help they can get. Bolivia isn't the best but coach Julio César Baldivieso will try to inspire dreams of grandeur. Surprisingly in last year's Copa in Chile the Andeans came second in group play behind the host and edged out both Ecuador and a weakened Mexico. I don't have much in the way to say on Bolivia and her players they're obscure. This is a nation who has only made it to three World Cups the last coming in 1994 when it was ironically held in the United States. Bolivia isn't blessed with a heap of talent most of their players play in their domestic league. A strong indicator of the level of the national team. Whatever the case Bolivia will just look on to improve their overall play and who knows it could lead to some shock performances at this event. Key Man- I'm really clutching at straws trying to pick the crucial man for Bolivia. After looking over some decent stats I've landed on the experienced Juan Carlos Arce. The most likely goal getter and Lord knows they need them. The forward needs to improve though in order for "La Verde," to flourish. Chile
They are the reigning Copa America champions after scooping the title last year on home soil when they hosted the event. The Chileans defeated heavily favored Argentina to claim their first ever South American Championship. The Chileans look good and have to be buzzing right now yet I don't feel confident in their ability to hoist the cup this term. It's not like "La Roja," isn't good I just believe having home advantage last time allowed them to steamroll the competition. Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil are more likely to have the Ticker tape parade at the end than them. Chile's high pressing aggressive, quick game is fun to watch and I allude to this in my preview of them at Copa America 2015. That fun however can have it's limits. Last year the Chileans played at home in familiar conditions, in the South American winter in cooler temperatures. They won't have that coming up north to the US. It's summer time and the temperatures do vary from state to state. Their games are in sunny California and in the warming northeast states of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. According to the old sports cliché styles make matches. Chile's up tempo running game may not work well in heat but they often play in a warm South America anyway so who knows. Juan Antonio Pizzi took over from the widely popular Jorge Sampaoli earlier this year maybe the new man has changed or tweaked Chile's way of play. Whatever the case maybe he needs to upstage his predecessor and quickly. He brought a good squad along to try to do it. Barcelona's Claudio Bravo is in goal, Inter's Gary Medel puts in wonderful defensive displays, Bayern Munich's Arturo Vidal does the same and a lot more and Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez does the leg work up front. Chile is dangerous but I see bigger guns at this Copa and I fear they may get their wings clipped. Key Man- So much is focused on Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal and we definitely know they will look perky in offense. However I've gone for Claudio Bravo as Chile's shining light in this tournament. Coming up against Barcelona team mate Lionel Messi when he faces Argentina will be a pivotal match even so early. Beyond that no doubt he will come across hard hitting attackers and if Chile are to retain the Copa he'll need to be bang in form. The goals will come for them but can Chile stop them? I think Bravo will. Panama
Time to get a little sentimental now! My grandma is from Panama she can't speak a lick of Spanish. Neither can I but I'm still loyal to the country. I genuinely want them to do well even though I'm not Panamanian myself. Probably the weakest of the group Panama has to be realistic. Their first match against Bolivia has to be earmark as a potential win because the following games against Argentina and Chile will be hard on them. If somehow they can manage a point against Chile and try not to yield too many goals against Argentina they may have a minuscule chance of advancing to the knockout round. Unlike their CONCACAF rivals Mexico and Jamaica they weren't invited to last year's Copa America in Chile so they solely had the Gold Cup to focus on in the previous summer. A tournament in which they finished strong coming in third place being barred from the finals by eventual winners Mexico. I don't know what the Panamanians are looking for at this tournament because clearly they are outclassed here. Bolivia may not be the best but they do play in a tough qualifying zone in CONMEBOL and that has to count for something. Panama has to use this tournament as a gauge to see where they're at. Getting beat up by USA and Mexico every year won't teach them anything but getting exposed to teams like Argentina and Chile will. This will be a lesson for them to embrace going forward so they can take that next step in their evolution. "Los Canaleros," have Hernán Gómez at the helm and the Colombian is calling upon the combined experience of defender and captain Felipe Baloy, midfielder Alberto Quintero and striker Blas Pérez to see him through this tournament. Some notable omissions are defender Roberto Chen and long serving goalkeeper Jaime Penedo. No matter though whoever Gómez decides to chuck out there they need to perform and do so with a fair amount of pride because I have a nasty feeling it's going to be hard going for them. Key Man- I like Alberto Quintero's style of play. He a direct winger who has a few dribbles in him. The wide man links up well with Blas Pérez and if the two combine who knows, Panama may have something. Predictions- Argentina 1st, Chile 2nd, Bolivia 3rd, Panama 4th. Argentina will seek revenge to their Copa America loss to Chile so look for a win for Messi and crew. Chile are way too good for Bolivia and Panama but as mentioned they aren't going to better the Argentinians. Bolivia maybe bland but they have enough in the respiratory tank to out last Panama. As for the Central Americans this will merely be a proving ground I don't expect them to really challenge.
I asked myself why do I write? Probably for the same reason why I use the word “I,” 79% of the time when I start off a post. I am self absorbed. I know full well that I’m up against the likes of ESPN, Sky Sports and Fox Sports but still I plug on with my little blog. It would be easy to say I do it because I love it but if you know me I hate saying cliche stuff and there is no doubt that I do love getting on here and spreading what knowledge I have. Simply for me it’s more then that. I wanted to be apart of a long and great tradition of being a writer. Be I a bad or a good one, I have always wanted to be apart of this fraternity. I’m no different to any other young kid who wanted to be a soccer player. Of course they love to play but when they pick their idols they are essentially buying into the idea of the culture and induct themselves into game. Richard Stearman is not Cafu but who is not to say he does not have as much passion as the former. Talent is very important in everything, yes but the right to compete is even more powerful. In this Copa America sure I will make fun of the likes of Bolivia who will be put to the sword by their more lofty opponents but I will never question their right to be there. I hadn’t mentioned my actual writing skills but in an attempt to be a better communicator I will try to link the non football of the first few lines to the football jargon I came up with in the last few sentences...I actually can’t think of how I can do it so I’m just going to say I could do with a little more grammar classes at the local community college. Which I know can only help me in my crusade against goalkeepers who still where long pants while playing. I’m looking at you Gábor Király. It’s a shame...if you are a goalkeeper your still wearing long pants and it’s not 1978 and I’m pretty sure it’s not you should be arrested but that’s enough about that I have a group preview to do so let’s get to it. Before I do that just to show you how self absorbed I am the the word “I,” alone has been used 33 times just in this brief introduction. Just saying. Group B Argentina Jamaica Paraguay Uruguay Argentina
If you are familiar with football I really don’t have to sit here and waste my breathe about how great Argentina is because you already know. Now if that is not the case and you are new to the site and the soccer scene, let me put you on. Mind you this will be brief because Argentina is so good at the game that it really is self explanatory. Currently and this is debatable, the best player in the world is a fellow called Lionel Messi. Another debatable point is that countryman Diego Armando Maradona Franco is considered by a lot of people as being the best player who ever played the game. Sergio Agüero the father of Maradona's grandson is one of Europe’s elite strikers at the moment. Argentina has won the FIFA World Cup twice and since this the Copa America I’m talking about I think I should mention that the Argentines will be going for their 15th South American crown. Meaning they have won the continental competition 14 times. They have a strong domestic league almost on par with Europe. They tons of players playing in Europe and have a reputation of producing excellent footballers. Footballers that include the following: Nicolás Otamendi, Éver Banega, Carlos Tevez, Erik Lamela, Marcos Rojo, Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Pastore, Gonzalo Higuain and Ángel Di María. All of these fine gentlemen will be playing in Chile come June 11th and I didn’t even bother naming the rest because they are just as impressive. Now that the novices are up to speed with Argentina I can delve into the Patagonian nation’s chances. In my previous post I mentioned how Chile and Argentina are the only countries in South America to experience winter like conditions and how right now it is winter over there. I also mention how this will aid the Chileans and could boost their chances. Well if Chile is getting a boost I don’t know what the already overpowered Argentines will get. I could spout and say how the cool European like conditions will help Argentina but with all the stats and facts I laid down these guys don’t need any cheat codes. Argentina is a cheat code when it comes to this sport. Gerardo Martino is the current coach of the “Albiceleste,” a very strict and rigid coach but for all his pragmatic ways I can’t see him not letting Argentina’s attacking armada set sail. Brazil are the only team that can stand up to Argentina this time around and I fear for their chances. Argentina will win this tournament. Key Man- Straight off the treble with FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi will look to cap a great season with a title for his country. Although ever brilliant, Messi does has his critics and they tend to be from within his homeland. Claims are that he has not always pulled out all the stocks when he is draped in sky blue and white of Argentina but rather leaves his magic in Catalonia. It has been a long year for him. Last year was the World Cup, a competition that saw the forward come up short in the final. A fact he will want to forget and this is the perfect chance. Fresh or fresh not Messi is just too good to discount. Jamaica
antithesis
noun | an·tith·e·sis | \an-ˈti-thə-səs\ :theexact opposite of something or someone :the state of two things that are directly opposite to each other This the definition of one of my favorite words according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Latin and Greek in origin the word “antithesis,” is as you see it above. I am actually very fond of the second definition. "The state of two things that are directly opposite to each other.” This being sport I think it is an appropriate meaning. Pitting two “states,” against each other. So why the English lesson? Well if you are observant you would see that lovely Jamaica Federation crest directly above our little “Word of the Day.” Above that logo is my detailed description of Argentina. If you read it you would know how glorious and illustrious Argentina is; they are truly the blue bloods of the game with few equals. Aristocrats, the Bourgeoisie or whatever antiquated fancy term you can think of. In contrast Jamaica are everything they are not. Few honors and what honors she does have don’t count for much. Jamaica's players sit at the fringes of Europe or settle for the pandering Major League Soccer. Millions if not billions know Leo Messi while a handful know Darren Mattocks. Jamaica is the antithesis of Argentina! One can even go a step further and say Jamaica literally and figuratively does not belong in the same company as Argentina. Harsh...I know but these are facts but yet I still feel a lot of hope for my Caribbean neighbor here. Let me explain for those who are lost on the last stanza. Jamaica belong to another FIFA qualifying zone called CONCACAF so it should not even be in this competition that is a CONMEBOL event, the federation in which Argentina is apart of. Like Mexico, Jamaica has been invited as a guest to take part in Chile. Looking at how I set up this preview on Jamaica you would think I have a vendetta against them but that is far from the case. I have the upmost respect and admiration for the men from the Greater Antilles and think they are the standard bearers for Caribbean football. This Copa America experience can only boost the island’s football pedigree and I didn’t always think so. I was skeptical about their chances but I stepped back and looked for positives. That being said I don’t think those pluses will outweigh the minuses at this tourney. This is a tough group and Jamaica isn’t lining up against Dominica, Bermuda and Grenada it will be Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, sides that savage even the best opponents. The man who will look to make Jamaica a real player in this Group B is German Winfried Schäfer who has an impressive coaching resume with the likes of VfB Stuttgart, Cameroon and Thailand on his dossier. Schäfer has chosen a Jamaican side full of European and North American based players. Most notable are Leicester’s Wes Morgan, Houston Dynamo’s Giles Barnes and New York Red Bulls’ Kemar Lawrence all of which had or are having tidy campaigns currently. These three if healthy will no doubt bring respectability to Jamaica’s Copa America. Key Man- Argentina and Uruguay can be had at the back and don’t have the most mobile back lines. Vancouver Whitecaps' Darren Mattocks is very mobile and very strong. Balls over the top should be Jamaica’s game plan from the onset. This guy can get to them. Paraguay
Over recent times I’ve grown a little disappointed in Paraguay simply because they just seem to be ticking along. I make sure I watch as much FIFA youth tournaments as I possibly can. The U-23s and U-20s are apart of my diet and I also particularly love to view the Toulon Tournament. At these tourneys Paraguay seem to be an ever present and each and every time I am absolutely blown away by their youth teams. I ogle at their young stars and rub my palms like a villain who is about to carry out the dirtiest of deeds. I legitimately look forward to see them playing for Paraguay senior team but for whatever reason they never make a clean transition. I don’t know what is wrong but to me and this is my tentative observation so don’t kill me. It seems that there is a disconnect between the youth set up and the full national team. I can comfortably say I am not an expert on Paraguayan football but I just want to know if the jump is too great for their young players or if they are not getting the best out of them right now. Paraguay a few years ago were to me at least the fourth best team in the region right behind Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Now Colombia and Chile have surpassed them and they are rubbing shoulders with dear I say Venezuela and Peru. They didn’t make the last World Cup in Brazil and in an attempt to reach it they finished rock bottom of the CONMEBOL. A far cry from when they topped their group at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. There is hope though, Paraguay were the losing finalist at the last Copa in 2011 so they do have that to fall back on despite that turbulent World Cup campaign. There is no shame in losing to an excellent Uruguay in a continental tournament but I just feel Paraguay need to do more. They have lifted the Copa America twice in their history first of which came in 1953 with the second coming in 1979 so they are decorated. Now it’s up to coach Ramón Díaz to motivate his side so they can raise the cup. Díaz has chosen a team packed with players who ply their trade in the Americas. With the most familiar faces being veteran striker Roque Santa Cruz, Lucas Barrios, Nelson Valdez and Raúl Bobadilla. My concern is that this quartet is aging and if Paraguay is going to get something from this group their best players are going to have to be on form. Luckily that isn't my job it’s the coach’s duty and he definitely has his work cut out for him. Key Man- Lucas Barrios went on loan from Spartak Moscow to French side Montpellier where he scored 11 goals from 27 appearances. A good haul, so no doubt Barrios will look to carry forward that good energy into the Paraguayan camp this summer. All in all he is a good player and his country will need his contribution in a big way. Uruguay
So many emphasis is placed on players and match ups but I think coaches are just as important as any man on the field. Uruguay’s Óscar Tabárez is one of the finest managers walking and he isn’t a bad coach either. All sport aside his numerous tenures with Uruguay has yielded some wonderful results. I won’t rattle them off but I will say he and Uruguay will be defending their Copa America crown and will look to add No.16 to their trophy cabinet back in Montevideo. A feat that will extend their lead on eternal enemies Argentina who are going into the tournament on 14 Copa titles. Tabárez as grand of a master he is will no doubt face a tough task without two men who have served him so well in previous campaigns. Diego Forlán Uruguay’s golden boy has now retired from international football and will not be available for selection. While the country’s most dangerous and most productive player Luis Suárez will not be in Chile either. The Uruguayan front man is not allowed to take part in the Copa due to his nine match ban inflicted by FIFA for his incident at the last World Cup with Italian defender Giorgio Chellini. These two omission has left a huge void in Tabárez’s squad but lucky he has the predatory Edison Cavani at his disposal. Backing up the lanky forward will be staples of Uruguayan national team, men like Fernando Muslera, Diego Godín and all around tough guy Maximiliano Pereira. Which is all well and good but I feel with Luis Suárez Uruguay could had blasted it’s way through to the final and maybe grab that 16th Copa America title. Without him I’m sorry they are third best behind Argentina and Brazil. Key Man- Edison Cavani needs to become the Edison Cavani of his Napoli days. Ligue 1 and PSG has watered him down. Cavani in Serie A was the Grim Reaper of defenses and he would crucify goalkeepers. Without Luis Suárez it all falls to him. Predictions- Argentina 1st, Uruguay 2nd, Paraguay 3rd and Jamaica 4th. This will be easy work for Argentina I really don’t have to explain much here. Uruguay minus Luis Suárez is not the same and their chances of winning the tournament has been marred by his absence. Paraguay will be looking to prove a point due to their poor performances internationally but unfortunately this group will not help them exorcise those demons. The two nations divided by the Rio de la Plata Argentina and Uruguay will not be in the mood to let them pass. As for Jamaica as much as I want them to do well I know that they simply won’t.
The other day while I was at work I had the pleasure of running into a young man from Brazil. We talked for a bit and for me it was an interesting conversation. He went on and on about basketball and he told me his favorite players and he even told how Brazil beat Team USA years ago in basketball to win a championship. I was impressed. He rattled off names like Nenê, Anderson Varejão and Tiago Splitter. His knowledge of basketball was surprising. Surprising...because I stereotyped him. Why would a Brazilian know anything about basketball? I asked myself but he knew his stuff. I was curious I had to ask what he thought about the World Cup? He said. “I hate it.” I was shocked I said why? He said that this World Cup is not for the people in Brazil. He followed by saying if it were local kids playing the game he was all for it but for these big names and companies he couldn’t get on board. He added that the World Cup is taking the people’s money and that he would rather the government there put the money to better use. I think he is absolutely right. I think FIFA has only considered the game and has disregarded what effect it would have on the populous. They overestimated Brazilians love for the game and now the situation is getting out of hand. I am not an economist or a social commentator but I know when something is looking a little shaky and this is. Hopefully for us neutrals we can have a World Cup that is full of great moments and for Brazilians I pray they can get what they want. Not a great way to segue into a group preview but sometimes seriousness is the order of the day. Group F Argentina Bosnia-Herzegovina Iran Nigeria Argentina
Where do we start with Argentina? Home of arguably the best player on the planet...Lionel Messi. Home of one of the greatest players of all time Diego Maradona. Two time Copa America and World Cup winners. Home of some quality bistros as well. Seems like the South American nation has it all but does she have what it takes to win it all? Argentina qualified for this World Cup by topping CONMEBOL finishing with 32 points, two points clear of Colombia and four points beyond a hot Chile. Leading the Argentines this summer will be Alejandro Sabella and the 59 year old has oodles of talent at his disposal. Up front he can count on the magical Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero and Ezequiel Lavezzi. While in midfield he has the likes of Ángel di María, Fernando Gago and Javier Mascherano at his service. The defense will feature the Manchester City duo Pablo Zabaleta and Martín Demichelis while in goal it looks like Sergio Romero. I am going to go on record and say that Argentina is my pick to win the World Cup. Simply because Mr. Messi has had a barren year. He didn’t win any thing last season so I have to think he will be extra motivated. I think his anemic performances for the national side will be put to bed this summer. Argentina for the chip! Key Man- Lionel Messi. Do I really have to write a following sentence? Bosnia-Herzegovina
The football legacy that Yugoslavia has left behind is absolutely stunning. Here I sit giving all the glory and pomp to yet another country that has risen out of the old empire. Bosnia-Herzegovina like Croatia, like Serbia and like Montenegro are promising footballing nations that are giving the established order in Europe a run for their money. Croatia and Bosnia are off to this summer’s tournament and the latter will be going to the World Cup for the first time and they aren’t here to just make a number. Bosnia made it to the championship when they advanced out of UEFA’s Group G. A group that featured Slovakia, Greece, Latvia, Lichtenstein and Lithuania. The Balkans topped the group purely on goal difference with Greece dropping down to second. Bosnia are coached by Safet Susic, a coach who believes in attacking and he will set up his side out to fire in some goals no doubt. Men like Edin Dzeko, Miralem Pjanic, Zvjezdan Misimovic and Vedad Ibisevic will be doing the firing. While in the back goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and defender Emir Spahic will look to shepherd the back line along the way. Bosnia find themselves in a light group and should advance. The Argentines will get by them but I don’t expect Iran and Nigeria to. Bosnia with their firepower will upset a few. Key Man- Edin Dzeko is a tall, slick and most of all unforgiving striker. He has been in the goals for the past few seasons and I see him netting a bunch for Bosnia this summer. Iran
If I’m honest my knowledge about Iran as a football team isn’t that great and I definitely have to cast an eye over them in the near future. That’s what I like about the World Cup it forces me to be a bit of a scholar because normally I wouldn’t be talking about Iran. The last thing I wrote about Iran came in the form of an editorial piece and that was a few years ago. It was kind of uncomplimentary to the Iranians. I made suggestions on what countries in that part of the world needed to do to become more successful. Now, I’m not taking any credit for Iran’s success but I do want to believe my article on this blog helped them to get where they are today...probably not but since my story the Iranians have really pushed the envelop. Iran made it to Brazil by coming out of the AFC’s Group A. Where they topped a group that had South Korea, Lebanon, Qatar and Uzbekistan. Iran aren’t mugs and this isn’t there first World Cup either having qualifying for the tournament three times before. The nation are also three time Asian Cup winners and are usually at the front of the queue when it comes to lifting the trophy along with Japan and South Korea. Some of the men in the Iranian squad at this World Cup are skilled midfielders Javad Nekounam and Ashkan Dejagah. Iran can also rely on the man who I think has the coolest name at the tournament forward Reza Ghoochannejhad aka “Gucci.” Iran should take a lot of good from this World Cup and with a favorable group I can see them getting at least one decent result Key Man- Javad Nekounam has been playing in Spain for a number of years and though it maybe with Osasuna, Iran will welcome it. At 33 years old it’s a wonder if he still has the legs. What he does have is the passing ability and that will be on show for sure. Nigeria
I always feel that Nigeria is at the World Cup but remarkably this is only the fourth tournament.The Nigerians got to Brazil by winning Group F in the second round of African qualifying where they bested Malawi, Kenya and Namibia. In the third round Nigeria defeated Ethiopia in a two legged playoff advancing 4-1 on aggregate. The Nigerians are coached by former player Stephen Keshi. Keshi has picked a strong side to vie for the cup. A lot of European based players are in his squad. Players like the excellent goalkeeper Victor Enyeama. Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel and Liverpool’s Victor Moses. How far can they go is the issue. I think it will be Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina battling it out for the second spot. The Nigerian players do have the big game experience that Bosnia does not have yet so they might be able to advance out of the group. Key Man- Not a very stylish pick but he is a man I know. John Obi Mikel is a patient player who can quietly affect a game in a positive way. Mikel is vastly underrated. Predictions- I have Argentina coming out on top with Bosnia finishing second. Nigeria will fill that third spot and Iran will round out the group. As I said before I expect Argentina to win the World Cup I have a funny feeling about them. Bosnia can easily outscore their opposition. Nigeria have talent but will they be able to be consistent at both ends of the field at the same time? As for Iran, I don’t think they have the personnel to cope with the sides they will face. Argentina
Count yourself lucky! Not just because I am here with some more soccer knowledge or the fact I've brought back one of my older series. Both very good reasons of course, rather celebrate the fact that I just remembered the password to get into the website. I literally spent an hour trying to figure out what the safe word was. Am I a little ashamed? Yes it's been too long since I've jotted down my thoughts onto the blog but in my defense I have had a lot of ideas floating around in my head. Which is a good thing but sometimes going back to old thoughts can help you come up with something spectacular and that's what I am aiming for here. One of my first series on the blog was entitled “Sleeping Dragons." I was just trying the whole cheesy reptile theme hence the name. Titles aside, I knew I wanted a series that would highlight players who had considerable talent but for whatever reason wouldn't exhibit it, an underachiever almost. You know, the type of player that you look at and say he is way better than this. For months, years even I have wanted to return to this segment but distractions, laziness and to my shame my own wandering mind would not allow me to do so. Now that I am in the mood I have to take a crack at it...I bring to you the latest installment of "Sleeping Dragons." Name: Éver Maximiliano David Banega D/O/B: 05/29/1988 Place of Birth: Rosario, Argentina Position: Central Midfielder Height: 5'9ft National Team: Argentina National Team Debut: Argentina vs Guatemala (Feb.6 2008) Club Team(s): Boca Juniors 2007-2008, Valencia C.F 2008-present*, Atletico Madrid 2008-09 (loan), Newell's Old Boys 2014* As I like to do is lay some facts down before I get to the opinions so let me get that out of the way. Éver Banega was born in the Santa Fe province's largest city, Rosario on June 29th 1988. His football odyssey began at little known Nuevo Horizonte before joining the ranks at Alianza Sport. Both destinations purely stepping stones for what was to come. The earliest mention of Banega I could dig up, came in 2006 when he was recruited by famed club Boca Juniors. There he impressed in the youth set up waltzing through the junior squads and by age 18 he found himself in the senior team. After a successful campaign in the 2006-07 season with the Argentine side Banega earned a €20 million move to Spanish side Valencia in 2008. Looking to blood their new acquisition Valencia decided to farm out the Argentinian to fellow La Liga outfit Atlético Madrid that same year. While in the Spanish capital Banega hit the pitch 24 times for red and white half of Madrid with real gusto. Banega’s time at Atletico was great, thus validating Valencia’s purchase. The following season the midfielder returned to Valencia where he was until very recently been a linchpin. Banega has appeared to date over 100 times for club, he has scored a few goals, was the side’s captain and was instrumental in getting the club into the UEFA Champions League. Feats that many players wished they had achieved but misfortune has also plagued the playmaker. February 2012 saw Banega sidelined due to a freak injury where his own car damage his ankle, tibia, fibula and knee. This episode took a toll on Banega and his recovery was lengthy. Fast forward to January of 2014 we see him playing back in Argentina for Newell’s Old Boys,Valencia decided to loan out player until the end of the season and all reports such that he is performing well. From an early age Argentina knew what a talent Banega was. He was apart of the U-20 and U-23s Argentine sides in the past. The transition from youth team to the full national side was relatively easy for him. The midfield man made his international debut on February 6th 2008 in a friendly against CONCACAF light weights Guatemala. When available and fit Banega has been apart of the national team set up and as I write according to reports, he has been named to provisional 30-man Argentine squad for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, so he has one foot in the door. It remains to be seen if he will make the final cut but being named to the 30 is a real feat considering the amount of talent available to coach Alejandro Sabella and the player’s troubles. In my mind there is no doubt that over Banega is a super talent and there will be some significant success in his career as he continues to chug along but I can’t just wonder if loan moves to like the one he is on at Argentina serves him any good. I use to be an European football snob before my eyes were open to Major League Soccer and to the Latin American football leagues and if you had to pick a league outside Europe to follow the Argentine Primera Division will not disappoint. It’s wonderful. River Plate, Boca Juniors, Velez Sarsfield and Banega’s Newell’s Old Boys are dreams but they don’t play in Europe’s elite competitions. I don’t have to stand long on the topic because it’s a fact. Europe has the best leagues in the world with the best players and Éver Banega at this very moment is not playing there. I don’t know why he was loaned out, it could be personal. It could be for footballing reasons as I said I don’t know I could dig deeper but what would be the point...he is there now and that is that. I personally think the move is a step back and I hope the loan move isn’t permanent. As I scribble down these thoughts down he is nearing the wrong side to his 20’s and physically not to be cliche but it will only go down hill from here. Banega has been unlucky with injuries and the few he as had would set anybody back. As a player he is solid, a good defender, a great passer and finishes well in front of goal. I just hope that he will have a long career in Europe and not decide like another Argentine player maker, Juan Roman Riquelme to stay home at play. I think this is the kindest “Sleeping Dragons,” article I have ever wrote. A lot less harsh than the ones about Miguel Veloso and Ricardo Quaresma. Maybe because I am getting older or I am becoming a more balance writer. Let’s hope for the latter. Éver Banega is a fine player who just needs a bit of luck and a prolonged period of good health. That last statement alone just proves that I am getting older I’m starting to sound like my uncle.
