The third and final match of this Father’s Day Sunday (Happy Father’s Day, Dad!), and it’s the first encounter I don’t expect to be close. Argentina, as Zonal Marking points out, don’t quote have the quality at the back that they do in attack. Still, Bosnia would love to have defenders of the quality of Ezequiel Garay or Pablo Zabaleta. There won’t be much drama in this encounter, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying some of the world’s best players ripping apart unworthy competition.
What’s At Stake
Believe it or not, Bosnia & Herzegovina, playing in their first World Cup, have a chance of advancing to the second round. That’s because Argentina got a very easy draw this year; Bosnia aren’t good, but neither are Iran or Nigeria. The Iranians are hopelessly defensive, and the disorganized Nigerians, despite being reigning African champions, got ripped apart by the US in a warmup match two weeks ago. Unfortunately, that means the Bosnians might decide to sit back and try to hold on for a draw. Argentina will win this group easily.
If the Europeans don’t sit back defensively, they have enough talent to worry Argentina. They’ll play the 4-2-3-1/4-4-2 that has been so popular the last decade, and the top two are dangerous. Striker Edin Dzeko will score if he’s given any opening at all (unless he doesn’t), and the Argentinian defenders do have mistakes in them (even if Dzeko’s club teammate Pablo Zabaleta knows all his tricks). Miralem Pjanic is a wonderful footballer who can provide for Dzeko if he’s given any space.
Argentina play 4-3-3, giving near-absolute freedom to the terrifying trip of Messi, Sergio Agüero, and Gonzalo Higuaín up top. Real Madrid’s Ángel di María will connect them with deeper defensive midfielders Gago and Mascherano in a role he has proven he can handle at Madrid. Argentina should be all over the ball; look for lots of tricks and flicks to try to break down an under-pressure Bosnian defense.
The two commentators are Derek Rae, the only Scot on ESPN’s team, and Roberto Martínez, the Spanish coach of Everton FC in England. Both are excellent. Martínez knows more about the game than anybody else in commentary today, so work through his strong accent and you’ll find some real knowledge.
Match-specific Drinking Games
Cheeky Backheel: Take a shot whenever an Argentine player flicks the ball with the back of his heel. How drunk? Strong, steady buzz.
Repite, por favor: Take a shot whenever you genuinely can’t figure out what Roberto Martínez has just said. How drunk? Not too bad, but you won’t be thirsty.
Blowout: Shotgun a beer for every goal Argentina score over two.
Argentina: Malbec. The actual official national drink. Convenient if you’ve for any red wine left from supporting France earlier.
BIH: Rakija. Bosnia is in a heavily alcoholic area of the world. They’ve also got a lot of recent history to try to forget. This stuff is strong.
For more:
– Read my general World Cup watching guide.
– Check out Zonal Marking, my favorite tactics website.
– See a commentary schedule or a review of each commentator.
– See where I’m getting my national drink recommendations.
– Check out other match previews from this group: Iran vs. Nigeria
Picture credit: ibnlive.in.com
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