Pekerman: We worked really hard for this win (11 Jun 2006 09:08 GMT)
On the press conference after a game against Ivory Coast, Jose Pekerman said :
"We're pleased because we did what we needed to do. We were up against very tough opponents, who performed not like a side making their first World Cup appearance but like a team capable of achieving real success. It was a good overall performance from my boys. We defended when we had to defend, we created openings, and we took our chances when they came. We worked really hard for this win, that's why it means so much to me.
There were a number of plus points,Abbondanzieri and Crespo for example, and I thought Crespo's goal was excellent. But there were also a few negatives, and we'll be working on those. However, winning our first match should give us the confidence boost we need to keep getting better.
Are Riquelme and Cambiasso guaranteed a place in the starting eleven? No, nobody is. You select the players that you think will best suit a particular game. If that doesn't happen, then you make changes. I took Crespo off because he'd worked his socks off and I thought that Saviola and Palacio would help us create more opportunities, but for a variety of reasons that wasn't the case. But I repeat, the most important thing was to win and that's what we did."
source : FIFA