Argentina five months before World Cup (23 Jan 2006 07:01 GMT)
The World Cup is still five months away, and already Argentine fans are fretting.
First, they found out their team was drawn into the ''Group of Death'' with Netherlands, Ivory Coast and Serbia/Montenegro. Now, key players are injured and coach Jose Pekerman is under fire for not settling on a roster and scheduling only one friendly before the Cup - March 1 against Croatia.
The sting of a stunning first-round exit from the 2002 World Cup has not been forgotten, and the Argentine team is under intense pressure to go far this summer.
Things were rolling right along last June, when Argentina qualified for the 2006 Cup with a 3-1 victory over arch rival Brazil. But then the Argentines turned around and lost to Brazil 4-1 at the Confederations Cup, lost 1-0 to Paraguay in September and lost 3-2 to England in November.
To make matters worse, defender Gabriel Heinze, who plays for Manchester United, damaged knee ligaments during a Champions League match in September, and his status remains up in the air. Defender Roberto Ayala had surgery on his right knee and can't practice until at least March. And midfielder Javier Mascherano has a stress fracture in his left foot and has been out of action for months.
The injuries have made it tough for Pekerman to settle on a starting 11. Roberto Abbondanzieri is a lock at goalkeeper, and Hernan Crespo and Juan Roman Riquelme are shoo-ins, as well. We should have know much more afer first call-ups for friendly game with Croatia will be sent.
source : Miami Herald