Going into the 2010 World Cup, Argentina were among the big favorites. Yes, they had a crazy person for a manager in Diego Maradona, but they also had Lionel Messi, the best player in the world. They ran into a brick wall in the quarterfinals as they were completely and thoroughly destroyed by Germany, but they should be a much different team going forward. Argentina are the hosts of the 2011 Copa America, and the now Sergio Batista lead team is expected to reach the final, at bare minimum. They kick off the tournament tonight with a match against Bolivia - oh, poor Bolivia - where anything less than an emphatic beat-down will be seen as a failure.
Copa America 2011, Argentina Vs. Bolivia: New Look Albiceleste Look To Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez
Batista, by all accounts, is completely changing the gameplan from the Maradona days. Expect to see a couple of true fullbacks with some crossing ability, a solid three-man center of midfield with great passing player at the tip, and Lionel Messi playing the way that he plays with Barcelona. Carlos Tevez and Ezequiel Lavezzi will both start, while Angel di Maria starts on the bench.
Tonight’s match in La Plata is more or less a warm-up game and a fun little run-out for Argentina. It’s basically a given that they’ll win tonight, and the same thing can be said about their impending match against Costa Rica. Argentina could probably play a complete B team and win those two games, to be honest. Their real test will come against Colombia on July 6. Tonight, all we’ll learn is whether or not their fans have reason to be worried about that match. Even a disastrous performance should probably result in three points for the Albiceleste tonight against the weakest team in this competition.
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