Tudo bem, people?! Welcome to Day 1 of the Selecao bootcamp…. a staple here at Futbolita. And in true spirit, we just did a thorough assessment of the selecao’s arrival at Granja Comary with our Brazilian amiga here, Ana. Gata wants to marry Zagallo but he’s old enough to be her grandfather, so she has now shifted all thoughts to Julio Cesar. On the other hand, Fabulouso is looking sleek in white… he needs to pose for a furniture catalogue agora!
So manos were sent for gym conditioning (to “maintain muscles and detoxification”) ,with Senor Pablo Paixão. This was accompanied by light field training and running exercises. Nilmar is deep in concentration… (while el amigo Lucas is presumably talking about English tea) so do not disturb!
Of course, playing at a high altitude is another issue for selecao. As such, the team’s doctor Jose Luis Runco has confiscated the potato chips from Adriano’s room. “I recommend a light diet for the team – with fruit and carbohydrates. Our position in relation to games at altitude does not change and I hope that FIFA changes it,” he said. “It is advisable to practice the sport at (a suitable) altitude because we run a risk of compromising the life of a human being.”
Added the excited André Santos. : “The secret is to adapt as quickly as possible to play a great game.”
Fotos de R.Ribeiro
Maradona (and the rest of the nation) are still distraught over Argentina’s humiliating 6-1 loss in the hands of Bolivia. But he insists that the team have emerged ’stronger’ from the defeat.
“We are strengthened after the meeting we had on the plane,” he said. “We were very bad and no one expected that disaster. We accept the (result) and hopefully (we’ll) turn that defeat into something good.”
Very bad? That’s a nice way of putting it. It also means no one got any sleep on the plane. “Si, papa, si. Lo siento por la derrota…,” Kun probably muttered throughout the pep talk. Ya’ll know Messi was snoring because ya’ll know he can do anything he likes and Maradona will let it pass!
Riquelme must be laughing to himself now – one day after Argentina’s humiliating defeat in the hands of Bolivia. We all knew the altitude was always going to be a problem, but not one amounting to SIX goals.
“I think it is impossible (for us) to work there while others can. But this cannot be an excuse for the defeat,” said Messi at the Buenos Aires airport, on his way back to Barcelona. “We will not lose hope. It was a bad game in La Paz (for us) but for them everything was fine. We are sad, but we must move forward, think about our own good performances and correct the mistakes.”
The local press have also questioned the team’s commitment. For example, there was “too much freedom given to the players” on Sunday night (following the win over Venezuela). Also, players only came in once a day for training (as opposed to two training sessions – morning and afternoon which other squads often practise). Lastly, the medical team and physiotherapists reportedly faced a great deal of challenges throughout the week.
For Maradona, he was about to start his Mini Cooper (papi!) yesterday afternoon when he spotted Julio Grondona at the training site in Ezeiza. The Argentinean football chief reportedly gave him a hug and ‘whispered words of support’. An announcement is also expected to be made next week. Perhaps Oscar Ruggeri will finally be picked as Maradona’s assistant coach? Watch this space!
Maradona and his Argentinean sons travel to La Paz, Bolivia today for tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier. According to the football federation, Maradona will only reveal his final squad before they enter the field. He wants to see how players react to the high altitude of 3,600m (that’s a lot worse than Ecuador’s).
“We need to come into the training camp, playour game and be smart. Our team should not have many problems working on more than 3600 metres of altitude. Winning is important especially against Venezuela because it gives (us) confidence for the next game. The joy of the victory lasted until Saturday evening because we’ve been in Bolivia since Sunday and we can achieve another victory,” said Zanetti.
Well, we all know how competitive everyone is in the Argentinean national team. They will all be too eager to suck it in and face breathing difficulties than admit defeat!
Elsewhere, the local press in Buenos Aires are speculating about a possible contract extension for Maradona. “The idea is for him to stay on as a coach for the 2011 Copa América to be held in our country,” says journalist Hernan Claus.
The footballing Gods must have heard our cries and granted Brazil a 2-1 win over Bolivia in last night’s U-20 South American Championships.
The young selecao had to work hard to win the game, however as their opponents scored first thanks to a goal by Castedo. Rafael Toloi did no favours for the team either, after being sent off with a second yellow card.
However, Brazil fought back and expanded their gameplay – passing quickly and creating more chances at goal. Of course this paid off and Internacional’s Walter and Tales both netted in goals to earn a win for their side.
The South American championships are pretty challenging, and given the fact that all the players still play in their domestic leagues, it certainly shows that talent isn’t lacking outside Europe!
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