World Cup 2010 qualifiers: Argentina squad vs Brazil and Paraguay

Friday saw the announcement of Diego Maradona’s national team squad to face Brazil in Rosario on the 5th September, which will then take on Paraguay days later in Asunción. Matches between Argentina and Brazil are always intense affairs, but with so much riding on this game for Maradona’s men in particular, el pibe de oro has just named his most important squad to date. He won’t want to be the manager if Argentina lose only the second home World Cup qualifier in their history. Twenty-three players have been named, with two more from the domestic league possibly to be added at a later date. Those twenty-three are:

Goalkeepers:
Mariano Andújar (Catania, Italy)
Juan Pablo Carrizo (Real Zaragoza, Spain)
Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands)

Defenders:
Javier Zanetti (Internazionale, Italy)
Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseilles, France)
Nicolás Burdisso (Internazionale)
Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United, England)
Emiliano Papa (Vélez Sársfield)
Nicolás Otamendi (Vélez Sársfield)
Nicolás Pareja (Espanyol, Spain)

Midfielders:
Javier Mascherano (Liverpool, England) – captain
Fernando Gago (Real Madrid, Spain)
Maximiliano Rodríguez (Atlético de Madrid, Spain)
Jonás Gutiérrez (Newcastle United)
Jesús Dátolo (Napoli, Italy)
Juan Sebastián Verón (Estudiantes de La Plata)
Sebastián Battaglia (Boca Juniors)

Forwards:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Spain)
Sergio Agüero (Atlético de Madrid)
Carlos Tevez (Manchester City, England)
Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli)
Diego Milito (Genoa Cricket & Football Club, Italy)
Lisandro López (Olympique Lyonnais, France)

It’s good to see Maradona continuing to show faith in some of the domestic league’s best performers, of course, and Emiliano Papa in particular at left back will be hopeful of continuing the promising start to his international career. With the vast majority yet to play competitive football this season, and a few – Heinze, Milito, López, Tevez, Carrizo and Dátolo – having just moved clubs, it’s a squad necessarily based more on the devils Diego knows than on current form. All the same, the two Newcastle players stand out at this stage. Will they really travel to the World Cup next year, if they’ve just ended a season playing in England’s second division? And why do they get in the squad – along with Fernando Gago and Gabriel bloody Heinze, again, when Gonzalo Higuaín still doesn’t?

If Maradona does decide to call up two more players from the Argentine league, the leading candidates at present are defenders Sebastián Domínguez of Vélez, and Rolando Schiavi of Newell’s, fresh off the back of being loaned to Estudiantes for their Copa Libertadores final victory. Alternatively he might decide to add to his attacking options with Lanús’s Eduardo Salvio or San Lorenzo striker Gonzalo Bergessio – who would, if nothing else, bring a bit of fighting spirit to the team…