World Cup 2010 Qualifying: Basile Gambles on Riquelme and Wins

November 20th, 2007 | by: Daryl |

Juan Roman Riquelme number 10 Argentina may have suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil in this summer’s Copa America final, but that shouldn’t detract from the incredible football Alfio Basile’s team played all the way up to the big game. Despite subsequent calls for Argentina to become less attractive and more effective, Basile has stuck to his guns and been rewarded with more flowing football and a perfect played three won three, scored seven, conceded none start to World Cup 2010 CONMEBOL Qualifying. Key to all this was Basile’s decision to stick with lazy genius Juan Roman Riquelme, even when it became clear the playmaker would be rotting away in Villarreal limbo this season.

Riquelme hasn’t played any club football at all this season, and with calls for a more disciplined and hardworking Argentine team, it would have been easy to tell the midfielder thanks but no thanks. Basile basically had an easy out. But instead, he gambled his reputation on Riquelme’s talent and so far it’s paying off, as the number 10 has been outstanding and Argentina top the table. During Argentina’s 3-0 win over Bolivia on Saturday, Riquelme scored another perfectly placed free kick to add to the two he got against Chile in October…

…before finishing off Bolivia with this exquisite finish after a determined Leo Messi run.

It’s pretty clear he’ll never play for Villarreal again, but surely someone somewhere has to see what Riquelme’s doing in the albiceleste and make the Spanish club an offer, permanent or temporary. There’s been talk of him returning on loan to Boca Juniors, where he won the Copa Libertadores last year, but I’d much rather see him loaned to another European team. There are plenty of Premiership sides crying out for a creative spark that could afford Riquelme’s wages (Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Tottenham, West Ham) so why not take a gamble on him? It worked for Alfio Basile.

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john

“Argentina may have suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil in this summer’s Copa America final”

That’s putting it mildly. It was nothing short of disgraceful.

Less attractive and more effective? What does that even mean? Rubbish.

It’s fine I guess to run up scores on tier 2 football countries if it makes the federation and fans feel better, however, if Argentina cannot put together a disciplined and “effective” squad good luck playing the worlds top five teams in the next WC.
Bman

Why isnt Riquelme playing for Villareal, can someone explainw hat happened. I would think English clubs would be lining up like no tommorrow to get him to go to the Premier league like you said. There is no excuse for Villareal to force him to stay on the bench.
http://www.worldcupblog.org Daryl

Bman,

The precise reasons for the breakdown between Riquelme and Villarreal have never been made 100% explicit. But basically the club used to indulge him, building the team’s tactics around his talents and making sure there were plenty of fellow Argentines (like Juan Pablo Sorin) around. More importantly they indulged him off the pitch as well. Never questioning Riquelme when he was late for training or missed it entirely. Ex-Villarreal coach Benito Floro tired of Riquelme’s antics and tried to bench him, but one phone call from Riquelme to the directors was all it took for Floro to become ex-Villarreal coach.

Somehow this all went wrong after he missed that last minute penalty against Arsenal in 2005/6 Champions League semi-final. The effect wasn’t immediate but it sort of tainted Riquelme’s halo. So when current coach Manuel Pellegrini decided it was time to put Riquelme in his place, the Villarreal board backed their Chilean manager.

Two great articles by The Guardian’s Spanish football correspondent Sid Lowe can be read here and here.

If anyone has any more information on exactly what happened between Riquelme, Villarreal and Pellegrini, please feel free to share it.
http://marseille.theoffside.com Massaer

Riquelme is one of those old time players like garrincha. he just doesn’t give a fuck. The guy has football coming out of his pores but doesn’t like to train. Not that his nightlife is crazy or anything but sometimes he gets bored. He’s a headcase.
a few years ago, just before a Villareal barcelona game, he decided to leave Spain altogether with his very pregnant wife and go have the baby in Argentina. Villareal let him go knowing his wife was due on monday and that he would be back on wednesday for a saturday game. He showed up on sunday afternoon.
People enabled him so much. He was asked once to come half an hour early to get massaged and stuff, only to show up two hours after the practice.
rick

hes a scrub… always has been always will be. just smoke and mirrors. 0 talent loser. nuff said