Scotland V Argentina

[faceless]

Little gained by Scotland as Argentinians show they are a class apart
Ewan Murray at Hampden Park
guardian.co.uk,
November 20 2008

It is debatable whether or not this was money well spent by the Scottish FA. A reported figure of £800,000 brought Argentina and Diego Maradona; the visitors had rendered what can be a raucous venue at times about as noisy as a library before many fans had even taken their seats. This was worryingly straightforward for the South Americans. Carlos Tevez tormented and teased the Scots; Sir Alex Ferguson would have been concerned by a first-half lunge by Gary Caldwell on his forward's left ankle but Tevez appeared to bear no lasting effects. Maradona refused to use Tevez sparingly, therefore avoiding a humanitarian gesture towards the nation who still celebrate his Hand of God.

Scotland, albeit depleted, remain a footballing world away from the likes of Argentina. There will be far tougher tests to come for Maradona. In blunt terms, this was a competitive non-event with little for the Scotland management team to glean in a positive sense.

The Argentina captain Javier Mascherano had already watched a 20-yard volley clawed away by the Scotland goalkeeper, Allan McGregor, by the time Maxi Rodriguez sauntered through the home rearguard and finished from close range. The build-up passing from Tevez and Jonás Gutiérrez was typically exquisite, sufficiently so to pull Kirk Broadfoot fatally out of position and expose the Scotland central defence.

Within 12 minutes the Tartan Army were ironically hailing even a brief sequence of passes between George Burley's players. Scotland's best hope, it seemed, was either floodlight failure and match abandonment or an unlikely loss of interest from the South Americans.

Such troubles should not detract from Argentina's dominance, nonetheless. Ezequiel Lavezzi was next to try his luck following a superb Carlos Tevez through ball, but McGregor was up to the task. The visitors were similarly impressive at the back, Martín Demichelis brilliantly flicking a net-bound James McFadden attempt over the crossbar. The Bayern Munich centre-half proved not too adept four minutes before the break, his slip allowing McFadden another rare sight at goal. The goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo was required to, and duly did, spare Demichelis's blushes.

Burley had called on the services of his captain, Barry Ferguson, for the first time after a succession of injuries stalled the midfielder's international career. Like his team-mates, it took Ferguson half an hour to catch his breath; this was hardly a welcoming environment for a player who has had only two full games this season.

Tevez, the outstanding performer of the opening half, fired over from 16 yards. Some of the Scotland players, primarily Alan Hutton and Scott Brown, had already adopted an overtly combative approach in a vain attempt to prevent a rout.

It was a minor surprise that Tevez re-appeared after the interval following Caldwell's fierce challenge. Brown was hardly guilty of the same when tussling with Emiliano Papa, the Vélez full-back whose 48th-minute play-acting was among the more ridiculous which will be spotted this season. McFadden was the next to clatter Tevez, a matter which would surely have had another Scot, the Manchester United manager, once again bemoaning the benefit of international friendly matches.

Scotland enjoyed their most effective spell of the match as the second period opened, but without forcing Carrizo into anything resembling meaningful action. Niggling fouls, diving and needle had also become the order of the day before Tevez should have settled matters, driving through the Scotland defence and sending a shot high on the hour mark. That incident was the cue for Ferguson's withdrawal; he had been tormented enough.

The ineffectual McFadden followed the captain down the tunnel shortly after, Burley at least attempting to breathe life into a stagnant contest by re-arranging his forward players. Unlike their opponents, though, Scotland never looked a viable threat when crossing the half-way line.

Burley now has four months to contemplate his next move. A World Cup qualifier in Amsterdam against the Dutch is hardly a comforting prospect this morning as the manager picks through the aftermath of this game. By March 28, Scotland's fans may just have regained their appetite for watching a side in navy blue.

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"Within 12 minutes the Tartan Army were ironically hailing even a brief sequence of passes..."

haha, good stuff

[seshme]

Dodgy start but I thought Scotland did quite well.

This review is more negative than any others I've read