God trusts Jesús to face Brazil

By Sam Kelly (sam@theenganche.com)

Friday saw the announcement of Diego Maradona's national team squad to face Brazil in Rosario on the 5^th September. Jesús Dátolo keeps his place after impressing against Russia.

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. 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. Gonzalo Higuaín's exclusion, meanwhile, means the 'should he, shouldn't he' debate about Pipita's inclusion continues to rage. 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?

If Maradona does decide to call up two more players from the Argentine league, the leading candidates at present are defenders Sebastián Domínguez (Vélez) and Rolando Schiavi (Newell's, and fresh off the back of being loaned to Estudiantes for their Copa Libertadores final victory). Alternatively he might decide to augment the attack with Lanús's Eduardo Salvio or San Lorenzo striker Gonzalo Bergessio.