Yesterday I had the great pleasure of seeing La Liga game-match between Valencia & Valladolid, two playmakers were in full display, although Valencia’s Ever Banega truly has no equal, and deserves to be on the NT setting up Diego Milito & Messi, I was also somewhat impressed with Valladolid’s resident Uruguayan enganche, Nestor Canobbio, who should have been given a courtesy call-up by Tabarez on the NT sometime in the last year or so. But then at the end of the game’s conclusion, as the announcers threw in their two cents and muttered out-loud that Banega should be playing on the Argentinean NT, as this very astute argument was laid out almost as an afterthought, it was then that I thought that the chances for Banega or Canobbio even playing on their respective National Teams is really an argument that is null and void.

ARGENTINA & BANEGA

Yes Ever Banega is the second coming of Jesus, or Andrea Pirlo (minus the exaggerated comparison) — yes this is the same Banega I once criticized because his inclusion on the Valencia Squad amounted to the destitution of Nacho Gonzalez. I will eat crow and say Banega does have all-world skill and should be playing for Maradona’s Argentina NT. But will he? Interesting enough, Unai Emery buried Banega as a Pirlo-esque deep-field lying playmaker, at times I could have sworn he was playing Left-Back yesterday. Banega scored in the 8th minute and set up David Villa’s goal… the kid does have what it takes to dazzle but by doing so he really is inching away from Maradona including him on the NT final call-up. Why?

It seems South America is moving away from “Enganches” and fast. Look at your top South American playmakers playing in Europe, the Brazilian Diego & the Argentinean Banega, to the average fan, these guys deserve a spot on the NT. But even the highly criticized Maradona is following the latest trends in football which are doing away with the concept of the enganche, because in reality, playmakers slow down the game, allow defenses to adjust and in essence limit possession. Oscar Tabarez did the same thing with this Blog’s favorite enganche, Ignacio Maria Gonzalez… “El Nacho.” Lets take into account three matches, the always quotable 2007 Qualifier match between Brazil & Uruguay at the Morumbi, the 2008 match between Uruguay and Peru and the 2008 Ecuador match with Uruguay that ended in a nil-nil draw. Uruguay had ball-possession in those three matches, the Peru-match was a textbook example of dominance, the added luxury of playing with Forlan and a match-fit goalkeeper like Castillo surely added to the equation but after watching the Peru match I realized how differently Tabarez had Uruguay playing for the whole of 2009. The exclusion of Nacho Gonzalez has affected passing and ball distribution but it has not affected El Maestro’s game plan which is to push the ball forward using left-backs like Caceres, Alvaro Pereira, Mono Pereira and sometimes Andres Scotti… in other words, Tabarez has no use for Nacho anymore just as much as Dunga has no use for Diego and Maradona for Banega.

Not playing with an enganche, a staple of Rio-Platense football is a definite no-no, but playing with one is an antiquated idea that all but blew up in South America’s face at the last World Cup. In fact Brazil played with the best enganche in the planet, Ronaldinho and didn’t even reach the the Final Four. No South American side reached the final four in 2006 for the first time since 1982, Argentina played with Juan Roman Riquelme and although they dominated against Serbia with a 6-0 thrashing, against better European competition, the Netherlands and Germany, the inclusion of Riquelme did not tilt the competition in Argentina’s favor.

Just as Oscar Tabarez has done away with players who hold on to the ball, namely Pablo Garcia & Fabian Estoyanoff, it doesn’t mean he has no use for Nacho Gonzalez or a player like Nestor Canobbio. It does mean he would use them differently in a World Cup scenario, meaning he wouldn’t use a standard 4-4-2 diamond formation that would utilize the talents of either Gonzalez or Canobbio. It doesn’t matter that Sebastian Eguren’s health issues may have possibly opened another spot on the NT, there are reasons why he won’t take the former Danubian playmaker and the former Carbonero. Although capping a player straight from the Greek League wouldn’t be a new precedent, Dunga has capped players from the Greek Super League already, but if you were to choose between Canobbio or Gonzalez, you would take Canobbio because he plays in a better league, plays against better competition and is a starter. You wouldn’t take them though because the teams these guys play for are at the bottom of the table. They’re not playing in winning systems, just in teams struggling to survive. I’m not crazy enough either to suggest that we “re-cap” Recoba either. There’s no need to push the panic button anymore, Uruguay has learned to play without enganches. The nil-nil draw to Ecuador was probably the death knell of the enganche for Uruguay (a game Nacho played in). Ecuadorian defenses adjusted nicely to Uruguay’s game. Everything Tabarez has done for the last 3 years seems to be following a game plan, he got rid of a splendid player like Pablo Garcia, one of the best central defensive midfielders I’ve ever seen and Fabian Estoyanoff a silky smooth hybrid striker/winger… both players had the same problem though, they needed one too many touches in order to be effective.

Playing without Nacho though affects the production of another player; Walter Gargano. ––– In the Peru game, the near telepathic chemistry between Nacho & Gargano is at full display, “the pass it to me, now I pass it to you” combination between Gargano & Nacho is amazing. Gargano hasn’t been effective since Nacho last played in 2008. Which is why Tabarez has done away with the traditional “Cinco” or CDM, opting instead for “push it forward” midfielders like Eguren & Diego Perez. Eguren’s health woes at Lazio though will affect the NT, but it won’t open a spot for Canobbio or Nacho ––– Tabarez can instead plug-in the short-stop midfielder Jorge Rodriguez or take Alvaro Fernandez to the big show, Flaco doesn’t have the big target on his back like Nacho does when he takes to the field. Sure Tabarez plays the numbers shuffles, I remember Nacho playing with either the number 16, 18 or 20 on his back, but defenses are not that dumb, Nacho is your classic “ten.” The defenses go into hunter-mode and swarm around a player like this and would do so in a World Cup game. Are there lessons to be learned? Sure how well did it go for Uruguay when we played with a classic “Diez” like Francescoli? Uruguay barely made it to the second round of the 1986 & 1990 World Cups. “El Flaco” is not your classic “diez” but he can keep the ball in play, something Jorge Martinez can do as well. Although Malaka’s game is not as smooth as Nacho’s, you can see Tabarez using him as a sort-of “cinco” in a World Cup match, since he’s really playing without a pure “Cinco” as well & would have no trouble turning Malaka into another “Eguren” during the World Cup. That’s all Tabarez needs right now, guys who can push the ball forward, guys who don’t draw double defenses and allow Suarez & Forlan to run forward. It’s not exactly pleasing to the eye but this is exactly what happened last year.

Still not convinced?

Some of you are still not convinced, some of you believe that a play-maker like Nacho or perhaps forcing Lodiero into that position will solve Uruguay’s problems. It won’t, Tabarez will use Lodeiro but not like we think he’ll use him. Lodeiro will make a pass here and there but won’t be saddled with the burden of wearing the “Diez” jersey, whether it reads “14″ or “16″ or “20.” There’s no more need for Enganches in football. Look what’s happening to Juventus with Diego, nothing, currently 6th in the Serie-A standings. Dunga played without one in the Confederations Cup, he may have tipped his hat in doing so, but so what? Why cap Ronaldinho, when he ball-hogs and is only good for a set-piece kick? Dunga has led the way, and Maradona & Tabarez are simply following suit. Can you play with better passing? Sure look at Bielsa’s Chile, but you can push the ball forward and go for results just the same.

So what am I saying? Uruguay shouldn’t take Nacho? No, you can take Nacho if you want to, but the whole World is playing without the set-playmaker concept, so why bother? You want a playmaker for specific games? Games where you can get away with playing with a ball distributor? OK take Lodeiro and save a spot for Fernandez, but worry more about taking extra defenders, that’s where the world is going, in fact football is doing away with the concept of the winger as well, so what you need more than defenders are running backs who can push the ball all the way to the front, guys like Martin Caceres, Alvaro Pereira, Jorge Fucile or Carlos Diogo. Playing without an enganche is the new trend, It’s an idea that goes for results, doesn’t slow down the game, which is why Maradona has no use for playing Banega as the NT’s playmaker or is interested in forcing Messi into that role. Although it took a while, it appears South America (well as far as Brazil, Argentina & Uruguay are concerned) have caught up with the rest of the world.

   

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