Daily Mail Uk
Copa America 2011: What we learned from Argentina's debut flop against Bolivia
Hosts Argentina kicked off the Copa America as ridiculously short-priced favourites to win the competition – but came unstuck in the opener against a Bolivia side who defied their billing as the competition's worst team.
In La Plata, the side built around Lionel Messi went behind to a 47th-minute goal by Edivaldo Rojas before clinching a point with a sublime equaliser by substitute Sergio Aguero.
Here are some lessons from the opening game
ARGENTINA ARE NOT BARCELONA
If it were easy to emulate Barcelona's immensely successful game, everyone would be at it. In the ongoing battle to get the best out of Lionel Messi in an albiceleste shirt, boss Sergio Batista has tried as far as possible to replicate the role that the No 10 enjoys with the European champions.
It started well as Messi got into his rhythm as a drifting, false centre forward, but the weakness of the supporting cast was soon apparent. Attacking partners Carlos Tevez and Ezequiel Lavezzi played too narrow, making it easy for Bolivia to squeeze the space Messi was playing in, which was compounded because full backs Javier Zanetti and Marcos Rojo failed to get forward often enough to stretch the game in the way Dani Alves and Eric Abidal do so well at the Nou Camp.
In midfield, too, Javier Mascherano was supposed to be playing the Sergio Busquets role, with Esteban Cambiasso and Ever Banega as the Xavi and Iniesta of the piece. Unfortunately all three of Argentina's midfielders looked instinctively too cautious and the pass-and-move triangles which Barca create were few and far between.
Argentina were much better when Angel di Maria replaced Cambiasso at half-time and flirted with Real Madrid's 4-2-3-1 system. Di Maria gave them natural width down the left even if Lavezzi couldn't replicate it down the right. But Messi, tightly marked, became lost in the change of formation as he fell too deep in central areas to try to make an impact, and Tevez proved ineffective when shifted to his favoured centre forward position.
PERHAPS BATISTA WAS WRONG TO CAVE IN ON TEVEZ
The boss spent the weeks leading up to his Copa America squad announcement making it clear he had no intention of picking the Manchester City striker.
With a wealth of attacking talent, the reasoning was that Messi was his first-choice central striker, Gonzalo Higuain was his stand-in, the wingers were Di Maria and Lavezzi, and his super subs would be Aguero and Diego Milito.
The trouble is that all-action Tevez is idolised in Argentina, meaning the fans, media and a certain Diego Maradona all put Batista under huge pressure to think again. One Buenos Aires newspaper poll showed more fans wanted Tevez in the squad than Messi and El Apache's popularity could be seen by one prominent banner in La Plata which read: 'Tevez + 10'.
The 27-year-old started well, chasing balls in the left channel, but rarely looked as though he would genuinely threaten the goal, disappointingly so when moved more centrally in the second half. His place must be under threat for Wednesday's game against Colombia – if Batista dare make the change.
There are question marks over the Argentina defence, who looked disorganised, with the inexperienced Spartak Moscow left back Rojo seeming particularly lost.
Batista also failed to get the balance right in midfield, where there was plenty of grit but little creativity in a game that Palermo's Javier Pastore must have been itching to be part of.
But the quality of Argentina's reserve attacking arsenal is why many are tipping them to pick up a record 15th title on July 24. Di Maria will have wondered why he has lost his place to Tevez and the former Benfica winger made the difference after coming on at half-time.
He also played the high-quality cross from the left which led to the spectacular equaliser, as Nicolas Burdisso got forward to chest it towards Aguero, who unleashed a peach of a volley into the roof of Bolivia's goal. It was the kind of strike we'll be expecting more of in July's celebration of South American football.
HAVING A RINGER HELPS
Edvaldo Rojas Hermoza, who goes by a rather Brazilian nickname Edivaldo, grew up dreaming of wearing the shirt made legend by Pele. An invisible career in the country of his birth followed by a move to modest Portuguese side Naval meant that was never going to happen, but he ended up as Bolivia's star man and goalscorer on Friday night.
Edivaldo was born in Mato Grosso, western Brazil, to a Brazilian father and Bolivian mother and got a call out of the blue to join up with La Verde earlier this year. After making his international debut in April, the 25-year-old received official migration papers and approval to represent Bolivia at the Copa only last month.
Former Brazil Under 20 player Marcelo Moreno (No 9) leads the celebrations after Edivaldo (not pictured) scores Bolivia's surprise opener in La Plata
His first international goal came with a huge slice of good fortune as he flicked it rather tamely towards the
Argentina goal, only for Banega to miscontrol and send it past keeper Sergio Romero. Nevertheless, what a great start for a forward who scored just four goals in 29 league appearances as Naval were relegated plumb last from the Portuguese top flight last season.
Edivaldo can look across the forward line to Marcelo Moreno Martins, the Shakhtar Donetsk strker who had a loan spell at Wigan. Moreno was born in Bolivia to a Brazilian dad and Bolivian mother, but had his breakthrough in his paternal country, making his name with Cruzeiro and turning out for Brazil's Under 20s before switching international allegiances. Bolivia's pair are not alone, as we'll come back to over the tournament.
THERE'S A CONTINENTAL SHIFT GOING ON
After years of being moved around, the Copa America has settled into a pattern of taking place in the year after the World Cup, which seems perfect before heading into the marathon qualifying campaign for the next global finals. It also encourages a certain amount of unpredictability as teams go into the competition off the back of a year with no competitive fixtures, often with new managers and a new cycle of players.
It makes it difficult to judge where teams are at going into the tournament, with, for example, the clear favourites Argentina and Brazil both suffering mixed displays in friendlies over the last 12 months.
Nine of the 12 teams have appointed new bosses since the last World Cup or qualifying campaign finished, with just Paraguay's Gerardo Martino and Uruguay's Oscar Washington Tabarez staying in their posts since the 2007 Copa America. It's no surprise that Paraguay and Uruguay are two of the most settled and organised sides in South America, whereas there are doubts surrounding Chile, despite their impressive showing at South Africa 2010.
Claudio Borghi stepped in when popular Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa quit acrimoniously in February, but two wins and two draws for the new man in charge is promising ahead of their Group C bow against Mexico on Monday.
DON'T PANIC!
For Messi and friends, the front pages do not make good reading in Buenos Aires this morning. A draw against Bolivia can never be dressed up well for Argentina. In 11 previous fixtures on home soil, Argentina had never recorded anything less than a win against the Andean nation. Yes, Diego Maradona somehow contrived to lose 6-1 at altitude in La Paz in the last meeting two years ago, but in La Plata is was supposed to be a party for the hosts.
The key message, however, must be to keep calm. Argentina are in a group they should win – alongside Colombia and Costa Rica – and the forgiving 12-team format means third place would even usually be enough to make the quarter-finals.
I was Puerto Ordaz four years ago when Brazil lost their opening game of the Copa America against Mexico and livid journalists berated Dunga. The same boss went on to lift the trophy three weeks later and there is no reason why Batista can't do the same. If he learns from this...
