Contributions To BackPage Football’s Top 50 Players In The World

Sergio Aguero

When a player makes his debut at the age of 15, he is regarded as a prodigy. But when he breaks a 27 year old record set by Diego Maradona, there is an expectation of excellence. Other young prospects like Freddy Adu and Nicolas Millan may have faded into anonymous realms since their breakthroughs, but the man they call ‘Kun’ has gradually developed into one of the most wanted forwards in Europe.

The link with Maradona does not end there however. The legendary former captain was Aguero’s manager at the World Cup last summer, although the 22-year-olds impact on the tournament was restricted to just two substitute appearances. However he did assist Gonzalo Higuain with a goal against South Korea. Opportunities for Argentina have been tough with competition from the likes of Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito and Higuain, but Aguero will be a key element alongside his best friend Lionel Messi in the future if he can replicate his form at youth level for La Albiceleste. He has been part of the 2005 and 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup winning teams, and won the top goalscorer award in Canada 2007, and was also an Olympic gold medallist in Beijing in 2008.

At domestic level, the player who cost €23m from Independiente in 2006 was an important figure in a team which won Atletico Madrid’s first major trophy since 1996. A Europa League triumph over Fulham saw the Argentine win his first major trophy for the Spanish side, and he was a key man in the final. He assisted both Diego Forlan’s goals to ensure Los Rojiblancos overcame the English side.

He has recently signed a contract extension with Atleti, and despite the reported interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid, is happy to stay at the Vicente Calderon until 2014, a huge boost for the club, who are hoping their prized asset becomes as symbolic as Fernando Torres.

Great with the ball at his feet, an extra yard of pace to leave defenders in his tracks, and also remarkable strength for such a small player, Aguero has all the assets to mature into a world class player, and it seems Atletico will be the platform for him to demonstrate his ability.

Kun Aguero - 44

Serbia’s World Cup Dream Is Over

The feeling of déjà vu will be the predominant thought of the Serbian supporters after disappointment once more in an international tournament. Four years ago they entered the World Cup with hope, yet fell once they reached the finals, but it looked as if this time around they would progress from the group stage. After a dire performance against Ghana in their 1-0 defeat in the opening game – in what seemed a must-win match if they were to progress – they needed to really lift themselves to defeat a German side who looked very sharp in their comfortable first match victory. Serbia showed spirit, determination and regained the spark which they had during qualification. So going into the final fixture against Australia, who were sitting at the bottom of Group D, Serbia knew they would be the makers of their own destiny.

Radomir Antic admitted that he would contemplate changes if his team were to gain anything from the remaining games, and he adopted a 4-3-3 formation knowing he needed to stifle the opponents. Zdravko Kuzmanovic was promoted into the starting line-up with a specific defensive job, although they were hoping he wouldn’t give away a foolish penalty again. Aleksandar Lukovic was back in his role alongside Nemanja Vidic in the heart of defence after his red card in the first game. But perhaps the biggest surprise was the inclusion of Ivan Obradovic on the left side of defence, although the regular Aleksandar Kolarov was a yellow away from a suspension which may have crossed his Coach’s mind, although in hindsight was not the best of choices.

Serbia And Antic's World Cup Are Finished

Serbia’s World Cup Dream Is Alive After Shock Win

It seemed like it would be a case of déjà vu for the Serbian supporters. Four years ago they entered the World Cup with hope, yet fell greatly once they reached the finals, and it looked as if they would once more fall at the group stage. After a dire performance against Ghana in their 1-0 defeat last Sunday; in what seemed a must win game if they were to progress, they needed to really lift themselves if they were to defeat a German side who looked very sharp in their comfortable 4-0 group opener. Serbia showed spirit, determination and regained the spark which they had during qualification, and also had a helping hand from the referee.

Radomir Antić admitted before the match that he would contemplate changes if his team were to gain anything from the next two games, and he was true to his word. He adopted a 4-3-3 formation knowing he needed to stifle the German midfield that had Mesut Özil playing in ‘the hole’, so Zdravko Kuzmanović was promoted into the starting line-up with a specific defensive job, although they were hoping he wouldn’t give away a foolish penalty again. Neven Subotić was given the role to play alongside Nemanja Vidić in the heart of defence, after his usual partner Aleksandar Luković was suspended after his red card last-week. The mentality of the team was to play defensive, slow the tempo of the game and to absorb the Germans who would attack in numbers, then to hit them on the counter-attack with the pace of Milan Jovanović and Miloš Krasić on the wings. After such a weak performance in the centre of midfield in the first game, Miloš Ninković was asked to play alongside his captain and the tactics that Radomir Antić adopted were perfect.

Jovanovic With The Key Goal Against Germany

No Repeat Of Last Week’s Blip If Serbia Are To Progress

So far in the 2010 FIFA World Cup a high proportion of the games have been defensive and tedious encounters. However, last Sunday the Germans 4-0 victory over the 10-men of Australia caught the eye of football fans, and they are now being tipped as likely winners. On Friday they face a Serbian team who will need to show the right response if they are to progress from Group D. A poor display against Ghana saw the White Eagles lose their opening game 1-0, which has brought back horror memories to their fans of four years ago. At least a point is needed if they are to have a realistic chance of reaching the knockout round, and they will need to raise their game to achieve this feat.

Firstly, the confidence needs to be reinstated in the players, and the person responsible for doing this will be Radomir Antic. With five days of preparation, the highly respected coach has a tough job on his hands if he is to prevent the Germans from running rampant. After last weekend’s game, he did what he could to quickly encourage his players to forget about their opening match and look ahead. “Of course this is a big blow for us, it’s bad to start the World Cup with a defeat. But we have two more games and we must put this behind us and look forward to playing Germany and Australia.”

Serbia's Likely Starting 11 in South Africa

Disappointing Performance From Serbia Who Never Got Going

Serbia’s World Cup campaign has started in the worst possible way after a disappointing defeat in Pretoria this afternoon. With high expectations going into their clash against Ghana, the Serbians never seemed to turn up and were quite fortunate to come away with only a 1-0 defeat. An 84th minute penalty by Asamoah Gyan was enough to defeat the 10 men of Serbia, who will need to sharpen up if they are to reach the knockout rounds. The overall performance from the team will have left Coach Radomir Antić in disarray and he will have a lot to work on before their second game.

The game was billed as an interesting affair, with the two sides looking the more likely to battle for that final qualification spot in the group. Serbia started off the brightest and looked as if they stamped a mark of intent in the game with Marko Pantelić having an ambitious shot only 30 seconds in. The first-half was played at a fast tempo, but both teams failed to cause any problems. The main route of play from the teams was through their wingers, and it seemed as if Serbia’s main chance to cause damage was to hurt Ghana with the rapid pace of Milan Jovanović and Miloš Krasić. However as the half wore on both failed to make any real impact, with Krasić’s touch letting him down on a couple of occasions. It was not until the 39th minute before either keeper was troubled, with Serbia captain Dejan Stanković shooting from long-range, but it was straight at Richard Kingson. Going into the interval Serbia would have perhaps been the happier of the sides, with Ghana controlling the game yet unable to capitalise.

Zdravko Kuzmanović Is In Despair After Giving Away A Penalty

Players Mental State Needs To Be Watched By Antić

After a calamitous few weeks in which pre-optimism amongst the nation has taken a dent, victory last Sunday over Cameroon has reinstated belief back into those feeble fans. Radomir Antić knew that the final warm-up match was important as it could instil rhythm and morale back into the players before the first match of their group, against Ghana on Sunday. With a tough group ahead of them, the Serbians will know that the unity amongst the camp needs to be solid if they are to progress.

In a farewell match in Belgrade, Serbia showed their attacking prowess, justifying the media’s claims that they could be the team to watch. Although they showed defensive frailties, the way in which they responded to going behind twice in the game showed the mental toughness they have which can be significant in defeating your opponent. After falling behind to a fourth minute goal from Pierre Webó, Antić‘s men showed they can score scrappy goals as well. Ivan Obradović roamed down the left flank, slid a deadly low cross into the box which the goalkeeper pushed into the feet of Miloš Krasić who tucked away a rare goal. Again they fell behind courtesy of Webo’s second, but conjured up a lovely move in which Krasić set up his captain Dejan Stanković with a delightful back heel who then happily smashed it in from outside the box. Nenad Milijaš converted a penalty and Marko Pantelić scored from close range before half time to complete their victory.

Miloš Krasić Will Be Hoping He Can Score More Goals

Serbia Suffer Premature Dent To World Cup Optimism

In the space of 10 days the early buzz souring around Serbia to be this year’s World Cup dark horses has been dealt a blow. After some awful displays in the past two friendlies against Poland and the predicted whipping boys this summer New Zealand, it has left the Serbian fans in disarray. It can be easy to look too much into these games, after all they are just warm-up matches, but lacklustre performances against relatively poor opposition are hardly a vote of confidence.

The fans did not hold back their anger in their friendly in Austria against New Zealand, and in the second half, began rioting. Burning flares, bottles and missiles were launched on to the pitch in attempt to demonstrate their distraught feelings. Stand-in captain Nemanja Vidic even had to act as peace-maker over the stadium microphone, to prevent the game getting abandoned. Although it was an experimental side, the players did not reach any rhythm in the match and were perhaps fortunate to lose by the single goal.

Marko Pantellic Wonders How His Team Will Score