Argentina Coach name team, praise Ivory Coast

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany, June 9: Argentine coach Jose Pekerman named his team today for the World Cup opener against Ivory Coast and told his players not to underestimate the African side.

Pekerman is under no illusions about the threat posed by debutants Ivory Coast, coached by Frenchman Henri Michel, in tomorrow's group C encounter in Hamburg.

''Their coach has done a great job in the last two years, they are very organised with top players with experience in Europe,'' he told a news conference after naming his line-up.

Pekerman picked the side he has been working with all week at Argentina's base near Nuremberg, linking Javier Saviola with Hernan Crespo in attack.

He named a defence that has the experienced Roberto Ayala and Gabriel Heinze in the centre to deal with the threat posed by the Ivorians' captain Didier Drogba, who until recently was sharing the centre forward duties with Crespo at Chelsea.

''Drogba is a spearhead in the area who is a technically gifted player with good control of the ball and a very good header,'' Pekerman said.

''He will give the central defenders a lot of work and also the central midfielders who must control those first metres (where he roams).'' Pekerman said he regarded his squad of 23 as a unit and not a first team and reserves. Players overlooked for the opening match might come to the fore during the tournament.

He is almost certain to call on gifted teenager Lionel Messi at some point in the match and may link him with fellow substitutes Pablo Aimar and Carlos Tevez if Argentina struggle.

Argentina face two more tough opponents in Serbia&Montenegro, in Gelsenkirchen on June 16, and twice finalists Netherlands, in Frankfurt on June 21, in their group. Pekerman said he had chosen his players essentially to get the most out of a traditional Argentine style of playing without at the same time dismissing the strengths of his opponents.

''Argentina look for an equilibrium of possession and ball-winning. This is the balance of a good team. To have the ball you have to be organised, have finishing power, use space well, overlaps, back-up.

''We know Ivory Coast are a potent team physically and we have to ensure certain marking...and also be balanced in attack to provoke mistakes that can get us goals.'' Pekerman said he was pleased with Argentina's preparations for a tournament in which he hoped the team would ''have a great World Cup...to forget things that hurt us a lot.'' Argentina, winners in 1978 and 1986, suffered a first-round exit in 2002 after being tipped to win the tournament.

REUTERS

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