An All Boca Argentine XI, Eh?

By: Brett | September 23rd, 2009

Hello there. My name is Brett and it’s a privilege to take on the responsibility of blogging about all things Boca. I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments in the coming months as our beloved Los Xeneizes attempt to get their Apetura campaign back on track after what has been a fairly dismal start.

But before I get stuck into such topics as the mental and physical state of Juan Roman Riquelme, the fact that we are languishing in 13th despite having easily the most talented squad in the league, and whether or not Alfio Basile is in fact Jabba the Hutt, I wanted to touch on something I was pondering over lunch today.

The other day, Daryl – the managing editor of this very website – posed this question:

“Is Diego Maradona’s Boca Bias Hurting Argentina?”

By his own admission, his argument for this was thin at best. Nonetheless, it got me pondering – if El Diego was to select an Argentine XI composed solely of current day players who have at some point in their career pulled on Boca jersey, what would it look like? And, more importantly, would it be more competitive than team’s he is currently selecting?

As a point of reference, here is the Argentine eleven which submitted meekly to Paraguay last time out –

Sergio Romero

Javier Zanetti Gabi Heinze Emiliano Papa Sebastian Dominguez

Jesus Datolo Fernando Gago Javier Mascherano Juan Veron

Sergio Aguero Leo Messi

And here is the Boca Argentine XI I have come up with –

Pato Abbondanzieri

Hugo Ibarra Walter Samuel Juan Forlin Emiliano Insua

Fernando Gago Sebastian Battaglia Juan Roman Riquelme Jesus Datolo

Rodrigo Palacio Carlos Tevez

Subs: Cata Diaz, Ever Banega, Martin Palermo, Pablo Ledesma, Fabian Monzon, Nicolas Burdisso, Lucas Viatri.

When I compare the two teams, I can’t help but think that an all Boca Argentine XI isn’t as crazy as it seems.

At the back, Pato is as solid as any Argentine keeper going around. I’m not saying this is a good thing, because it most certainly isn’t, but at this moment in time, it’s a reality. Juan Pablo Carrizo hasn’t developed as many thought he would, and Sergio Romero and Mariano Andujar aren’t anything special.

Where I really like the Boca XI is in defense. Hugo Ibarra is a dependable, experienced campaigner who actually plays right back for a living. I know he’s a living legend, but when was the last time Javier Zanetti played right back for Inter?

Speaking of Inter, Walter ‘The Wall’ Samuel has started the new season very well for the Nerazzuri, and a partnership of him with impressive Espanyol youngster Juan Forlin looks infinitely better than the Papa/ Heinze combo. Honestly, how does Heinze still get a game? It is truly baffling.

Left back is neither here nor there, really. Sebastian Dominguez is decent, but so is Insua. I know he never played a first team match for Boca, but Liverpool bought him from us based on his potential, and Rafa has been giving him a run so far this season.

Midfield is a line ball decision. Both are decent. Gago and Datolo made both teams, and Riquelme is, in my opinion, a superior playmaker to Seba Veron. I know Juan is currently retired from international football, but I’m going to assume that the prospect of playing in this team will coax back into the fray. If it didn’t, I’d still be content to go with Ever Banega. There is no argument that Mascherano is a better holding midfielder than Battaglia, but the Boca player is still very good. There’s a reason he was linked with both Genoa and Roma over the summer. He can play.

I must concede that it’s up front where the Boca XI comes up short. Although Carlos Tevez is a regular starter for Los Albicelestes, Rodrigo Palacio, for all his talent, is not. If he has a tremendous season at Genoa, he may be in with a shot at making the squad come World Cup time (assuming Argentina qualify), but right now, there is no place for him. The simple fact of the matter is that an Argentine team without Leo Messi is simply a preposterous thought. Ditto for Sergio Aguero.

Which team is better? As far as I’m concerned, it’s fairly even. They match up well in most areas, and the way the national team is playing, an all Boca XI surely wouldn’t perform any worse than the current lot.

Of course, an Argentine national team composed solely of players from one club, even if that club is one of the status of Boca Juniors, is a ludicrous proposition, even for someone like Diego Maradona. Still, it is fun to ponder.

What do you think? Who would be in your all Boca Argentine XI? Do you think an all Boca Argentine XI would perform better than the current bunch?

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