FRANCE 98 – Match preview n°28

The Reggae Boyz of Jamaica are ready to rock the footballing world by beating two-time World Cup winners Argentina in their Group H meeting here on Sunday.

Their Brazilian coach Rene Simoes, who saw his side hold their own against Croatia before going down 3-1 last Sunday, says he has detected a ‘major weakness’ in the South American side and his team are ready to exploit it. Certainly there would be no sweeter a result for the 45-year-old than to guide his side to a win over his home country’s bitterest rivals, and many people’s favourites for the trophy.

Despite Simoes’ belief that Argentina are a more aggressive outfit he need not worry that his players will shirk the tough tackles that will be required if Jamaica are to win the midfield battle and disrupt the fluent strikeforce of Gabriel Batistuta and Claudio Lopez. Wimbledon’s Robbie Earle, who was highly thought of by previous England coach Terry Venables but was picked by the Jamaicans when he did not fit into Glenn Hoddle’s Tottenham Hotspurisation of the England squad, is a highly creative midfielder who scored a splendid goal against Croatia and can mix it with the best if it’s needed.

The 32-year-old Earle, who is as eloquent off the pitch as he is elegant on it, will be aided by fellow Premiership player Frank Sinclair at the back, and the Chelsea man is no respecter of reputations as plenty of million pound English strikers can testify. However, Simoes wants goals on Sunday and Sinclair will have to get forward to support the likely front duo of Deon Burton, who missed a great opportunity last Sunday, and Paul Hall.

Batistuta, who is Argentina’s leading all-time scorer, is mindful of the physical aspects of the Jamaicans and has demanded that Norwegian referee Rune Pedersen look out for any rough stuff on Sunday. “I am expecting a much more violent match than we had against Japan, “ Batistuta said. “If the referee interprets the rules, there won’t be a problem,” the 29-year-old Fiorentina striker added.

It is no coincidence that the striker, who only recently made up with coach Daniel Passarella, has made it public that he wants to move from the Serie A side and any injury that curtails his World Cup would damage the likelihood of a lucrative move.

However, if there is one thing that ‘Batigol’ and his teammates agree on it is that the Jamaicans will prove as obstinate an opponent as Japan did last Sunday, when the South Americans prevailed 1-0. “I hope we play a little bit better against Jamaica but the most important thing is to win. How we do it does not matter,” Batistuta said.

Passarella, who would probably not appreciate the striker’s comments as he was an uncompromising defender, also acknowledged that the Jamaicans would not be any walkover. “They are a tough unit with plenty of spirit and while we may have the names that counts for nothing if you don’t play as a team on the pitch,” said Passarella, who captained Argentina to the 1978 title. Fortunately for the Jamaicans games are not won on the paper that the teams are announced on because, as Passarella said, it would be a no-contest.

Aside from the fact that the majority of the Argentina side play for elite clubs in the European leagues while the Jamaicans are on the whole honest journeymen, the South Americans also have several players with World Cup finals experience. Midfield hardman Diego Simeone, who created Ivan Zamorano’s opening goal in Inter Milan’s UEFA Cup win over Lazio last season, Jose Chamot and Ariel Ortega were all members of the exciting team that were beaten 3-2 by Romania in the second round of USA ’94.

However, the man who will want no unnecessary slip-ups is Argentina’s most experienced campaigner Nestor Sensini. The 31-year-old, who went off with a hand injury during the Japan encounter, has endured two miserable World Cup finals campaigns. He conceded the penalty that Andreas Brehme converted to give Germany the title in 1990 and then in 1994, where he impressed alongside veteran Oscar Ruggieri, there was the Diego Maradona drugs scandal that ruined their campaign. “We may not be as exciting as we were in 1994 under Alfio Basile, but in the end we may have more success,” Sensini said.

“If we go a goal up and defend with 11 men behind the ball against the Jamaicans so be it because I want to end up with the trophy that I got so close to in 1990, that’s all that matters.”