Ahead of the World Cup semifinals match between Argentina and the Netherlands, it was curious to know how the South American team plans to do to address Arjen Robben's infamous "dives." The Dutch has since beleaguered in the tournament for his flops on the pitch, and more so during his team's quarterfinal match against Costa Rica.
Argentinian soccer player Martin Demichelis was quoted as saying during a pre-match conference, "Because he doesn't like physical contact, you have to make him feel it. You have to get under his skin. We have to be aggressive, to make the Dutch feel the passion of the Argentine player, especially to Robben."
Demichelis continued with his reasoning on why instead allow a little room against Robben, given the fact that the Argentina defense on the pitch is open, the Independent said.
"He is a phenomenon and it's impossible to know which way he's going to go next but he's not a fighter. Therefore you've got to attack him because, the more you stand off, the nearer to the goal you take him and the less margin for error you have," the Manchester City defender said of Robben.
On the other hand, the British paper said Argentina Manager Alejandro Sabella has been mum about his lineup for the upcoming game, which was what he has also done before his team's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, it has been suggested that they will be playing a 4-3-3 with Enzo Perez replacing an Angel di Maria, who has been ruled out of the World Cup due to injuries.
Lionel Messi, who is captain and star of the Argentinian team nonetheless is excited about playing for his home country at the World Cup final. He said, "We will do everything to make this dream a reality. To play a World Cup final with the great atmosphere of the Maracana is something that every player dreams of, but first we have to make sure we get there."
