French and Irish can’t take anything for granted
No host nation has ever been beaten in the opening game of the World Cup but we have a good record against France and we’re going into tonight’s game in a confident manner.
Our preparations for previous World Cups have been haphazard; but this has been the best ever.
We have been together for two months and that is a rare luxury. The time together has helped the team bond and the intensity is building in the camp as we’ve been counting down to the big day.
It’s exciting even though we’re going into this tournament knowing that we are in the ‘Pool of Death’.
But it’s sad to think that one out of three teams quality, us, Ireland or France, will be out of the competition before the quarter-finals.
Most pundits have picked France and Ireland to go through, but we have been down that road before. We know how it feels to have to fight our corner, and we do just that.
I wouldn’t take anything for granted if I were French or Irish.
The party may be arranged specifically for the host nation and all the statistics are against us, but we’re capable of springing a surprise. We know we are underdogs, but the beauty of sport is that the most tipped team is not always the winner.
We know that traditionally France has a better side than us, but we back ourselves to beat them. We’ve done it four times in the last few years but we can expect a very close match come what may.
If we were to win, I’m sure it would not be a popular win in France, but it could do a lot for the World Cup.
Many of our players are based in France and that is a huge advantage. Our guys play week in, week out against the French; they have a good knowledge of the French guys and it removes the fear factor.
There was a time when Argentina might have been inhibited, but not any more. Experience is a great thing; our guys play on winning French teams against French players, and they’re no longer intimidated by that fear factor. They feel if they can beat them at club level, they can beat them with their country too.
In the past, Argentinean players looked to blame external influences for failure on the pitch. We can’t do that any more; we have to look after and stand up for ourselves.
Looking down the line, my mind is firmly focused on coming out of this group. Of course, I would like us to be joined by Ireland because of the friends I have in the squad, but I can’t worry about that.
We just want to at least make our way to a quarter-final. I don’t care who we have to upset to get there.
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