Diego Rivero

Diego Rivero

Name:Diego Rivero
Team: San Lorenzo (Argentina)
Birth date: 11.08.1981
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: No
End of Contract: 06.2011
Estimated Yearly Wage:200.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 1.500.000 €

Position: Center /Right Midfielder - Used either wide on the right or as a central midfielder. Can play with quality in both positions but probably his potential will be higher playing inside as a transition midfielder.

Potential (0-10): 7 - Due to his age, there is not much more evolution to expect from Rivero and his potential is his current ability. He hasn’t had the opportunity to try his luck in Europe and he might never do it. It’s a shame because he has rare qualities that should make him a very useful player for many clubs in the top leagues.

Physical description: 165 cm. Small but very solid player. Despite playing as an inside midfielder he has very good pace and acceleration. Also to mention is his capacity to make quick turns, a consequence of his low center of gravity.

Technical description: Rivero is very good technically. Good ball control and passing and also a natural ability to dribble due to the combination of his technical and physical attributes. He also reveals a good capacity shooting from long range, having scored quite few great goals in his career.

Tactical description: The characteristics of Rivero make him a very good all round midfield player. Despite being more used in wider positions he can be much more useful inside, where he’s very good on possession play. Very strong creating passing solutions, controlling and making quick decisions. He can then complement this with an unusual ability to accelerate the game with the ball. Defensively he’s also very useful, pressing with great intensity and good aggressiveness. The only risk about Rivero might be his ability to respond to a different football.

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Jonathan Cristaldo

Jonathan Cristaldo

Name:Jonathan Cristaldo
Team: Velez Sarsfield (Argentina)
Birth date: 05.03.1989
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: No
End of Contract: 06.2011
Estimated Yearly Wage:150.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 4.000.000 €

Position: Forward - Cristaldo plays as a forward in a 4-4-2 system in Velez. Given his profile, it’s recommended to use him in a 2 front men system.

Potential (0-10): 8 - His present level is already very good and, given his age, it’s very likely that Cristaldo reaches a very high level, enough to play for most teams in top European leagues. He still needs to develop some areas of his game, though, specially on becoming a more explosive player.

Physical description: 178 cm. Doesn’t have an impressive physique and his football needs to find other ways to get the best of the defenders. Despite not being a very big player, Cristaldo is also not a fragile one. He deals well with physical challenges and knows how to place his body to hold the ball from defenders. Also his acceleration is very good, easily getting away from the defenders in short spaces.

Technical description: If anything distinguishes Cristaldo is his technique. Very good control and capacity to hide de ball from the defenders and specially and an impressive finishing ability in the box. Cristaldo is a right footer but he seems to be equally happy to shoot with his left one. This is a big advantage for him and makes him a very effective finisher. Also to mention his quick dribbling near and inside the box.

Tactical description: Despite being very young, Cristaldo already shows very matured movements in the game. Likes to work outside the box, bringing the defenders out and combining with midfielders. He’s also strong on diagonal movements in the box and creating finishing situations. Another positive aspect about Cristaldo is his defensive attitude, being a working player and always very available to pressure or dropping back to help the midfield line.

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Eduardo Salvio

Eduardo Salvio

Name:Eduardo Salvio
Team: Lánus (Argentina)
Birth date: 13.07.1990
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: No
End of Contract: 06.2011
Estimated Yearly Wage:150.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 8.500.000 €

Position: Winger/Forward - In Lanus has been playing mostly as a free forward on a 4-4-2. Many times, thought he’s also used as a right winger. Both positions are very similar because his movements as a forward happen mostly on the right flank. The important thing is that he plays with freedom to stay wide and show up in finishing situations.

Potential (0-10): 10 - Is a clear case of enormous potential. He’s not a mature player and has to improve on many aspects to get to the top, but his age and talent indicate that he can become a real star in the future.

Physical description: 169 cm. Small player but with good balance and capacity to face more physical challenges. It’s a quick player, with good acceleration and can change direction easily. These attributes are important for his 1x1 situations.

Technical description: Right footer, he can also play with his left foot but needs to get more habit to use that solution, specially when playing on the wings. He’s a naturally strong player on 1x1 situations, being very explosive, combining his physical qualities with his technical ones. Good control and dribbling. Also a good finisher in the box, here feeling more comfortable to use his left foot.

Tactical description: His movements vary from playing wide and trying 1x1 situations or coming in to finishing positions. One of his positive aspects is that at such young age he can play both wide and inside as a forward. Has to improve on his decisions and on his capacity to combine more with teammates and to be less focused on individual solutions. His working attitude is very good, being an aggressive player in defensive moments of the game.

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Sebastian Blanco

Sebastian Blanco

Name: Sebastian Blanco
Team: Lánus (Argentina)
Birth date: 15.03.1988
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: No
End of Contract: 06.2011
Estimated Yearly Wage: 145.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 5.000.000 €

Position: Left or Right Midfielder - Usually plays on the left flank on a 4-4-2 system. But he can also play on the right or in a more offensive role, as a winger.With his creativity might also be possible to use him in a central role, but that hasn’t been the case in Lanus.

Potential (0-10): 9 - His technical quality and vision makes him an outstanding prospect. He still has to improve but shows already a very consistent level.

Physical description: 166 cm. Small, light player, like many other “pibes” that emerged from argentine football. The physical contact can be a problem to Blanco but his physical attributes also allow him to be quick on acceleration and changing directions.

Technical description: He usually plays on the left, but he prefers the right foot, being also comfortable to use his left one, specially when crossing. Is good on 1x1 situations, with quick dribbles but doesn’t base his game around those situations. Is passing is very good, with his technique being a good support to his vision of the game. Also to mention is his finishing ability, being a player so many times playing close to the penalty box. His shots have good accuracy and precision, which makes him a dangerous player when coming into these areas.

Tactical description: Unlike many technical young players, Blanco doesn’t have the problem of hanging to much to the ball and constantly searching for 1x1 situations. His playing decisions and vision are very good in spite of his age. Playing from wide positions, he likes to have some freedom, arriving in other areas. On transitional plays, and with more space, he becomes specially dangerous, coming inside and picking up very well the right man to continue the play. With more tight defences, he stays wide, trying to create good crossing situations. Being a creative player, he’s not a particularly strong player on defensive situations, but he does his teamwork job well, understanding the importance of it.

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Dario Gandin

Dario Gandin

Name: Darío Gandín
Team: Independiente (Argentina)
Birth date: 07.12.1983
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: No
End of Contract: 06.2011
Estimated Yearly Wage: 70.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 1.500.000 €

Position: Forward/Winger - Can play in a 2 front men system as forward or as inside winger (preferably right) in a 3 front men system. Has played as a more fixed striker but is much more effective playing in a wider role.

Potential (0-10): 7 - His career has had ups and downs that reveal that Gandin can be a very useful player but only if placed in the right position. If so Gandin can be a very good prospect for most teams in any league in the world.

Physical description: 179cm. His physical attributes are crucial to his game. Tremendously strong at holding the ball and has good acceleration getting away from defenders. Not a very tall player but a strong one.

Technical description: Very technical player. Good control and strong in short dribbles, hiding the ball from defenders or escaping challenges. Plays with his right foot but can cross also well with the left foot, which gives him more solutions when playing on the right flank. Good finisher, both with feet and head.

Tactical description: When playing outside the box he’s a very smart player. Holds the ball very well and is easy to combine with. Also very important are is finishing movements, arriving very well in the box and having a good tempo attacking the ball, which explains his goal scoring numbers when playing in a less fixed role. His main problem it’s his somewhat passive attitude in the game, specially on defensive moments where he doesn’t show much intensity.

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Franco Jara

Franco Jara

Name: Franco Jara
Team: Arsenal Sarandi (Argentina)
Birth date: 15.07.1988
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: No
End of Contract: 06.2011
Estimated Yearly Wage: 50.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 3.000.000 €

Position: Forward - Plays as a forward in a 4-4-2 system. This is what is right for his profile, as he likes to move a lot, both wide and inside.

Potential (0-10): 7 - His attitude and talent would make him already a good prospect for most European teams. He still needs to develop some areas of his game and he if does so he can get to be an important player for relevant teams is best European leagues.

Physical description: 182 cm. He is quick and tremendously aggressive. Feels very comfortable both escaping from defenders. and assuming a more physical game. His physical condition is tremendous and allows him to play constantly at very high intensity.

Technical description: As good all round technique. Good control, good dribbling and passing and also knows very well how to place his body. He’s also a good finisher but this is an aspect of his game where he has to improve to become a more effective forward. One of his problems is his dependency of his right foot, not being very comfortable with the left one. Fair heading ability.

Tactical description: Jara likes to be a constant part of the game. He works a lot during a match, finding spaces and solutions to the offensive play. This is a positive aspect of his game as he becomes useful both when there’s more space to play and when defences are more closed. He’s not strong in movements closer to opponents’ goal, either breaking last defensive line or in box situations. To become a more regular goal scorer he needs to work on this. Defensively he’s a very useful player and a menace to opponent’s possession due to his constant aggressive pressing attitude.

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Diego Buonanotte

Diego Buonanotte

Name: Diego Buonanotte
Team: River Plate (Argentina)
Birth date: 19.04.1988
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: Yes (Italy)
End of Contract: 06.2010
Estimated Yearly Wage: 200.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 3.500.000 €

Position: Winger/Forward - Is playing literally everywhere in attack. Has played as winger, as an inside midfielder and also as a forward. Needs to find exactly where he suits best and it seems that would be as a free winger or a free offensive midfielder.

Potential (0-10): 9 - Buonanotte hasn’t yet achieved a top level and he might never get there if he doesn’t find the right place to develop his football. But he has enough talent and very rare qualities, which makes him a player with tremendous potential.

Physical description: 160 cm, typical argentine “pibe”, or even smaller. Buonanotte is very fast and has in his capacity to change directions a very powerful weapon to complement his technique. This capacity is also important because he’s a very light player, having obvious trouble when physically challenged.

Technical description: His quick movement is only a threat because of the quality of his left foot. Very good technique, specially running with the ball always very close to his feet. Buonanotte is obviously strong on 1x1 situations but is a bigger threat when he comes inside and gets the opportunity to make quick passing combinations. He has very good passing, crossing and accurate finishing. This makes him a good goalscorer as well, but he’s only particularly dangerous finishing inside the box, as his long range shooting often lacks power.

Tactical description: Is very strong playing between defensive lines, creating various passing solutions to the player that carries the ball. When playing wide, can be a menace coming inside from the right flank, getting angle for his left foot finish. But he needs to become a more consistent player, finding the right position for him and then adjusting his movements and decisions to it. Right now he’s playing in too many positions and with too much tactical anarchy which is preventing his football to develop as it could.

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Nicolas Gaitan

Nicolas Gaitan

Name: Nicolas Gaitan
Team: Boca Juniors (Argentina)
Birth date: 23.02.1988
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: No
End of Contract: 06.2011
Estimated Yearly Wage: 180.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 3.000.000 €

Position: Winger - Usually plays as a free front man, coming wide, both at left or right. His natural position is as winger, either side and would adapt more easily to a 4-3-3 system because it’s defensively less demanding. With his age and potential he can easily become a useful player in other systems too.

Potential (0-10): 8 - His talent is very easy to spot. If he can learn more about the tactical side of the game, both in decision making and positional play, he can easily get to a very high level.

Physical description: 173 cm, very easy to say his best physical attribute is the speed. Can accelerate very quickly and has good agility and balance. He’s not a physically strong player but is also not too fragile in physical challenges.

Technical description: His left foot is his weapon. Very good technically, both in first touch, passing, crossing and shooting. His main attribute, though, is the dribbling. Very fast receiving, turning and getting away from defenders, being very difficult to stop when running with the ball.

Tactical description: His talent makes it very easy to find offensive movements where he can be strong. In transition and more space, it becomes more obvious, but also with more organized defences he can be a weapon, with fast 1-2 combinations. The problem with Gaitan is that this is the only thing that has been asked from him. He needs to start playing in a more demanding tactical environment, where he can learn to make better decisions and to position himself in the defensive moments of the game. This is what separates Gaitan from a promising player from a top class one.

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Gabriel Hauche

Gabriel Hauche

Name: Gabriel Hauche
Team: Argentinos Juniors (Argentina)
Birth date: 27.11.1986
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: No
End of Contract: 06.2010
Estimated Yearly Wage: 150.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 3.000.000 €

Position: Forward - Argentinos play in a 3-4-1-2 formation. Hauche plays as one of the 2 front men, with a lot of freedom of movements, specially going wide. It’s possible to adapt to a 3 front men system, playing wide, but always with freedom to come inside.

Potential (0-10): 8 - At the moment he’s an underrated player, victim of playing in a modest team for so long. Already has the quality to play in most teams in top European leagues and the character that he shows leaves the idea that he’ll rise quickly once he has a first opportunity.

Physical description: Around 1,68 cm, he’s very much a Michael Owen type of player and also in his physique. One relevant aspect of his condition, besides the obvious pace is the surprising capacity he reveals on physical challenges, leaving the idea that he’s far stronger than he looks.

Technical description: Right footed, but uses his left foot with very good quality, both on finishing and crossing. His technique is obviously good, even if he doesn’t performe many tricks. The aspect that makes him special is the quality that he has when he’s running with ball. Once he gets the advantage from the defender is very hard to stop him, as he has perfect balance and ball control and also uses his body very well when the challenge comes. Other than this, he executes very well with both his feet, finishing or crossing. It’s rare seeing him miss the goal on a finishing situation. His weakness is when he has to play in the air.

Tactical description: He has 2 very strong movements. First, breaking the offside trap, with quick diagonals. Second, going wide and beating the full backs. When the spaces close down he gets a bit more trouble. Although he has good technique to come inside and bring defenders with him, he doesn’t do it too much and this the aspect of his game that has more to be developed. Also important to mention is his defensive attitude, being very reactive when the team loses possession and very aggressive as well, making him a very useful player for pressing.

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Jonathan Gómez

Jonathan Gómez

Name: Jonathan Gomez
Team: Rosario Central (Argentina)
Birth date: 21.12.1989
Nationality: Argentina
EU Passport: No
End of Contract: 06.2011
Estimated Yearly Wage: 40.000 €
Estimated Market Value: 2.000.000 €

Position: Right Midfielder - Currently plays in a 4-4-2 system. His characteristics make it possible to adapt into almost every offensive position, provided that he's given enough freedom to play his game.

Potential (0-10): 7 - His talent is not up for discussion. At the moment, though, he has some areas of his game that need to be improved to make his performances more regular. This is normal for a player of his youth and should easily be solved with time. You can easily see him playing for most teams in top European leagues in 1 or 2 years, depending on his development. He’s still quite unknown, but that shouldn’t last for a long time…

Physical description: Around 1,70 cm, very quick feet and great balance. He's also very aggressive which makes him tough to beat in physical challenges.

Technical description: Right footed, his trademark it's his capacity to run with the ball. Always giving great energy to the game and with the ball very close to his feet. Can dribble in wide or inside positions and is also very strong in crossing and long range shooting. He's still a bit irregular in some aspects, but that is mostly due to his youth (decision making).

Tactical description: With ball, loves to have freedom of movement, starting from wide positions but showing up on central positions as the game goes on. Knows about his skill and sometimes gets a bit carried away, holding to the ball for too long. This is an area that he needs to develop on his game – decision making – to become the solid player he can be. Important to mention the character he shows at such young age, trying to get involved and leading the team in many moments. Also important is his tremendous working attitude and aggressive display in defensive moments of the game.

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