Sabella works on Argentinas last line of defence

Sergio Aguero arrived at dawn. By mid-morning,almost the entire Argentina team,led by Real Madrid stars Gonzalo Higuain and Angel di Maria,were present in Kolkata.

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Sergio Aguero arrived at dawn. By mid-morning on Tuesday,almost the entire Argentina team,led by Real Madrid stars Gonzalo Higuain and Angel di Maria,were present in Kolkata. The fans,however,are still waiting the arrival of Lionel Messi. The little master and Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano are expected early Wednesday morning.

For newly appointed Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella,however,its not about the big stars in his team. Rather,it is about getting his last line of defence right. The three Argentina goalkeepers Sergio Romero,Andujar Mariano and Esteban Andrada went through rigorous practice at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan (YBK) in the evening,with the focus firmly put on the first-named.

Last month,Argentina lost their Copa America quarterfinal against Uruguay after a penalty shootout that saw Romero fail to stop a single spot kick. That didnt go down well with Argentine fans and though the 24-year-old has managed to keep his place,he is under pressure to perform.

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Romero flew to his left and right to stop penalties during practice and his efforts drew praise from goalkeeping coach Juan José Romero.

Argentina is not known for producing world-class goalkeepers. Ubaldo Fillol,who stood under the bar during Argentinas World Cup-winning campaign in 1978,is widely regarded as their best ever. Nery Pumpido showed promise during the 1986 World Cup but his career was cut short by injury.

Romero came through the youth ranks and had a good showing at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup in Canada. He made his senior debut at the 2008 Olympics,when he replaced the injured Oscar Ustari. Diego Maradona picked him for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where he played in all five Argentina matches.

Romero is a very good goalkeeper and a keen learner. Goalkeepers shouldnt be blamed for the loss in penalties, Argentinas assistant coach Julien Camino said.

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Romero has signed for Serie B side Sampdoria this year but knows he needs to move to a bigger club to be able to make a mark. We want to prepare with an eye on the 2014 World Cup. So,this match against Venezuela is going to be very important. We have a new team under a new coaching unit and all are keen to do well, Camino said. Meanwhile,Sabella said: This is my first match as Argentina coach and it means a lot to me.

Midfielder detained

Argentine midfielder José Sosa was detained at the Dubai airport after being denied visa on arrival. Sosa was scheduled to arrive in Kolkata on Tuesday afternoon. He was detained at Dubai airport. Later we got in touch with him and had to reschedule his journey. He will now come with another batch later tonight, CMG executive director Bhaswar Goswami said.