Intro:

Argentina manager Alejandro Sabella looks ahead to the World Cup semi-final against the Netherlands.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Alejandro Sabella, Argentina head coach (on how successful his team's defensive system has been):
"I think that football is a balance, offensive, defensive, attack and defend, the first defender is the forward, the first forward is a defence, someone who plays well with the ball, I believe they (Argentinian defenders) even improved greatly in that aspect; we are facing an opponent that is powerful offensively, so we need to be very careful to play a good match.

"Well, it's the anniversary of independence of our homeland on the one hand as you have said it, the message is that we will do what we always do, to work with humility, with seriousness, with solidarity, with a sense of belonging, , trying to give our 100% and later on we will see what is the team that made less mistakes, and then played better, but we cannot do more than that, that is our obligation.

"Di Maria was Champion of the Champions' League, a player everyone wants in Europe, one of the most sought-after players; it doesn't mean I am diminishing Enzo Perez, as I will repeat, he was the best player of Portugal, he had a very good year, he's a player with different characteristics obviously, with less unbalancing power, but has a lot of dynamics, handles very well the ball, it is a player that runs spaces, occupies spaces."