SABlog Number 1 - Maradona Must Accept that Argentina are Stuck in the Dark Ages
23rd July 2009
Maradona Must Accept That Argentina Are Stuck In The Dark Ages
19th November 2008, Argentina travelled to Hampden Park for a friendly against Scotland with Diego Maradona at the helm for the first time. A comfortable 1-0 victory followed and while it wasn’t enough to convince Diego’s many sceptics, it raised a few pleasant smiles, including one from the new coach himself. “It was a clear victory," he said. "For the first 25 minutes we were brilliant and scored a goal. Scotland are a good side but we have a different level of skill."
Albicelestes travelled to Paris in February to take on France in what would be the new manager’s first real test. They claimed a convincing 2-0 victory earned with a strategy based on dynamic counter-attacks. Lining up in what most resembled a flat 4-4-2 with Messi playing just behind Aguero, sitting back with Gago and Mascherano providing cover for the centre backs with the little guys up top springing forward at pace.
Two away victories -the second coming against one of the top sides in International football via a new found ability to launch forward at speed- coupled with the proficient 4-0 hammering of Venezuela in Diego’s first competitive fixture on March 28th indicated that concerns over the new manager’s inexperience and questionable character were entirely misplaced.
After all the cynicism built on fears of tactical ineptitude and worries that the appointment would do nothing more than embarrass the nation, Diego was actually proving to be a revolutionary set to lead Argentina to glory with a contemporary style, wasn’t he?
It actually seemed plausible, although that was before that fatal afternoon in Bolivia. Three days after the victory over Venezuela in Buenos Aires, Argentina travelled to the dizzy heights of La Paz and were humiliated 6-1; their heaviest defeat in 51 years.
Maradona could no longer hide behind his perfect start or iconic status, the knives were out and the criticism could really begin. Upon closer inspection, the 2-0 victory in Paris wasn’t quite as accomplished as the result implied. Argentina didn’t defend well and their clean sheet owed as much to poor French finishing and their lack of ideas in the final third as it did to Argentina’s frail and ageing back four.
The major change Maradona has made since taking over has been the change in style and formation. Before selecting his first squad, ‘El Diego’ was jet setting all over Europe, taking in as many games as possible, fraternizing with European coaches like Jose Mourinho in between having his ego stroked by starry eyed multi-millionaire footballers desperate to pose for photos with ‘the greatest player of all time’.
It was seemingly during these European expeditions that, noticing the universal formation now adapted by the elite clubs right across Europe, El Diego decided to ‘modernise’ Argentina. The 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation is all the rage, and noticing the pace available to him up front and on the flanks, Argentina could surely ditch the old playmaker-lead possession based style of play to build the team around a solid base of two deep lying central midfielders and hit opponents on the break.
The intention was made clear when Maradona announced a reluctant Javier Mascherano as his new captain, “I want Mascherano to be my captain because I believe he is the Argentinean player who is closest to the idea I have about the Argentinian shirt”, Maradona went on to announce on numerous occasions that Masch was “the most important player in the team”.
The success of the system Maradona is trying to emulate is built on one of two things, in the case of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool; a strong defence capable of nullifying the opponents attack, or the Barcelona way; to utterly dominate possession.
Argentina’s problem is that the current team is capable of neither. The defence simply isn’t strong enough and in the absence of the majestic Juan Roman Riquelme, they can’t keep the ball. After that catastrophic defeat in Bolivia, one prominent journalist said “We needed him [Riquelme] to stop the ball, to think, to stop us playing like Europeans. This way we´re just another European team – all physical and no football”. And that is Argentina’s problem personified – a team desperately trying to play a European style without European-like personnel.
Having never replaced Hernan Crespo, every forward available for selection is short and slight in stature, with the only possible exception being the six time capped Lisandro Lopez, but at 5’9 he is hardly Dider Drogba. Finishing practice under Maradona bares a closer resemblance to an audition for Snow White’s seven dwarves than a training session.
There are a number of key roles in successfully implementing the system Maradona has chosen to play, one of the most important being a big man up top, someone to hold the ball up and bring others in, to win aerial balls an get on the end of crosses from the two wide players. At 5’7, Diego’s preferred central striker and son-in-law Kun Aguero would have a hard time winning headers against Napoleon, let alone the likes Rio Ferdinand, Gerard Pique or Lucio.
It isn’t just up front where they feel this lack of suitable troops, to hit teams on the break you need to be capable of soaking up pressure and defending well, something Argentina’s back four struggle with at the best of times. At 35, orthodox right-back at International level is a big ask for Javier Zanetti, left-back has been a problem position since Juan Pablo Sorin and with the inexperienced Emiliano Papa (who at 27 has never played outside his homeland) ostensibly first choice. Add the central defensive partnership of Martin Demichelis (who I’m sure is no more than a local factory worker who has won a competition to play the role of an International footballer) alongside a rapidly deteriorating Gabriel Heinze and you have a recipe for disaster.
Whether Argentinian football needed to be brought forward into the 21st century is another argument. Their eventual demise in the 2006 World Cup left pundits eyes firmly focused on “Riquelme’s off day” and lead to conclusions that a team cannot be built around one man. But you need look no further than Esteban Cambiasso’s -whose continued emission from the squad is just another in a long line of mystifying decisions- wonder goal against Serbia, a 24 pass move that culminated in the defensive midfielder neatly stroking the ball past Jevric, to prove that even with Riquelme, Argentina’s ‘la nuestra’ philosophy will never utterly rely on just one man. Nobody can deny Argentina’s wealth of talent, Maradona must play to their strengths, which is, quite simply, to just let them play.
Following their recent 2-0 defeat in Ecuador, Maradona is becoming increasingly desperate. Unless he grovels at the feet of Riquelme and persuades the volatile genius to return, a 7ft world class striker from across the globe suddenly realises he has an Argentine passport and Gabriel Milito finally recovers from his injury problems to help them out at the back, then without a drastic change in tactics, Argentina will fail miserably at next summers World Cup in South Africa, that’s if they qualify.
Rupert Fryer
« Return to blogs
« Return to blogs
'Surreal brilliance.' - FourFourTwo Magazine
Catch up on the latest Ramble by clicking below. You can stream through our media player or subscribe through iTunes.
Catch up on the latest Ramble by clicking below. You can stream through our media player or subscribe through iTunes.
