Can Maradona maximise Messi impact?
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- Category: Sports
- Written by Ismaila Lere
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While the players, and the rest of his homeland, still seem star-struck by the legendary figure, Diego Maradona’s coaching skills have sometimes left a lot to be desired.
Qualification was a rocky path but they got there in the end, only for him to pick up a ban for a foul-mouthed rant on television against his detractors and betray his emotions.
Being fair to Maradona, he has only been in the job since November 2008, but progressing in World Cups is not easy unless you have a player of his incredible talent on board as Argentina did in 1986 and 1990.
Luckily, he does have Lionel Messi to call upon but, tactically, the coach could come unstuck at the highest level when the chips are down.
Since Maradona took charge of the national side in 2008 he has used 96 players, he now faces an interesting task in trimming his squad down to 23.
In South Africa, the Albicelestes will come up against the Super Eagles of Nigeria on June 12 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg in a repeat of a 2002 finals encounter, with Gabriel Batistuta scoring the only goal on that occasion, then South Korea on June 17 before moving to Polokwane to face Greece on June 22 in their last group match.
The South Americans are bookmakers’ favourites to win Group B, despite their problems in qualifying for South Africa.
In goal Argentina lack experience as Maradona has yet to call on Roberto Abbondanzieri who started Argentina’s qualifying campaign between the sticks. They will be left with either Mariano Andújar or Juan Pablo Carrizo as their starting keeper. If Maradona decides to take a third keeper expect the position to be filled by AZ keeper Sergio Romero. For what Argentina lack in experience in goal, they more than make up for in defence. Definite picks will be Inter pair Javier Zanetti and Walter Samuel, along with with former Man Utd defender Gabriel Heinze. Whether Fabricio Coloccini is selected despite applying his trade in the Championship this year is up for debate, but he is likely to be selected due to his experience. Nicolas Burdisso and Martin Demichelis will also be selected, Demichelis like Samuel has been a rock in his club’s push to the Champions League final, so the likely centre back pairing will be Demichelis and Samuel. Clemente Rodriguez is the likely selection for the left full back position although Javier Zanetti has proven he can hold his own in that position.
In midfield the Argentines are spoilt for choice. Depending on what system they play, it will be interesting to see who fits into which slot. Javier Mascherano is certain, as he is the captain so he will slot into the central midfield slot or the spot just in front of the back four depending on the formation. He will be joined there by either Fernando Gago or Esteban Cambiasso, depending on whether Maradona opts for one or two defensive midfielders. Lionel Messi will have either spot on the flank open to him, leaving Lucho Gonzalez, Jonas Gutierrez, Angel Di Maria and Maxi Rodriguez to fight it out for the other spot. Di Maria has been in sensational form for Benfica this season however Gonzalez performed very well in qualifying so depending on the system played Maradona has a selection headache on his hands. They can also call on the experience of Juan Sebastian Veron and Pablo Aimar who may force there way into the plans of Maradona if he chooses to play five in midfield.
Up front, Maradona is likely to take four strikers. Diego Milito, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero look likely to be those strikers although Lisandro Lopez and Martin Palermo may push them all way for those spots. Again depending on the formation of the team the strikers will either be battling for one or two spots. Tevez has been in sensational form for Man City with 23 league goals to date. However Aguero and Higuain have also been in good form in Spain so this will leave Maradona with another headache. Another problem for him could be the similarity of these players and lack of physicality they possess he may be tempted to play Milito if they need to hold play in the opposition half and bring Messi into the game.
Perhaps most importantly, Maradona has failed to be consistent in his choice of tactical formation. He has at various times during Argentina’s qualifying campaign played with three defenders; at other times he has employed a system that utilized four defenders. He has switched formations between a 3-5-2, a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-1-2, and generally shown very little consistency in his tactical approach to the game.
What this does is destabilize his team, to the point where players like Messi are unsure of what their role in the team will be from one game to the next.
Maradona would be better served by choosing a formation that is suitable to the players he has at his disposal and then sticking with it.
Argentina has a pool of players that is as good as any country in the world; choosing a formation to suit their strengths shouldn’t be a difficult thing to do.
KEY PLAYER:
Lionel Messi:- He is one of the few modern-day players worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the great Maradona.
Rightly crowned the European Footballer of the Year after a stunning campaign, which culminated in overshadowing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League final, the Barcelona star deserves all the plaudits he receives.
However, playing as part of a free-flowing Barca side that contains the best midfield in world football is very different from his experiences with the international team.
Argentina are relying heavily on the 22-year-old to inspire the nation and fire them to glory and the pressure may lay heavily on his shoulders.
He won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics with his country but this will prove much, much tougher.
Many will argue the time is right for him to dominate this tournament and outshine all of his contemporaries but much will depend on what is going on around him.
ROUTE TO SOUTH AFRICA:
There were times when Argentina’s participation in the finals was in serious doubt.
The South Americans have never missed out on the World Cup and kept that proud record going with wins in their last two matches but even that wasn’t straightforward.
Peru were overcome despite equalising in the 89th minute with Martin Palermo coming in from the cold to bag a 92nd minute winner. The hard-fought 1-0 triumph in Uruguay in the final game avoided the need for a play-off, which would only have pitted the Argentinians against Costa Rica - who they would have expected to beat over two legs.
So they were not that close to going out but, nonetheless, finishing fourth in the South American section was none too impressive.
Articles
Can Maradona maximise Messi impact?
Category: Sports Written by Ismaila Lere Hits: 704
We have seen it so many times in the past where great players don’t make great coaches, and it now seems to have happened again with one of the greatest players of them all.While the players, and the rest of his homeland, still seem star-struck by the legendary figure, Diego Maradona’s coaching skills have sometimes left a lot to be desired.
Qualification was a rocky path but they got there in the end, only for him to pick up a ban for a foul-mouthed rant on television against his detractors and betray his emotions.
Being fair to Maradona, he has only been in the job since November 2008, but progressing in World Cups is not easy unless you have a player of his incredible talent on board as Argentina did in 1986 and 1990.
Luckily, he does have Lionel Messi to call upon but, tactically, the coach could come unstuck at the highest level when the chips are down.
Since Maradona took charge of the national side in 2008 he has used 96 players, he now faces an interesting task in trimming his squad down to 23.
In South Africa, the Albicelestes will come up against the Super Eagles of Nigeria on June 12 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg in a repeat of a 2002 finals encounter, with Gabriel Batistuta scoring the only goal on that occasion, then South Korea on June 17 before moving to Polokwane to face Greece on June 22 in their last group match.
The South Americans are bookmakers’ favourites to win Group B, despite their problems in qualifying for South Africa.
In goal Argentina lack experience as Maradona has yet to call on Roberto Abbondanzieri who started Argentina’s qualifying campaign between the sticks. They will be left with either Mariano Andújar or Juan Pablo Carrizo as their starting keeper. If Maradona decides to take a third keeper expect the position to be filled by AZ keeper Sergio Romero. For what Argentina lack in experience in goal, they more than make up for in defence. Definite picks will be Inter pair Javier Zanetti and Walter Samuel, along with with former Man Utd defender Gabriel Heinze. Whether Fabricio Coloccini is selected despite applying his trade in the Championship this year is up for debate, but he is likely to be selected due to his experience. Nicolas Burdisso and Martin Demichelis will also be selected, Demichelis like Samuel has been a rock in his club’s push to the Champions League final, so the likely centre back pairing will be Demichelis and Samuel. Clemente Rodriguez is the likely selection for the left full back position although Javier Zanetti has proven he can hold his own in that position.
In midfield the Argentines are spoilt for choice. Depending on what system they play, it will be interesting to see who fits into which slot. Javier Mascherano is certain, as he is the captain so he will slot into the central midfield slot or the spot just in front of the back four depending on the formation. He will be joined there by either Fernando Gago or Esteban Cambiasso, depending on whether Maradona opts for one or two defensive midfielders. Lionel Messi will have either spot on the flank open to him, leaving Lucho Gonzalez, Jonas Gutierrez, Angel Di Maria and Maxi Rodriguez to fight it out for the other spot. Di Maria has been in sensational form for Benfica this season however Gonzalez performed very well in qualifying so depending on the system played Maradona has a selection headache on his hands. They can also call on the experience of Juan Sebastian Veron and Pablo Aimar who may force there way into the plans of Maradona if he chooses to play five in midfield.
Up front, Maradona is likely to take four strikers. Diego Milito, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero look likely to be those strikers although Lisandro Lopez and Martin Palermo may push them all way for those spots. Again depending on the formation of the team the strikers will either be battling for one or two spots. Tevez has been in sensational form for Man City with 23 league goals to date. However Aguero and Higuain have also been in good form in Spain so this will leave Maradona with another headache. Another problem for him could be the similarity of these players and lack of physicality they possess he may be tempted to play Milito if they need to hold play in the opposition half and bring Messi into the game.
Perhaps most importantly, Maradona has failed to be consistent in his choice of tactical formation. He has at various times during Argentina’s qualifying campaign played with three defenders; at other times he has employed a system that utilized four defenders. He has switched formations between a 3-5-2, a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-1-2, and generally shown very little consistency in his tactical approach to the game.
What this does is destabilize his team, to the point where players like Messi are unsure of what their role in the team will be from one game to the next.
Maradona would be better served by choosing a formation that is suitable to the players he has at his disposal and then sticking with it.
Argentina has a pool of players that is as good as any country in the world; choosing a formation to suit their strengths shouldn’t be a difficult thing to do.
KEY PLAYER:
Lionel Messi:- He is one of the few modern-day players worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the great Maradona.
Rightly crowned the European Footballer of the Year after a stunning campaign, which culminated in overshadowing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League final, the Barcelona star deserves all the plaudits he receives.
However, playing as part of a free-flowing Barca side that contains the best midfield in world football is very different from his experiences with the international team.
Argentina are relying heavily on the 22-year-old to inspire the nation and fire them to glory and the pressure may lay heavily on his shoulders.
He won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics with his country but this will prove much, much tougher.
Many will argue the time is right for him to dominate this tournament and outshine all of his contemporaries but much will depend on what is going on around him.
ROUTE TO SOUTH AFRICA:
There were times when Argentina’s participation in the finals was in serious doubt.
The South Americans have never missed out on the World Cup and kept that proud record going with wins in their last two matches but even that wasn’t straightforward.
Peru were overcome despite equalising in the 89th minute with Martin Palermo coming in from the cold to bag a 92nd minute winner. The hard-fought 1-0 triumph in Uruguay in the final game avoided the need for a play-off, which would only have pitted the Argentinians against Costa Rica - who they would have expected to beat over two legs.
So they were not that close to going out but, nonetheless, finishing fourth in the South American section was none too impressive.