Should Maradonna be sacked - or even walk!

[Liam3494]

I guess that amongst many European ex-pats (and maybe even some ex-US'ers!), there is a keen following for the goings on of the local football teams, and the National Side, and lets face it, if you live in Argentina you cannot avoid football.

So, wondering if anyone has opinions on the current state of the National Side, following the two losses this week in World Cup qualifying which leaves the National side perilously close to failing to make the finals in South Aftrica next year - a fate worse than death to many Argentine fans.

So given Diego's total inability to organise the team, having no idea who to select, upsetting star players (Riquelme springs to mind), playing people totally out of position, and clearly not getting the best out of Lionel Messi (World's Number One Player) or Mascherano, should he do the right thing and resign NOW, and hope that a replacement can gather all before the last two qualifying games in October against Peru and Uruguay.

Or should the AFA bite the bullet and sack him before it's too late?

 

[Cheney]

I think it is hillarious. Argentina would be better off putting all their support behind the female field hockey team. They are a better team, they have more class and they know how to win. The women of Argentina are the greatest asset to this country or at least that is how this red blooded american feels!

 

[Napoleon]

...Argentina would be better off putting all their support behind the female field hockey team. The women of Argentina are the greatest asset...

I have to agree with this somewhat. I've actually watched a handful of Las Leonas' games and several times in each game I thought about getting behind those girls.


Re: El Albiceleste
Que feo! Diego is absolutely worthless as a head coach (manager/DT). Although I don't think there is a place in the starting 11 for Riquelme anymore (although I'm a decent fan of J.R.R.'s), it's pretty apparent that Diego has absolutely no idea what he is doing.

This team should run through Messi. He's arguably the best player in the world (or at least in everyone's Top3), but after that...

Where is GONZALO HIGUAIN?

The top scorer for Real Madrid last year (which is considered one of the "biggest teams" in the world) not only isn't in the starting lineup, he isn't on the bench... and he isn't even in the stands! Which means that Diego has never brought him in even for a look in a camp... yet he brings in 35 year old Martín Palermo?

And althought I like Zanetti, I think he proved last night that he doesn't have the wheels anymore to play right back. And you can argue that it was only a 1-0 loss, but if the goalie doesn't make great moves to barely get a few fingers on the ball two different times in the first 25 minutes, those balls don't clang off the posts, but rather go into the net and you would have had a 3-0 Paraguayan halftime lead.

Diego is horrible, horrible, horrible as a DT and should have been gone already. I read that AFA has never "fired" their coach, but that they've always "resigned". B.F.D.! There's always a first and the time is NOW!

If Diego isn't gone before the next two qualifiers, the Albiceleste will be sitting out the World Cup in Argentina's bicentenial year. How that can be an option is beyond me.

 

[Liam3494]

Not being a hockey fan, I cannot comment on the superb performances of the ladies, I'll leave that for others to discuss elsewhere.

I am surprised that not more comments from the European Ex Pats have been forthcoming on this issue, given their love of the Great Game. Maybe the English and Spanish are still celebrating qualifying last night, and the Scots still drowning their sorrows -

Those games in October will be vital, so for the sake of Argentine football, lets hope Diego falls on his sword, before he is pushed onto it!

 

[esllou]

Un/fortunately (depending on your point of view) FIFA has created the qualification process so that the big teams very rarely miss out on the finals. Even if Argentina finish in 5th, they'd have a play-off match against the might of Costa Rica for a place in South Africa. They had a similar play off against Australia in the 90s and squeaked in the back door to qualify.

Even if they miraculously still failed to qualify, expect FIFA to just change the rules anyway. There's nothing that any Argentine government of the last 30 years could teach FIFA about corruption and self-serving.

 

[Napoleon]

Un/fortunately (depending on your point of view) FIFA has created the qualification process so that the big teams very rarely miss out on the finals. Even if Argentina finish in 5th, they'd have a play-off match against the might of Costa Rica for a place in South Africa. They had a similar play off against Australia in the 90s and squeaked in the back door to qualify.

Even if they miraculously still failed to qualify, expect FIFA to just change the rules anyway. There's nothing that any Argentine government of the last 30 years could teach FIFA about corruption and self-serving.

Costa Rica would beat this Argentine team with Diego as Head Coach. ESPECIALLY because they get to play their home game on artificial turf. Diego would have a bunch of 30+ year olds running around on that stuff for 90 minutes and their knees would be aching by halftime. The Albiceleste wouldn't know what hit them.

 

[rmartinbuenosaires]

Shouldn't Maradona be in jail for a hit and run or something not to mention his drug use?

Didn't he even admit to cheating in one of his own world cup performances back in the 80's?

I find it interesting that such a useless individual can be idolized when his personal behavior and attitude is completely immoral. Tragic that a country uses this as a symbol of their nation. Put him in the same cell with D'Elia. They have much in common.

 

[Liam3494]

Hey there - Hang on a min - I was knocking his capability as a manager - as a player he was the best of his day, you can't take that from the man, especially knowing where he came from. However, he has to bite the bullet.

On teh other point about potentially playing Costa Rica, well, have you looked at how tight that group is - it could be any one of the 4 teams that ends up in the play offs - AND, there is absolutely no guarantee that Arg can finish 5th. Whilst a win against Peru should be on the cards, it could come down to the last match in Montevideo, would you bet on a win there, not sure I would at present....

 

[rmartinbuenosaires]

Liam-

Sorry. I am not really referring to the Argentine team qualifying. I personally could care less as I am not a soccer fan. I was simply referring to Maradona himself. I find him to be nothing but trash with no intelligence and loads of money simply for kicking a ball. That's just me. Would you use him as someone for your kids to look "up" to? I would hope not.

 

[Liam3494]

Well, OK, as a person I cannot really pass judgement on the individual in this thread. I was simply talking here as a football fan. As for my kids looking up to a football player, I wouldn't want them to do that, I'd rather they looked up to someone like Obama (that's not meant as a political point, I means as someone who achieves, using his brains!) -

Sports stars today make obscene money - when you hear of playesr getting 150,000 sterling a week for kicking a ball, or the mega deals in the NBA or NFL, and at the same time my government in Ireland are looking at cutting Child Benefit for the least well off, it makes me sick - But we digress.......

From a social perspective, Argentina is a football mad country, and the failure of the team to qualify for the World Cup would have a social impact on the country - so I go back to the question, are the football fans here interested in what happens to their adopted countries team?