September 25, 2009
Diego Maradona has finally graced Argentina with his presence after an extended vacation in Italy with his girlfriend. The surprise trip was supposedly taken so the Argentine could regroup before his national team’s final two WC qualifiers next month (Oct. 10 and 14). He has returned to a country that has mostly turned against him to find the Argentina Football Association trying to help him make key decisions that will help their team qualify for the WC.
Maradona was irate when he heard this, and still refuses to receive help with the team. The AFA is trying to advise him on players to call up, as well as on tactics and whatnot.
“Here I am the one who decides. I listen to everyone, but I make the final decision,” he told Sport magazine, about who decides the list of players called up for matches and friendlies- Argentina will be playing Ghana in a friendly in preparation for their games against Peru and Uruguay.
‘No one will impose anything on me, or treat me like a player. There is no one else who can call up a player that I’ve said ‘no’ to. I take charge of the decisions I make.”
This stubbornness is the reason he’s getting nowhere with the team. He obviously needs help and guidance when it comes to coaching. No one’s taking a swing at his (former) playing abilities, but his coaching is obviously not up to snuff.
I understand that he probably feels that because he is thought of so highly in the soccer world that he may think he deserves this sort of freedom with a team. Or maybe if Argentina pulls a complete 180 and crushes Peru and Uruguay, he wants to be able to say ‘I told you so.’ But right now when his team is dangerously close to not even getting a play-off game to qualify, the childish behavior is not acceptable.
I say get Sergio Batista out of coaching the U-20 Argentina national team and bring him up to the big leagues. He’s already the coach of the Olympic team, and seeing as they WON the 2008 Olympics, it seems like a pretty smart idea. Batista seems to know what he’s doing, and he’s had a hell of a lot more managerial experience than Maradona. I bet he’s more prone to taking advice and help, as well.
