An unexpected match, with foreseen final (Bengol-India)

It cannot be said that many of the Argentinean analysts did not foreseen it. It was even before the World Championship and specially during the eliminatory that with difficulty the Argentinean team passed to the World Championship, that Diego Maradona could aspire a winning mystic as few, but it did not seem possible that he could give his team the tactic order necessary.

Maradona, before being the coach of the Argentinean team, had never had a team in his hand, except that period of fifteen months when he was player, the FIFA had suspended him due to doping and he took the direction of Deportivo Mandiyú, Corrientes, in a few matches and of Racing Club in others, in 1995, with very bad results.

Scarcely a year and a half after his admission in a psychological clinic the AFA (Argentinean Federation) offered him a charge of coach, end of the 2008 when Alfio Basile renounced (his son said weeks before the World Championship that Maradona conspired to take him off the position and thus to be in condition to replace him) knowing well that this position corresponded absolutely to Carlos Bianchi, four times Champion of the Copa Libertadores de América and three to the Intercontinental Cup with Vélez Sársfield and Boca Juniors. But as Bianchi is confronted with the AFA its president Julio Grondona preferred to give this charge to the idol, with the consequences it brought.

After the eliminatory passed, slowly the press formed a frame of trust due to some good results, specially the triumph vs Germany on the last March 3rd. That day Argentina won 1-0 with the goal of Gonzalo Higuaín and many believed that things changed though it was still seen that Lionel Messi was lonely, far away of the midfielders and without chances of associated game.

End of the month, Maradona who understood what was happening in the team decided to visit Messi in Barcelona and asked him whether he was at ease and required him to draw on a paper a scheme that was more comfortable for him and promised him to respect it. Amazed Messi placed himself behind two points and asked a lateral to pass by the side as Daniel Alves in the Barcelona.

And surprisingly, Maradona did it putting Carlos Tevez at the side of Higuaín, Messi behind them, Juan Verón near Messi, and put forward Jonás Gutiérrez as right midfielder leaving only three defenders. This seemed revolutionary and the good results of the phase of groups and vs Mexico proved it.

But Germany was arriving, that had not too much in common with that team in March and it was the moment to cross the Rubicon. Winning, Argentine would prove that she was much more and for the first time since 1990 could play seven matches of the World Championship and losing it was clear they did not do much merits arriving till the quarters winning weaker rivals.

The final result shows also that the German coach, Joakim Low read much better the match in March in Munich than Maradona himself.

Benefited by the absence of a talented but slow player as l Michael Ballack due to injuries, Low generated an offensive scheme, agile and more technical so it is not casual that Germany performed four goals to Australia, England and Argentina.

And as Low said at a simple but wise press conference “I know that the Argentinean team had several failures. The major is that it concerned a parted team, simple, with attackers and defenders, without midfielders and he used them in his own benefit. He also noted the errors of Otamendi, a central marker with difficulties as lateral and he exploited it to such a point that three goals arrived there and gave a lapidary sentence” the Argentinean attackers do not like to go back to mark so I asked my midfielders to help the defenders to recover and it was the clue of the match:”.So simple as that.

As a difference to Germany, Argentina was never a team. It was a number of stars, but this does not give a team as a result. Football is much more than a handful of cracks, it is technique but also it is tactic. And Maradona had neither experience nor capacity to apply it when a stronger rival arrived, it was well noted.

Finally about Messi. Much more was expected but he does not play alone. In Barcelona he plays with cracks at his level, in a collective scheme and with game philosophy. In the Argentinean team he was always alone, trying to resolve everything, and even without his friend and room companion, Juan Veron, separated from the team in the decisive moment. Too much for the boy. It was not his fault because he cannot perform everything alone. He is not a magician, though he may be a genius.