BILARDO said on Friday: 'We will be having a meeting with MARADONA and the rest of the coaching staff on Monday'. GRONDONA was also supposed to attend to that meeting.
Instead, MARADONA flew to Madrid, where he plans on starting a series of one-on-one meeting with some of the players he's been calling since he took over as national team manager. GRONDONA only found out when Diego was already airborne.
I know you can't wait to know the names of the players he would axe. Without further introduction, here they are (according to reports on Olé, the only Argentine sports newspaper):
Gabriel HEINZE (I still can't believe it and I need to see the list in two weeks. If he is out of the team, I think this is great news for Argentina and I'm sure many of you -if not all of you- will agree with me)
Fernando GAGO (with the exclusion of these two (if it happens), the inclusion of Gonzalo HIGUAIN becomes at least a possibility. It's all I can say. Of course, you never know with MARADONA, but the chances are there).
Javier ZANETTI (I still think he can do the job if the team play as a team).
Maxi RODRIGUEZ (He's been horribly out of form and I'd understand if he's cut out).
Lisandro LOPEZ (30 seconds in and he scores against Russia. Played ZERO minutes in the World Cup Qualifiers and yet he's punished. Is it rocket science to understand his exclusion would be linked to something that happened off the pitch? We would be missing out on a great striker who can adapt to several roles and positions up front and who also happens to the on form. But he is not family and he never played for Boca Juniors -so the media won't pressure MARADONA if Licha is left out-)
Diego MILITO (Scores in every match he plays for Inter, like he did with Genoa, Zaragoza and to some extent Racing Club before that. Played an average of 26 minutes and was ignored against Paraguay in favour of a 36-year-old striker from Boca Juniors. Same as with Lisandro, no pressure from the media will come if he is excluded. In fact, all the mediocre journalist in Argentina seem to go with the same script and they say: 'MILITO never performed with Argentina and he had many opportunities'. It makes me sick to my stomach, but I heard that time after time. Poor MILITO -and poor fans, as we have our goal-scoring machine getting ignored incomprehensibly-).
The report on Olé says you can't tell for sure with MARADONA and that the conversation the manager will have with each of the players above may give them another opportunity.
AGÜERO? He'll continue to be considered (did any of you had any doubt of this?)
MESSI and MASCHERANO? Diego says he is due to have a conversation with them and ask them why don't they perform for Argentina as they do for Barcelona and Liverpool. Great! Perhaps they can explain they can't perform if there is no gameplan or tactical awareness or work during the week the players are (supposed to be) training in Ezeiza. Will MARADONA listen to them? Hmmm...
By the way...those who were dreaming of a meeting on Monday with consequences for MARADONA, can keep on dreaming. But they better prepare for the worse kind of nightmares because Diego will stay in charge.
And while he is at it in Europe, Olé reported that Diego will have an arthroscopy in one of his knees and will also undergo a treatment to lose weight.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
MILITO : Give Him 90 Minutes & He Will Score
He has proven before, he has proven now and certainly in the future, if given the rightful chance he will prove it again. And exactly what is that? I’ll tell you in a short while.
Diego MILITO sealed Inter Milan’s victory over Parma by scoring their second goal just two minutes from time. It what could have been a frustrating afternoon, MILITO finally got his name in the score sheet after BALOTELLI found him on the counter and he finished the move off with a tap-in.
Yes he did miss a few chances before the goal. But all I’m saying is that the same man that Diego refuses to start (let alone play for substantial minutes) for the National Team, when given the proper chance (70-90 minutes of football) he will surely score for you.
After watching this game, I’ve been left to ask this question over and over again. What would have happened if we had him starting for us when we played against Brazil & Paraguay (or anyone else for that matter)?
Well here I am again, praying very hard for another Devine Intervention so that we might see him given some quality time on the pitch for our next two World Cup Qualifier and let his goals take us to South Africa.
Oh yes, just one more thing, COLOCCINI did scored for Newcastle in their 1-0 win over Cardiff!
Diego MILITO sealed Inter Milan’s victory over Parma by scoring their second goal just two minutes from time. It what could have been a frustrating afternoon, MILITO finally got his name in the score sheet after BALOTELLI found him on the counter and he finished the move off with a tap-in.
Yes he did miss a few chances before the goal. But all I’m saying is that the same man that Diego refuses to start (let alone play for substantial minutes) for the National Team, when given the proper chance (70-90 minutes of football) he will surely score for you.
After watching this game, I’ve been left to ask this question over and over again. What would have happened if we had him starting for us when we played against Brazil & Paraguay (or anyone else for that matter)?
Well here I am again, praying very hard for another Devine Intervention so that we might see him given some quality time on the pitch for our next two World Cup Qualifier and let his goals take us to South Africa.
Oh yes, just one more thing, COLOCCINI did scored for Newcastle in their 1-0 win over Cardiff!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
MESSI Scores For Barca On His Return
Surely the talk about our National Team will continue to go on an on and until we get to hear any latest development (if there is any) but for now I would like to put our attention back to the European league fixture on Saturday.
Lionel MESSI returns to Barcelona with a goal after enduring in what could be his worst ever week in his football career. The defending champion defeated Getafe 2-0 with both goals coming from the second half.
Originally, he was left on the bench alongside other first team players as coach Pep GUARDIOLA wanted them to be fresh for the Champions League trip against Inter Milan. As soon as MESSI (together with INIESTA) was brought in the 58th minute the tide change in Barca’s favour.
Summer signing Zlatan IBRAHIMOVIC gave Barca the lead in the 66th minute and MESSI sealed the deal for them in the 80th minute. Daniel ALVES, having also come off the bench, sent over a deep cross that IBRAHIMOVIC controlled before unselfishly chipping back across goal for the unmarked MESSI to thump a powerful header into the roof of the net.
I was personally happy to see MESSI with all that smile on his face and really praying hard that with the help of some Devine Intervention we will get to see that smile from him against Peru and Uruguay.
In French Ligue 1, Montpellier defeated Lens 1-0 with a penalty from Alberto COSTA. Meanwhile in Russia, Alejandro DOMINGUEZ scored from the spot for FK Rubin in their 5-0 Saturn Moscow. Lastly in the Swiss Super League, Eulogio ZARATE scored twice for Grasshopper in their 3-4 defeat to FC Zurich.
Friday, September 11, 2009
BILARDO: 'We'd only welcome Jesus and Mary'
You think I'm joking, right?
You think I'm making that up! You think I'm bored and I have nothing better to do than mess up with your minds and your Albicelestes hearts so I come here and write bad jokes about the national football team of Argentina!
Well...you're wrong.
I'm only here to reflect the reality and to let you know of the latest developments around MARADONA's team.
This time, it is BILARDO who takes centre stage (about time?). Named as National Team Coordinator (or some made up job title) at the same time Diego was appointed as manager, Carlos Salvador BILARDO, who won a World Cup in 1986 as head coach of Argentina, has been doing whatever he was doing completely away from the spot lights. In fact, nobody knew what he was doing.
MARADONA gave him no saying when it comes to the tactics and the training sessions, let alone selecting the players for the squad.
Now everybody seems to realise Diego needs help (except perhaps for Diego himself).
MARADONA has been fighting a pointless fight against GRONDONA in order to have Oscar RUGGERI installed as an assistant manager. GRONDONA said no, MARADONA said I don't want BATISTA or any of the ones you like and we, the fans, are the victims that are suffering from having Alejandro MANCUSO and Miguel Angel LEMME surrounding MARADONA and earning a salary as members of the coaching staff when they are clearly not up for the challenge.
Right after we lost to Paraguay, a long list of potential assistant-managers-to-be were thrown to the air (like Antonio MOHAMED or Claudio VIVAS -BIELSA's old assistant manager-), but instead, BILARDO seems to be aiming higher (or rather being high before speaking to the media).
'This thing has to end like it has started. If Jesus and the Virgin Mary are coming to help us, we will accept them. But we will welcome nobody else' is what Carlos BILARDO said.
This is, perhaps, the most ridiculous quote I have ever read from a sports personality. This is borderline with insanity. This is just an old man suffering from severe mystical delirium.
Why don't we, instead, come up with a tactical plan, some hard work and some basic concepts of team play before we call out for higher powers?
Wouldn't it be easier? Or don't we realise that for as much as we go to church before a match (like our Argentina squad did before facing Brazil) and we pray every minute we will never succeed by doing just that? I mean...Argentina is a Catholic country, but are we ignoring the fact that Brazil is the country with more Catholics in the planet? They clearly outnumber us!
Of course I'm not taking my previous paragraph seriously, but I can't either take BILARDO's comments without a hint of sarcasm.
He continued: 'What Diego did for Argentina is a lot. He always stood up to defend these colours and he responded everytime he was called upon'. Perhaps someone should tell BILARDO that he means MARADONA-The-Player and not MARADONA-The-National-Team-Manager.
The only time when he actually made some sense was when he said: 'You can't judge our players on one or two matches. You can't say "they played a bad game, now get rid of them". You have to support your players. Talk to them and convince them so they can improve next time'.
It's late now and I really need to go to sleep.
I hope that while I'm at it, I can dream of a forward line of Lionel MESSI, Jesuschrist and the Holy Spirit scoring a hat-trick each against Perú and Uruguay. After all, that's what the people in charge of the team we love with incredible passion seem to be planning on.
I'm sure we've got a divine right to make it to the next World Cup. Right?
You think I'm making that up! You think I'm bored and I have nothing better to do than mess up with your minds and your Albicelestes hearts so I come here and write bad jokes about the national football team of Argentina!
Well...you're wrong.
I'm only here to reflect the reality and to let you know of the latest developments around MARADONA's team.
This time, it is BILARDO who takes centre stage (about time?). Named as National Team Coordinator (or some made up job title) at the same time Diego was appointed as manager, Carlos Salvador BILARDO, who won a World Cup in 1986 as head coach of Argentina, has been doing whatever he was doing completely away from the spot lights. In fact, nobody knew what he was doing.
MARADONA gave him no saying when it comes to the tactics and the training sessions, let alone selecting the players for the squad.
Now everybody seems to realise Diego needs help (except perhaps for Diego himself).
MARADONA has been fighting a pointless fight against GRONDONA in order to have Oscar RUGGERI installed as an assistant manager. GRONDONA said no, MARADONA said I don't want BATISTA or any of the ones you like and we, the fans, are the victims that are suffering from having Alejandro MANCUSO and Miguel Angel LEMME surrounding MARADONA and earning a salary as members of the coaching staff when they are clearly not up for the challenge.
Right after we lost to Paraguay, a long list of potential assistant-managers-to-be were thrown to the air (like Antonio MOHAMED or Claudio VIVAS -BIELSA's old assistant manager-), but instead, BILARDO seems to be aiming higher (or rather being high before speaking to the media).
'This thing has to end like it has started. If Jesus and the Virgin Mary are coming to help us, we will accept them. But we will welcome nobody else' is what Carlos BILARDO said.
This is, perhaps, the most ridiculous quote I have ever read from a sports personality. This is borderline with insanity. This is just an old man suffering from severe mystical delirium.
Why don't we, instead, come up with a tactical plan, some hard work and some basic concepts of team play before we call out for higher powers?
Wouldn't it be easier? Or don't we realise that for as much as we go to church before a match (like our Argentina squad did before facing Brazil) and we pray every minute we will never succeed by doing just that? I mean...Argentina is a Catholic country, but are we ignoring the fact that Brazil is the country with more Catholics in the planet? They clearly outnumber us!
Of course I'm not taking my previous paragraph seriously, but I can't either take BILARDO's comments without a hint of sarcasm.
He continued: 'What Diego did for Argentina is a lot. He always stood up to defend these colours and he responded everytime he was called upon'. Perhaps someone should tell BILARDO that he means MARADONA-The-Player and not MARADONA-The-National-Team-Manager.
The only time when he actually made some sense was when he said: 'You can't judge our players on one or two matches. You can't say "they played a bad game, now get rid of them". You have to support your players. Talk to them and convince them so they can improve next time'.
It's late now and I really need to go to sleep.
I hope that while I'm at it, I can dream of a forward line of Lionel MESSI, Jesuschrist and the Holy Spirit scoring a hat-trick each against Perú and Uruguay. After all, that's what the people in charge of the team we love with incredible passion seem to be planning on.
I'm sure we've got a divine right to make it to the next World Cup. Right?
Diego and his eternal contradictory nature
I have been reporting things as I heard them and I've been mainly informing, rather than giving my opinion.
After yet another contradiction, I'm here to do a little exercise to remember some of the contradictory messages that MARADONA has been sending out and some of the phrases that sounded like 'his truth' and now are being erased by his elbow of God.
When MARADONA took over he said:
MARADONA's quote: 'Juan Pablo CARRIZO is my first choice as a goalkeeper. I don't care if he is not playing for Lazio'
Outcome: Three matches later, when CARRIZO didn't have 100% responsibility in the goals he conceded, he lost that number 1 shirt.
We all know what happened to his next choice: ANDÚJAR. And now, only a few months after he designated CARRIZO as his first-choice keeper, he is using his third in Sergio ROMERO (if you don't count Diego POZO and Cristian CAMPESTRINI, which he used v. Panamá when players from the local league were called up).
When Martín DEMICHELIS got injured and needed surgery:
MARADONA's quote: 'Nicolás BURDISSO is the natural replacement for Martín DEMICHELIS'.
Outcome: BURDISSO joined the squad for Brazil and Paraguay and didn't play a single minute (instead, he had to witness how DOMINGUEZ was outclassed and outpaced in Brazil and yet he won a second cap three days later and he also watched as a 36-year old Rolando SCHIAVI was sent in vs. Paraguay instead of him)
Just before the friendly in France:
MARADONA's quote: 'I think it's time I give Lisandro LOPEZ good minutes for the national team'.
Outcome: Lisandro LOPEZ took only 30 seconds to find the back of the net against Russia (he only played in the second half). It was a friendly. Lisandro LOPEZ played exactly 0 (ZERO. A big fat ZERO) minutes in the World Cup Qualifiers.
And this next one is the quote that really kills me and disgusts me now that I read Diego is planning on calling more players from the local league and leave out some of those that are European-based.
Just before the match v. Brazil in Rosario:
Question from a journalist: 'Diego: if today you had to come up with a list of 23 players to go to the next World Cup, do you think those players are here in this hotel with you right now?' (NOTE: There were 28 players in that squad).
MARADONA's quote: 'Yes. The 23 players are here with me now'.
Outcome: Well...we don't know what the outcome will be yet. It certainly doesn't look like a good one. Reports EVERYWHERE are suggesting Diego will 'punish' most of the players that came from Europe to play against Brazil and Paraguay and he won't be calling them up again. Even names that are (or were) close to his heart like MESSI, AGÜERO and TEVEZ are being questioned.
The media, still licking Diego's arse (if you allow me the expression and if you don't I apologize but I can't find a better way of putting it), are now blaming all on MESSI of all people. They are now praising PALERMO (Boca Juniors biased anyone?) and even Rolando SCHIAVI.
This, my friends, is looking worse and worse each day.
If you ask me now (and my head replies), I'd say Argentina do not deserve to be in the next World Cup, for much as it hurts me to say it.
After yet another contradiction, I'm here to do a little exercise to remember some of the contradictory messages that MARADONA has been sending out and some of the phrases that sounded like 'his truth' and now are being erased by his elbow of God.
When MARADONA took over he said:
MARADONA's quote: 'Juan Pablo CARRIZO is my first choice as a goalkeeper. I don't care if he is not playing for Lazio'
Outcome: Three matches later, when CARRIZO didn't have 100% responsibility in the goals he conceded, he lost that number 1 shirt.
We all know what happened to his next choice: ANDÚJAR. And now, only a few months after he designated CARRIZO as his first-choice keeper, he is using his third in Sergio ROMERO (if you don't count Diego POZO and Cristian CAMPESTRINI, which he used v. Panamá when players from the local league were called up).
When Martín DEMICHELIS got injured and needed surgery:
MARADONA's quote: 'Nicolás BURDISSO is the natural replacement for Martín DEMICHELIS'.
Outcome: BURDISSO joined the squad for Brazil and Paraguay and didn't play a single minute (instead, he had to witness how DOMINGUEZ was outclassed and outpaced in Brazil and yet he won a second cap three days later and he also watched as a 36-year old Rolando SCHIAVI was sent in vs. Paraguay instead of him)
Just before the friendly in France:
MARADONA's quote: 'I think it's time I give Lisandro LOPEZ good minutes for the national team'.
Outcome: Lisandro LOPEZ took only 30 seconds to find the back of the net against Russia (he only played in the second half). It was a friendly. Lisandro LOPEZ played exactly 0 (ZERO. A big fat ZERO) minutes in the World Cup Qualifiers.
And this next one is the quote that really kills me and disgusts me now that I read Diego is planning on calling more players from the local league and leave out some of those that are European-based.
Just before the match v. Brazil in Rosario:
Question from a journalist: 'Diego: if today you had to come up with a list of 23 players to go to the next World Cup, do you think those players are here in this hotel with you right now?' (NOTE: There were 28 players in that squad).
MARADONA's quote: 'Yes. The 23 players are here with me now'.
Outcome: Well...we don't know what the outcome will be yet. It certainly doesn't look like a good one. Reports EVERYWHERE are suggesting Diego will 'punish' most of the players that came from Europe to play against Brazil and Paraguay and he won't be calling them up again. Even names that are (or were) close to his heart like MESSI, AGÜERO and TEVEZ are being questioned.
The media, still licking Diego's arse (if you allow me the expression and if you don't I apologize but I can't find a better way of putting it), are now blaming all on MESSI of all people. They are now praising PALERMO (Boca Juniors biased anyone?) and even Rolando SCHIAVI.
This, my friends, is looking worse and worse each day.
If you ask me now (and my head replies), I'd say Argentina do not deserve to be in the next World Cup, for much as it hurts me to say it.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Mundo Albiceleste Pod - Is there light at the end?
Four defeats in the last five matches give us plenty to talk about.
We have dropped from the automatic qualification places and we are facing real danger of not making it to the World Cup next year.
Mundo Albiceleste's team is joined by Lucas in Australia and there is no topic left out of a very heated conversation after Argentina lost to Paraguay.
Simply click the audio player above or right-click on the following link and save it as an MP3 file or listen to it in your computer: download.
Enjoy! And don't forget to send us your views to argentina.correspondent@gmail.com or right here in the comments' box. If you want to participate in a future edition of our podcast, make sure to drop us an e-mail too.
The biggest sin of all: wasting your talent
Having a conversation with Lucas (a reader of Mundo Albiceleste and an Argentina fan through and through), I came up with a thought and here I am to try and share it with you.
I believe there is no bigger sin than wasting your talent. Lets face it...when you have no talent, you're going to rely on your determination or your hard work to make up for it. If you don't succeed in whatever you do in life and it happens because you have no talent in what you were trying to do and you gave it your best shot, then nobody can say anything bad about you. After all...you did whatever you could and you did try your best. You'll feel no regrets at all.
If you do possess all the talent you need and you waste it, that is when you will regret it. It is when you'll probably be criticised, by those who love you and those who don't.
In a way, even when he achieved the most important prize there is in football and he reached the status of a true legend of the game, I think Diego MARADONA is perhaps the clearest example of someone who committed a crime against himself.
I don't know whether you can still say he is a complete waste of talent. After all, he did achieved many things in football, but there is no doubt in my mind that he did boycotted himself and cut his career short when he was on top of the world.
He felt invincible and that was probably because he was! But he suffered from a terrible addiction that made him a worse player than he was and caused him so many problems in his career and even more so in his personal life. Not to mention the court of flattering parasites that did him no good with bad advices and sucked his money in the meantime.
With his talent and the incredible ability his body had to take on some brutal treatment from rivals without suffering many major injuries (barring that broken ankle when he was in Barcelona in a match against Athletic Bilbao), MARADONA could have played in at least one more World Cup (if only as a super-sub or an influential squad member at 38) and he could have achieved many more things at club level.
Right now, somehow I think what he is doing to the team is the same thing he did to himself in the past, when he was a player.
What we are witnessing (especially against Paraguay last night) is probably a perfect representation of what I'm trying to say here.
He has all the tools at his disposal. He started off with the complete respect and admiration from every player he called up to play for him. He had the media on his side. The public opinion too. Everybody wanted him to succeed and to cap an incredibly captivating Cinderella story. What better redemption for him (after all the troubles he has had to endure) than leading MESSI and co. to the next World Cup and actually have a shot at winning it?
We've been keen supporters of Diego here at Mundo Albiceleste and somehow we've been fooled by how things are developing. Because we always thought he wasn't going to be alone in this. We thought someone like BILARDO would have a saying in the coaching and the tactical preparations, but obviously we were wrong and now we're suffering just as much (if not more) than all the other true Argentina fans.
What is going on lately and the succession of wrong decisions after bad judgements after terrible choices, is like a perfect metaphor of what the last days of MARADONA 'The Player' were.
The only thing I still believe is that he didn't have enough time to work with his team, but that's hardly an excuse. I believe that even with the little time he has had, things could have been done much better. We can't ask this team to play by heart and to know where each team-mate will be at all times even without looking. That takes a lot of time and work and chemistry. All I'm asking is to see a team that knows what system they are going to be using. A team with at least a hint of an identity. Some kind of tactical awareness. Because the class and the quality is there.
If you look at the talent we have to pick from, all you can think of is that there is something very wrong in the way we are performing. Especially when you see a couple of 36-year old players from the domestic league trying to fish for a ball to see if you could hit jackpot and get away with crime.
Diego has always been contradictory and eventually, he was only hurting himself when he was at his worst. Right now, with what he is doing, he is also hurting the fans we've got not only in Argentina but all over the world. He is hurting our players (I'm not saying they are saints or Gods. And not all of them are the same, but their image with many fans is certainly getting unfairly stained). He is hurting the history of our national team. A history for which, ironically, he wrote the most important pages with his delicious left foot and his heart of a lion.
He is hurting himself and it seems like there is nothing we can do about it but suffer from our very own positions.
We seriously need things to change dramatically or else, the crown MARADONA was not afraid of losing when he took over as a manager, will forever fall from his head.
I for one, surely don't want that, but as I said many times here on Mundo Albiceleste, with GRONDONA calling the shots and knowing that Diego won't quit, I don't see a quick solution for this mess we're in neck-deep.
And it makes me sad.
I believe there is no bigger sin than wasting your talent. Lets face it...when you have no talent, you're going to rely on your determination or your hard work to make up for it. If you don't succeed in whatever you do in life and it happens because you have no talent in what you were trying to do and you gave it your best shot, then nobody can say anything bad about you. After all...you did whatever you could and you did try your best. You'll feel no regrets at all.
If you do possess all the talent you need and you waste it, that is when you will regret it. It is when you'll probably be criticised, by those who love you and those who don't.
In a way, even when he achieved the most important prize there is in football and he reached the status of a true legend of the game, I think Diego MARADONA is perhaps the clearest example of someone who committed a crime against himself.
I don't know whether you can still say he is a complete waste of talent. After all, he did achieved many things in football, but there is no doubt in my mind that he did boycotted himself and cut his career short when he was on top of the world.
He felt invincible and that was probably because he was! But he suffered from a terrible addiction that made him a worse player than he was and caused him so many problems in his career and even more so in his personal life. Not to mention the court of flattering parasites that did him no good with bad advices and sucked his money in the meantime.
With his talent and the incredible ability his body had to take on some brutal treatment from rivals without suffering many major injuries (barring that broken ankle when he was in Barcelona in a match against Athletic Bilbao), MARADONA could have played in at least one more World Cup (if only as a super-sub or an influential squad member at 38) and he could have achieved many more things at club level.
Right now, somehow I think what he is doing to the team is the same thing he did to himself in the past, when he was a player.
What we are witnessing (especially against Paraguay last night) is probably a perfect representation of what I'm trying to say here.
He has all the tools at his disposal. He started off with the complete respect and admiration from every player he called up to play for him. He had the media on his side. The public opinion too. Everybody wanted him to succeed and to cap an incredibly captivating Cinderella story. What better redemption for him (after all the troubles he has had to endure) than leading MESSI and co. to the next World Cup and actually have a shot at winning it?
We've been keen supporters of Diego here at Mundo Albiceleste and somehow we've been fooled by how things are developing. Because we always thought he wasn't going to be alone in this. We thought someone like BILARDO would have a saying in the coaching and the tactical preparations, but obviously we were wrong and now we're suffering just as much (if not more) than all the other true Argentina fans.
What is going on lately and the succession of wrong decisions after bad judgements after terrible choices, is like a perfect metaphor of what the last days of MARADONA 'The Player' were.
The only thing I still believe is that he didn't have enough time to work with his team, but that's hardly an excuse. I believe that even with the little time he has had, things could have been done much better. We can't ask this team to play by heart and to know where each team-mate will be at all times even without looking. That takes a lot of time and work and chemistry. All I'm asking is to see a team that knows what system they are going to be using. A team with at least a hint of an identity. Some kind of tactical awareness. Because the class and the quality is there.
If you look at the talent we have to pick from, all you can think of is that there is something very wrong in the way we are performing. Especially when you see a couple of 36-year old players from the domestic league trying to fish for a ball to see if you could hit jackpot and get away with crime.
Diego has always been contradictory and eventually, he was only hurting himself when he was at his worst. Right now, with what he is doing, he is also hurting the fans we've got not only in Argentina but all over the world. He is hurting our players (I'm not saying they are saints or Gods. And not all of them are the same, but their image with many fans is certainly getting unfairly stained). He is hurting the history of our national team. A history for which, ironically, he wrote the most important pages with his delicious left foot and his heart of a lion.
He is hurting himself and it seems like there is nothing we can do about it but suffer from our very own positions.
We seriously need things to change dramatically or else, the crown MARADONA was not afraid of losing when he took over as a manager, will forever fall from his head.
I for one, surely don't want that, but as I said many times here on Mundo Albiceleste, with GRONDONA calling the shots and knowing that Diego won't quit, I don't see a quick solution for this mess we're in neck-deep.
And it makes me sad.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Player Ratings: Paraguay 1-0 Argentina
By Dave P.
Wow, that’s all I have to say. I remember way back when MARADONA was first elected coach of Argentina how controversial it was but deep down inside I was a little happy to see our great player be coach of the NT. Oh how everything has changed, it has been a while since I have done player ratings and once again I am writing them with negative emotions. I can’t remember the last time I wrote these with a satisfied feeling. In the first 15 mins it felt as if our team was starting to get a little chemistry together but as the clock moved forward everybody drifted away from the mentality of winning. It seemed as if we were just going through the motions, no combination, just lazy passes and sloppy positioning. It’s not like we were
dominated by Paraguay, we just did not have any attack what so ever, which means eventually our defense was going to break down. Especially with our make shift defense at the moment.
Anyways here are my depressing ratings again…
Sergio ROMERO (5): Our best player on the night, he was not tested too often but came up with a few quick reaction saves. The goal that was scored on him he could have quite possibly gotten down to the ground quicker to parry the shot, but then again he is our tallest keeper and it is harder for him to get down compared to ANDUJAR or CARRIZO. Saved ZANETTI's butt at least 2 times when he was quick to come off his line and collect the ball. Good game.
Javier ZANETTI (2): In the beginning of the match was very quiet, but had a few good combination runs with MESSI and VERON. On the goal that was scored he was slightly out of position but the main thing was that he was not fast enough to keep up with HAEDO VALDEZ. I have always had good things to say for ZANETTI, but after tonight’s performance coupled
with his last 3 games I say its time for ZANETTI to move on. Not only was he too slow to catch HAEDO VALDEZ but also he seemed to be lost all game with whom he was defending.
Sebastián DOMINGUEZ (1.5): Wow! Another very shaky performance from a CB. This is exactly what we don’t need, he got beat by the Paraguayan strikers far to easily and too often throughout the game. Was probably the main reason why we conceded the goal. He pushed up way to far to help GAGO and MASCHERANO, which opened up space for HAEDO VALDEZ and spread the back 4 leaving the rest of our defense confused. I thought DOMINGUEZ was a fast player but after tonight, he proved that he is not a NT quality player.
Gabriel HEINZE (3): In the beginning HEINZE had some good tackles when DOMINGUEZ got beat which could have possibly saved us from further embarrassment. But like the majority of our team as the game went on no one seemed to know what playing football meant. He drifted all over
the place and became his reckless self. However that being said he was probably the best defensive player on the team tonight.
Emiliano PAPA (4): One of our most active players, which is sad to say because he is our left back. PAPA hustled up and down the entire left wing all game without ever losing his speed or tiring. Every time he joined the attack his quickness was a problem for the defense of Paraguay, however his final touch or cross never ended in anything positive. Still I was impressed with his endurance and determination. Good outing in a bad game for PAPA.
Jesús DATOLO (4): Played only the first half then LAVEZZI was subbed in at half time. DATOLO was very active and a bright spot for us in the first 20 minutes. He could not be slowed down and was able to beat defenders to get to the end line. Played in some crosses and one dangerous one that our short strikers would never be able to head. However, for some reason after the 20 min mark he drifted out of the game and seemed to not have the hunger that he had in his last two outings. Played good for not having any support from AGÜERO or MESSI.
Javier MASCHERANO (2.5): Very poor outing from MASCHERANO. You would expect his typical bulldog approach in helping out our back four, but instead he was too reckless and caught out of position too many times. On the goal that was scored, DOMINGUEZ was beat then GAGO and MASCHERANO both missed chances to poke the ball away and were beat. Not much else to say for Masche our captain acted nothing like a captain in tonight's consecutive loss. Should be embarrassed.
Fernando GAGO (2.5): Pretty much the same thing as MASCHERANO. GAGO played way too defensive and was part of the problem for why we had no support on any attacking runs. Every time he got the ball he would force a ball up to the attack, which would get us no where, just lose of
possession. Now I have seen GAGO play well before, but this performance was sad to watch. He had no clue what to do when he was on the ball and held on to it not just 1 second too long but 3 or 4 seconds too long. Sad to say but if this is the GAGO that comes to play he is not NT quality either.
Juan Sebastián VERON (1): Terrible. Through out the game VERON was too slow for the pace of our attackers and held onto the ball too long missing any chances that we had for combinations, which were few and far between. Had a few crosses but they were all wasted. All his set piece kicks were wastes as well. As the game went on you could see his tiredness
combine with his frustration build and it was inevitable that he was going to get a red card. Still was very stupid of him for once he get the red card that pretty much made our team concede. I don’t want to seem like a pessimist but he does not deserve to every be back on the
NT either.
Sergio AGÜERO (4): Was very active in the beginning of the game and played well with DATOLO, however not combining well with MESSI throughout his entire performance. AGÜERO worked very hard but no avail. Tracked down the Paraguayan defenders and ran at defenders which no one else, not even MESSI, was doing. Was subbed our for PALERMO in the 58min, which proved to be a dumb idea. No one was doing anything to help AGÜERO. Probably the hardest working player on the night.
Lionel MESSI (2): Hmm, usually I am the first one to compliment MESSI even in our games that we lose. However, in this game he was no where to be found ever. He did run hard, but barely was on the ball and never made any breath taking runs at defenders. You could see the frustration build as the game went on with MESSI. All his free kicks and corners were terrible. Yeah he may have been tired, but if you are considered the best player in the world then you should at least be some what of a threat to the opposition. PAPA was more of an attacking threat then MESSI tonight. Very sad performance for MESSI, I feel for him.
Subs:
Ezequiel LAVEZZI (4): Came in to start the second half and was a great choice by MARADONA. When the team was down and seemed that they did not have any fight in them the ball went to LAVEZZI and he would create or attempt to create an attack. He ran effortlessly and won some free kicks and corner kicks that could have been dangerous if MESSI could play a good
ball. Still when he was brought on our attack had no cohesion, which relates back to the fact that we have no attacking midfielder or player maker in the midfield.
Martín PALERMO N/A: Came on for AGÜERO in the 58th did absolutely nothing but win a header in the dying seconds that gave us our best chance all game but SCHIAVI could not get on the end of it. Would be a different rating if we had scored on that. Way too slow for the pace of the game even with fresh legs.
Rolando SCHIAVI N/A: Would not like to see him ever called up again, like PALERMO way too slow and was beat way to easily in the few minutes that he was in.
…So yeah another defeat in the books and we find ourselves in the 5th place 2 points behind Ecuador and only 1 point above Uruguay and Venezuela. Ok so we had a lot of injuries that limited some of our good defenders from being called up for this round, and hopefully they have speedy recovers for the upcoming October qualifiers. I have said it before and I will say it again, the past couple qualifiers have been sad for me to watch, we are losing our passion and ability to attack. I blame it all on the fact that we have no midfielder that can play with our strikers and pass and mover, also, not set tactic. Veron was supposed to do that but as we all saw the last two games he is no where near what he used to be and does not
deserve to play for the NT. What I think needs to be done, I don’t know how realistic it is. But I feel that we need MARADONA to quit or be fired. Many people think that if we do this that it will just cause more confusion. I disagree we are in a desperate position and are in
immediate need of help and change. Hate to say it but desperate times call for desperate measures, get MARADONA out of here, the first games that he coached we played well but that was because of his initial motivation factor. As the games have gone on we now see that MARADONA has no clear tactic at all and that he is making our players have no clue what we are doing while on the pitch. Get rid of MARADONA now! Bring in a interim coach, or BATISTA. Get a list of different players for the October qualifiers. New faces that will show their passion and willingness to help out their country in times of need, instead of playing the same old defenders and midfielders.
Wow, that’s all I have to say. I remember way back when MARADONA was first elected coach of Argentina how controversial it was but deep down inside I was a little happy to see our great player be coach of the NT. Oh how everything has changed, it has been a while since I have done player ratings and once again I am writing them with negative emotions. I can’t remember the last time I wrote these with a satisfied feeling. In the first 15 mins it felt as if our team was starting to get a little chemistry together but as the clock moved forward everybody drifted away from the mentality of winning. It seemed as if we were just going through the motions, no combination, just lazy passes and sloppy positioning. It’s not like we were
dominated by Paraguay, we just did not have any attack what so ever, which means eventually our defense was going to break down. Especially with our make shift defense at the moment.
Anyways here are my depressing ratings again…
Sergio ROMERO (5): Our best player on the night, he was not tested too often but came up with a few quick reaction saves. The goal that was scored on him he could have quite possibly gotten down to the ground quicker to parry the shot, but then again he is our tallest keeper and it is harder for him to get down compared to ANDUJAR or CARRIZO. Saved ZANETTI's butt at least 2 times when he was quick to come off his line and collect the ball. Good game.
Javier ZANETTI (2): In the beginning of the match was very quiet, but had a few good combination runs with MESSI and VERON. On the goal that was scored he was slightly out of position but the main thing was that he was not fast enough to keep up with HAEDO VALDEZ. I have always had good things to say for ZANETTI, but after tonight’s performance coupled
with his last 3 games I say its time for ZANETTI to move on. Not only was he too slow to catch HAEDO VALDEZ but also he seemed to be lost all game with whom he was defending.
Sebastián DOMINGUEZ (1.5): Wow! Another very shaky performance from a CB. This is exactly what we don’t need, he got beat by the Paraguayan strikers far to easily and too often throughout the game. Was probably the main reason why we conceded the goal. He pushed up way to far to help GAGO and MASCHERANO, which opened up space for HAEDO VALDEZ and spread the back 4 leaving the rest of our defense confused. I thought DOMINGUEZ was a fast player but after tonight, he proved that he is not a NT quality player.
Gabriel HEINZE (3): In the beginning HEINZE had some good tackles when DOMINGUEZ got beat which could have possibly saved us from further embarrassment. But like the majority of our team as the game went on no one seemed to know what playing football meant. He drifted all over
the place and became his reckless self. However that being said he was probably the best defensive player on the team tonight.
Emiliano PAPA (4): One of our most active players, which is sad to say because he is our left back. PAPA hustled up and down the entire left wing all game without ever losing his speed or tiring. Every time he joined the attack his quickness was a problem for the defense of Paraguay, however his final touch or cross never ended in anything positive. Still I was impressed with his endurance and determination. Good outing in a bad game for PAPA.
Jesús DATOLO (4): Played only the first half then LAVEZZI was subbed in at half time. DATOLO was very active and a bright spot for us in the first 20 minutes. He could not be slowed down and was able to beat defenders to get to the end line. Played in some crosses and one dangerous one that our short strikers would never be able to head. However, for some reason after the 20 min mark he drifted out of the game and seemed to not have the hunger that he had in his last two outings. Played good for not having any support from AGÜERO or MESSI.
Javier MASCHERANO (2.5): Very poor outing from MASCHERANO. You would expect his typical bulldog approach in helping out our back four, but instead he was too reckless and caught out of position too many times. On the goal that was scored, DOMINGUEZ was beat then GAGO and MASCHERANO both missed chances to poke the ball away and were beat. Not much else to say for Masche our captain acted nothing like a captain in tonight's consecutive loss. Should be embarrassed.
Fernando GAGO (2.5): Pretty much the same thing as MASCHERANO. GAGO played way too defensive and was part of the problem for why we had no support on any attacking runs. Every time he got the ball he would force a ball up to the attack, which would get us no where, just lose of
possession. Now I have seen GAGO play well before, but this performance was sad to watch. He had no clue what to do when he was on the ball and held on to it not just 1 second too long but 3 or 4 seconds too long. Sad to say but if this is the GAGO that comes to play he is not NT quality either.
Juan Sebastián VERON (1): Terrible. Through out the game VERON was too slow for the pace of our attackers and held onto the ball too long missing any chances that we had for combinations, which were few and far between. Had a few crosses but they were all wasted. All his set piece kicks were wastes as well. As the game went on you could see his tiredness
combine with his frustration build and it was inevitable that he was going to get a red card. Still was very stupid of him for once he get the red card that pretty much made our team concede. I don’t want to seem like a pessimist but he does not deserve to every be back on the
NT either.
Sergio AGÜERO (4): Was very active in the beginning of the game and played well with DATOLO, however not combining well with MESSI throughout his entire performance. AGÜERO worked very hard but no avail. Tracked down the Paraguayan defenders and ran at defenders which no one else, not even MESSI, was doing. Was subbed our for PALERMO in the 58min, which proved to be a dumb idea. No one was doing anything to help AGÜERO. Probably the hardest working player on the night.
Lionel MESSI (2): Hmm, usually I am the first one to compliment MESSI even in our games that we lose. However, in this game he was no where to be found ever. He did run hard, but barely was on the ball and never made any breath taking runs at defenders. You could see the frustration build as the game went on with MESSI. All his free kicks and corners were terrible. Yeah he may have been tired, but if you are considered the best player in the world then you should at least be some what of a threat to the opposition. PAPA was more of an attacking threat then MESSI tonight. Very sad performance for MESSI, I feel for him.
Subs:
Ezequiel LAVEZZI (4): Came in to start the second half and was a great choice by MARADONA. When the team was down and seemed that they did not have any fight in them the ball went to LAVEZZI and he would create or attempt to create an attack. He ran effortlessly and won some free kicks and corner kicks that could have been dangerous if MESSI could play a good
ball. Still when he was brought on our attack had no cohesion, which relates back to the fact that we have no attacking midfielder or player maker in the midfield.
Martín PALERMO N/A: Came on for AGÜERO in the 58th did absolutely nothing but win a header in the dying seconds that gave us our best chance all game but SCHIAVI could not get on the end of it. Would be a different rating if we had scored on that. Way too slow for the pace of the game even with fresh legs.
Rolando SCHIAVI N/A: Would not like to see him ever called up again, like PALERMO way too slow and was beat way to easily in the few minutes that he was in.
…So yeah another defeat in the books and we find ourselves in the 5th place 2 points behind Ecuador and only 1 point above Uruguay and Venezuela. Ok so we had a lot of injuries that limited some of our good defenders from being called up for this round, and hopefully they have speedy recovers for the upcoming October qualifiers. I have said it before and I will say it again, the past couple qualifiers have been sad for me to watch, we are losing our passion and ability to attack. I blame it all on the fact that we have no midfielder that can play with our strikers and pass and mover, also, not set tactic. Veron was supposed to do that but as we all saw the last two games he is no where near what he used to be and does not
deserve to play for the NT. What I think needs to be done, I don’t know how realistic it is. But I feel that we need MARADONA to quit or be fired. Many people think that if we do this that it will just cause more confusion. I disagree we are in a desperate position and are in
immediate need of help and change. Hate to say it but desperate times call for desperate measures, get MARADONA out of here, the first games that he coached we played well but that was because of his initial motivation factor. As the games have gone on we now see that MARADONA has no clear tactic at all and that he is making our players have no clue what we are doing while on the pitch. Get rid of MARADONA now! Bring in a interim coach, or BATISTA. Get a list of different players for the October qualifiers. New faces that will show their passion and willingness to help out their country in times of need, instead of playing the same old defenders and midfielders.
Here comes the worst case scenario
I haven't changed, people. Trust me. I haven't. I'm still the one supporting the team through thick and thin. No matter if I don't like the players selection. No matter if I love or hate the coach. No matter whether they play beautiful football or horrible long ball.
I always say that with my local team (Racing Club) and with Argentina, I know nothing about tactics. I know nothing about personal affection or hatred. I know nothing about football at all. I just support them. No matter what.
I my team doesn't play beautiful football, I watch Barcelona on TV. Or Arsenal on a good day. Or any other team. I get my fix elsewhere. I support Racing Club and Argentina. Period. And I keep supporting them even more when the going gets tough.
My trust on managers and players has a limit, of course. And it pains me when I see things could be done in a very different way and it just doesn't happen.
MARADONA said right after the defeat in Paraguay what I've been telling you all along: "I won't quit. I have spoken to GRONDONA and my two daughters and I'll stay until the end of my contract. Nobody can break me".
GRONDONA is yet to make a statement, but I have also been telling you that he won't sack Diego.
With that in mind, the future looks horribly dark.
Our team is playing worse and worse each game. I have actually gave up on Argentina scoring. I fear our rivals will score every time they get by the midfield line. I see nothing from Argentina. Nothing. And it kills me.
All this time I've been trying to stay positive and ever since Diego got appointed, I trusted he will work with an experience team behind him. Professional people that would help him make tough decisions. People like BILARDO, who I thought was going to have a saying in the tactical aspects or the training process.
Nothing has happened. All we are seeing is a series of bad results that are getting us on the verge of missing out of the next World Cup.
Diego, as I expected, doesn't seem to realise how serious this situation is. His image is already tarnished but he could make it even worse if he doesn't get help or if he doesn't change the things he is doing wrong.
To start the game without OTAMENDI (we don't know if he is injured or not, because the information is not coming out of the Argentina camp. Rumour? That OTAMENDI said a few things to the press about how we defended set-pieces against Brazil and therefore he was excluded) and most importantly, to have Lisandro LOPEZ and Diego MILITO (both scoring at will in Europe) not even on the bench sure raises a few eye-brows.
But to finish the game with Martín PALERMO (36) and Rolando SCHIAVI (36) both fishing for a potential loose ball in the Paraguay area, surely has to be the worst possible image this shambles of a team could give.
I don't think judging players individually will make much sense (even though we will have Dave's player ratings here later), because, the way I see it, there is no way any player (good, great or bad) could perform according to their true potential.
I've got plenty to say about a lot of things and I'll do it in our next podcast (which I'm sure will be a heated discussion).
Here's an open forum for you to vent your feelings.
I always say that with my local team (Racing Club) and with Argentina, I know nothing about tactics. I know nothing about personal affection or hatred. I know nothing about football at all. I just support them. No matter what.
I my team doesn't play beautiful football, I watch Barcelona on TV. Or Arsenal on a good day. Or any other team. I get my fix elsewhere. I support Racing Club and Argentina. Period. And I keep supporting them even more when the going gets tough.
My trust on managers and players has a limit, of course. And it pains me when I see things could be done in a very different way and it just doesn't happen.
MARADONA said right after the defeat in Paraguay what I've been telling you all along: "I won't quit. I have spoken to GRONDONA and my two daughters and I'll stay until the end of my contract. Nobody can break me".
GRONDONA is yet to make a statement, but I have also been telling you that he won't sack Diego.
With that in mind, the future looks horribly dark.
Our team is playing worse and worse each game. I have actually gave up on Argentina scoring. I fear our rivals will score every time they get by the midfield line. I see nothing from Argentina. Nothing. And it kills me.
All this time I've been trying to stay positive and ever since Diego got appointed, I trusted he will work with an experience team behind him. Professional people that would help him make tough decisions. People like BILARDO, who I thought was going to have a saying in the tactical aspects or the training process.
Nothing has happened. All we are seeing is a series of bad results that are getting us on the verge of missing out of the next World Cup.
Diego, as I expected, doesn't seem to realise how serious this situation is. His image is already tarnished but he could make it even worse if he doesn't get help or if he doesn't change the things he is doing wrong.
To start the game without OTAMENDI (we don't know if he is injured or not, because the information is not coming out of the Argentina camp. Rumour? That OTAMENDI said a few things to the press about how we defended set-pieces against Brazil and therefore he was excluded) and most importantly, to have Lisandro LOPEZ and Diego MILITO (both scoring at will in Europe) not even on the bench sure raises a few eye-brows.
But to finish the game with Martín PALERMO (36) and Rolando SCHIAVI (36) both fishing for a potential loose ball in the Paraguay area, surely has to be the worst possible image this shambles of a team could give.
I don't think judging players individually will make much sense (even though we will have Dave's player ratings here later), because, the way I see it, there is no way any player (good, great or bad) could perform according to their true potential.
I've got plenty to say about a lot of things and I'll do it in our next podcast (which I'm sure will be a heated discussion).
Here's an open forum for you to vent your feelings.
How fans are caught in the middle of a mess
The current state of things around our national team poses a dilemma and have many fans, like myself, suffering as the real and only innocent victims of a history of bad decisions, mostly driven by selfish personal interests that have a complete and pretty evident disregard of the well-being of Argentine football as a whole and the national team in particular.
Ever since Julio Humberto GRONDONA took over as the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in 1979, our football has suffered from his unscrupulous operations and his mafia-like policies. A sort of 'I scratch your back and you scratch mine' kind of system that he established between him and his accomplishes, the presidents of the Argentine clubs that gave him more power, in order to take their cuts and become powerful men at the same time.
I vote for you in every presidential election at the AFA from here to eternity and you help my team get promoted or avoid relegation or even have every controversial decision in every important match go my way.
That is the kind of power Julio GRONDONA has build up during the last three decades. He shook hands with the de facto military presidents that were responsible for the disappearing of 30,000 Argentines. He then shook hands with the democratic Presidents elected after them and they come and go, but GRONDONA seems to be perpetually in that powerful position of his.
I think the only good decision that GRONDONA took in his entire tenure as the big chief of Argentine football was to appoint José PEKERMAN as Youth Coach, when the man had no pedigree or fame and he was competing for that job with people with a notably higher profile than him.
One good decision in 30 years gives him a worse ratio than TEVEZ's goal-scoring record in this World Cup Qualifiers.
Along the way...GRONDONA (now 77-years old) is to be blamed for the following cancers in our beautiful game:
- The Barrabrava culture: By the time hooligans were being controlled in most countries around the world, the Argentine barrabravas began their golden era and GRONDONA was never able to come up with a solution. Why? Because many of the clubs' presidents use the barrabravas as a tool to pressure the regular fans to vote for them. They are pretty much a mob that will sign for the best bidder and will paint flags and banners with the name of the candidate that gives them free plane tickets to follow the team abroad or in the provinces or extra match tickets for them to re-sell and make a small fortune out of it.
In many notable cases like River Plate, for example, the barrabrava has taken such an uncontrollable power that they even took a cut in Juan Pablo CARRIZO's transfer to Italy. Not that CARRIZO is guilty of it, it was a very filthy business going on between the club directors (those shameless criminals that are killing one of Argentina's most prestigious clubs) and the barrabrava (another kind of criminals).
The fact that some players (like at Independiente) had meetings with the bosses of their barrabrava to arrange how the players will pay for the firm to travel to the World Cup in South Africa, without the AFA intervening to put an end to such aberration. Violence and the violent firms are like a cancer that has spread all over in Argentine football and sometimes it is almost impossible to draw the line as to whether the violence really comes from a small and organised group of 'fans' or whether it comes from those wearing suits and ties and carrying big briefcases full of dirty money while they make decisions that keep ruining our game.
A fact to help me put this into perspective: Since GRONDONA took over as President of the AFA, there have been 141 football-related deaths in Argentina. An average of 4,7 per year.
- The crazy league in Argentina that nobody understand (and hence don't care about):
In 1981 GRONDONA decided that it wasn't enough with the refereeing decisions going the way of River Plate and Boca Juniors, so he introduced the 'promedios' (point average system) that prevented big clubs to get relegated if they had a bad season and finished bottom or near the bottom of the standings. With his new system, if River Plate or Boca Juniors had a bad campaign, they were surely going to be able to get enough points the following season to enrich their 'promedio' and get out of jail. As early as in 1983, the system proved efficient for River Plate as they escaped relegation even when they finished in the bottom two, so they got to stay up.
GRONDONA and his business were smiling. Fair play and justice are still crying.
Not happy with those changes, in 1989/1990, GRONDONA decided that he was going to play two tournaments in one season. The Apertura and the Clausura. The reason behind it? Shorter tournaments will give many teams a shot at the title and will prove to be more exciting. To some extent, he was right, but it was hardly fair when a team won the Apertura playing most derby matches at home and avoiding travels to the provinces. Qualification to the Continental cup competitions was never clear and proper fans in Argentina have to have a major in maths to understand whether they are in good or bad positions when it comes to qualifying for the Copa Libertadores or Copa Sudamericana.
Did I mention that Boca Juniors and River Plate get annual invitations to the Copa Sudamericana and that they don't qualify on virtue of points gathered? Yes. You are right. It's non-sense.
- Deal with the TV: Since 1985, GRONDONA signed a contract with a company called Torneos y Competencias (they have the TV channel most of you know: TyC Sports) to give them the exclusive broadcasting rights for Argentine football. Ever since then, the TV company exercised a monopoly that prevented any other channel in the country to show the goals until Sunday at midnight (after they aired the famous show: Fútbol de Primera, which shows highlights of the weekend's games -similar to Match of the Day in England-).
Until last month, it worked for GRONDONA. He even renewed that contract with TyC two years ago. All of a sudden, the government -locked in a fierce battle with Grupo Clarín -owner of TyC- approached GRONDONA, offered him twice as much for the same broadcasting rights and that was it. GRONDONA tore up the contract with TyC and he began with his rants of saying how inconvenient the TyC contract was for Argentine football and how disadvantaged the AFA was under those terms.
- Lack of financial control of the clubs: Football clubs are always bailed out in Argentina. They mismanage. They don't go by the rules. They steal and they never pay taxes or honour their contracts, but still, there's always a way out for them.
Racing Club is a major example. Part of the Big5 in Argentina, the club was the living proof of what I said in the previous paragraph. Pressured by the fact that they couldn't win the league in 35 years, all sorts of desperate measures were taken and the result was a mounting debt of 40 or 70 million USD until the club had to file for bankruptcy.
The government then acted to make sure the club was kept alive and a private company was welcomed to rescue the club with a promise that the debt would be pay in 10 years. A decade later, that company itself went bankrupt and the corruption seen in their everyday affairs was even bigger than before.
GRONDONA first promoted and supported the introduction of private companies in Argentine clubs and when he saw it was clearly not working, he changed his mind, but the damage was done.
The AFA promise of punishing clubs with transfer embargoes or points deduction for a misuse of money or stadium closure for violence never actually happened and everybody is still at it as long as GRONDONA keeps getting his votes and his pocket money.
And us, the fans, are in the middle of this mess.
The appointment of Diego MARADONA was nothing else than a continuity of this decadent government that GRONDONA is running with no apparent and serious opposition.
How can you form an opposition if the man has everything covered and his henchmen do the dirty job for him?
There is no room for democracy under this totalitarian old dinosaur that keeps getting his own way time after time.
On one hand he appoints MARADONA and gives him total control. On the other...he doesn't let Diego pick his coaching staff because he doesn't like Oscar RUGGERI.
GRONDONA clearly picked MARADONA with the conviction that Argentina were going to qualify to South Africa without a problem and only because having Diego as the boss would mean heavy dollars coming his way (with TV money, friendly matches offers, juicy sponsorship deals, etc).
Now there is a feeling in the air that changes could come if Argentina miss out of the next World Cup and that a new order should be imposed in Argentine football if that happens.
Many of us, fans, who just want our national team to perform the way we know it can perform, don't know what to think.
If I was given a contract to sign in which I'm guaranteed that if Argentina crashes out and miss the World Cup in South Africa next year GRONDONA will be removed from his position (and none of his henchmen will get appointed to replace him), then I'll be really sorry that the price we're paying is rather steep, but I'll happily sign it in the search of a greater good.
Since there are no guarantees of that happening and my love for my national football team is still very strong, I've got no option but to wish Argentina well and celebrate the goals that could keep perpetuating GRONDONA in charge (for much as it hurts me to death).
A horrible situation to be in, but this story was something I wanted to share with you for a long time now. I hope I have helped you to understand what's beneath the surface in Argentine football.
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Ever since Julio Humberto GRONDONA took over as the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in 1979, our football has suffered from his unscrupulous operations and his mafia-like policies. A sort of 'I scratch your back and you scratch mine' kind of system that he established between him and his accomplishes, the presidents of the Argentine clubs that gave him more power, in order to take their cuts and become powerful men at the same time.
I vote for you in every presidential election at the AFA from here to eternity and you help my team get promoted or avoid relegation or even have every controversial decision in every important match go my way.
That is the kind of power Julio GRONDONA has build up during the last three decades. He shook hands with the de facto military presidents that were responsible for the disappearing of 30,000 Argentines. He then shook hands with the democratic Presidents elected after them and they come and go, but GRONDONA seems to be perpetually in that powerful position of his.
I think the only good decision that GRONDONA took in his entire tenure as the big chief of Argentine football was to appoint José PEKERMAN as Youth Coach, when the man had no pedigree or fame and he was competing for that job with people with a notably higher profile than him.
One good decision in 30 years gives him a worse ratio than TEVEZ's goal-scoring record in this World Cup Qualifiers.
Along the way...GRONDONA (now 77-years old) is to be blamed for the following cancers in our beautiful game:
- The Barrabrava culture: By the time hooligans were being controlled in most countries around the world, the Argentine barrabravas began their golden era and GRONDONA was never able to come up with a solution. Why? Because many of the clubs' presidents use the barrabravas as a tool to pressure the regular fans to vote for them. They are pretty much a mob that will sign for the best bidder and will paint flags and banners with the name of the candidate that gives them free plane tickets to follow the team abroad or in the provinces or extra match tickets for them to re-sell and make a small fortune out of it.
In many notable cases like River Plate, for example, the barrabrava has taken such an uncontrollable power that they even took a cut in Juan Pablo CARRIZO's transfer to Italy. Not that CARRIZO is guilty of it, it was a very filthy business going on between the club directors (those shameless criminals that are killing one of Argentina's most prestigious clubs) and the barrabrava (another kind of criminals).
The fact that some players (like at Independiente) had meetings with the bosses of their barrabrava to arrange how the players will pay for the firm to travel to the World Cup in South Africa, without the AFA intervening to put an end to such aberration. Violence and the violent firms are like a cancer that has spread all over in Argentine football and sometimes it is almost impossible to draw the line as to whether the violence really comes from a small and organised group of 'fans' or whether it comes from those wearing suits and ties and carrying big briefcases full of dirty money while they make decisions that keep ruining our game.
A fact to help me put this into perspective: Since GRONDONA took over as President of the AFA, there have been 141 football-related deaths in Argentina. An average of 4,7 per year.
- The crazy league in Argentina that nobody understand (and hence don't care about):
In 1981 GRONDONA decided that it wasn't enough with the refereeing decisions going the way of River Plate and Boca Juniors, so he introduced the 'promedios' (point average system) that prevented big clubs to get relegated if they had a bad season and finished bottom or near the bottom of the standings. With his new system, if River Plate or Boca Juniors had a bad campaign, they were surely going to be able to get enough points the following season to enrich their 'promedio' and get out of jail. As early as in 1983, the system proved efficient for River Plate as they escaped relegation even when they finished in the bottom two, so they got to stay up.
GRONDONA and his business were smiling. Fair play and justice are still crying.
Not happy with those changes, in 1989/1990, GRONDONA decided that he was going to play two tournaments in one season. The Apertura and the Clausura. The reason behind it? Shorter tournaments will give many teams a shot at the title and will prove to be more exciting. To some extent, he was right, but it was hardly fair when a team won the Apertura playing most derby matches at home and avoiding travels to the provinces. Qualification to the Continental cup competitions was never clear and proper fans in Argentina have to have a major in maths to understand whether they are in good or bad positions when it comes to qualifying for the Copa Libertadores or Copa Sudamericana.
Did I mention that Boca Juniors and River Plate get annual invitations to the Copa Sudamericana and that they don't qualify on virtue of points gathered? Yes. You are right. It's non-sense.
- Deal with the TV: Since 1985, GRONDONA signed a contract with a company called Torneos y Competencias (they have the TV channel most of you know: TyC Sports) to give them the exclusive broadcasting rights for Argentine football. Ever since then, the TV company exercised a monopoly that prevented any other channel in the country to show the goals until Sunday at midnight (after they aired the famous show: Fútbol de Primera, which shows highlights of the weekend's games -similar to Match of the Day in England-).
Until last month, it worked for GRONDONA. He even renewed that contract with TyC two years ago. All of a sudden, the government -locked in a fierce battle with Grupo Clarín -owner of TyC- approached GRONDONA, offered him twice as much for the same broadcasting rights and that was it. GRONDONA tore up the contract with TyC and he began with his rants of saying how inconvenient the TyC contract was for Argentine football and how disadvantaged the AFA was under those terms.
- Lack of financial control of the clubs: Football clubs are always bailed out in Argentina. They mismanage. They don't go by the rules. They steal and they never pay taxes or honour their contracts, but still, there's always a way out for them.
Racing Club is a major example. Part of the Big5 in Argentina, the club was the living proof of what I said in the previous paragraph. Pressured by the fact that they couldn't win the league in 35 years, all sorts of desperate measures were taken and the result was a mounting debt of 40 or 70 million USD until the club had to file for bankruptcy.
The government then acted to make sure the club was kept alive and a private company was welcomed to rescue the club with a promise that the debt would be pay in 10 years. A decade later, that company itself went bankrupt and the corruption seen in their everyday affairs was even bigger than before.
GRONDONA first promoted and supported the introduction of private companies in Argentine clubs and when he saw it was clearly not working, he changed his mind, but the damage was done.
The AFA promise of punishing clubs with transfer embargoes or points deduction for a misuse of money or stadium closure for violence never actually happened and everybody is still at it as long as GRONDONA keeps getting his votes and his pocket money.
And us, the fans, are in the middle of this mess.
The appointment of Diego MARADONA was nothing else than a continuity of this decadent government that GRONDONA is running with no apparent and serious opposition.
How can you form an opposition if the man has everything covered and his henchmen do the dirty job for him?
There is no room for democracy under this totalitarian old dinosaur that keeps getting his own way time after time.
On one hand he appoints MARADONA and gives him total control. On the other...he doesn't let Diego pick his coaching staff because he doesn't like Oscar RUGGERI.
GRONDONA clearly picked MARADONA with the conviction that Argentina were going to qualify to South Africa without a problem and only because having Diego as the boss would mean heavy dollars coming his way (with TV money, friendly matches offers, juicy sponsorship deals, etc).
Now there is a feeling in the air that changes could come if Argentina miss out of the next World Cup and that a new order should be imposed in Argentine football if that happens.
Many of us, fans, who just want our national team to perform the way we know it can perform, don't know what to think.
If I was given a contract to sign in which I'm guaranteed that if Argentina crashes out and miss the World Cup in South Africa next year GRONDONA will be removed from his position (and none of his henchmen will get appointed to replace him), then I'll be really sorry that the price we're paying is rather steep, but I'll happily sign it in the search of a greater good.
Since there are no guarantees of that happening and my love for my national football team is still very strong, I've got no option but to wish Argentina well and celebrate the goals that could keep perpetuating GRONDONA in charge (for much as it hurts me to death).
A horrible situation to be in, but this story was something I wanted to share with you for a long time now. I hope I have helped you to understand what's beneath the surface in Argentine football.
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Don't forget to listen to our podcast. The perfect build-up for the match against Paraguay in Asunción:
Simply click the audio player above or right-click on the following link and save it as an MP3 file or listen to it in your computer: download.
Enjoy! And don't forget to send us your views to argentina.correspondent@gmail.com or right here in the comments' box. If you want to participate in a future edition of our podcast, make sure to drop us an e-mail too.
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