PRETORIA – When it comes to charisma, not many soccer coaches can rival
Argentina
's
Diego Maradona
. But a deep discussion over
tactics
?
Not the man's style.
"Great one, you beast!" you often hear
Maradona
shouting affectionately at a
player
during training. Even when a shot balloons over the crossbar, he bubbles with the same infectious enthusiasm.
His critics, who called him a naive tactician in the buildup to the
World Cup
, could be made to eat their words if Argentina continues its impressive form in
South Africa
and wins a third title.
The Albiceleste have won four matches in a row, scoring 10 goals — and the tally would've been far higher but for some excellent
goalkeeping
by their opponents.
Maradona says he himself preferred to be a free spirit as a player. As a result he intentionally won't tell Argentina's latest global superstar —
Lionel Messi
— what to do.
"I went to tell Messi (at Barcelona) that nobody ever told me where to play. So, I shouldn't have to tell Messi where to play either," said Maradona.
"It was up to him to decide where to play. He's a grown-up. I did it back in my era and now it's his turn."
The former
Argentine
captain — for some the best player of all time — has embraced and kissed his players before all
the matches
in South Africa.
And it seems as though he's kicking every ball in his mind when prowling around the coaches area wearing a suit.
The players seem to be thriving.
Martin Palermo, Argentina's 36-year-old fifth-choice
striker
, is a case in point.
Many thought Maradona included him on his
squad
out of sentimentality — or as a lucky charm — after the
Boca Juniors striker
scored a last-gasp goal that more or less sealed Argentina's qualification for the
2010 World Cup
.
With Argentina struggling to break down Greece in the final group game, Maradona was told by his assistants to bring on
Gonzalo Higuain
.
Instead, he chose Palermo, who within minutes got on the score sheet.
The advice from Maradona as Palermo ran onto the field?
"I said, Get out there. Finish this match for me."
It's a far cry from the
tactically
astute and results-driven approach of
Carlos Bilardo
, who coached Argentina to
World Cup success
in 1986. Not to mention the almost obsessively philosophical and romantic vision of
soccer
advocated by the chain-smoking Cesar Menotti, who led the nation to the title eight years earlier.
When Maradona got the Argentina job, Bilardo was brought in to help on
tactics
. But the pair immediately fell out and, even though they're both at the
World Cup
, it's thought that Maradona is reluctant to listen to his advice.
Whether Maradona's approach will work when Argentina comes up against tactically savvy Germany in this weekend's quarterfinal is another matter.
And it's sure to be troubling the nation.
Asked by an
Argentine
journalist after the 3-1 defeat of Mexico on Sunday how he would approach the Germans, Maradona snapped, "Let me enjoy this match. Why think of Germany? How about you name the players YOU want."