Diego Maradona finally exposed as Argentina's weakest link... along with their right-back
By
Ian Ladyman for the Daily Mail
Updated:
In the end, one of world football’s greatest icons simply had nothing left to offer. As Germany dissected his Argentina team at Green Point Stadium, Diego Maradona was out of ideas and out of gas.
In some ways, it was a shame. Maradona and his side had provided this World Cup with one of its most captivating themes. A flawed genius trying to inspire a team to achieve what he did in 1986.
But, in retrospect, maybe Argentina were never really likely to win this tournament. Maybe they had too many weaknesses. And perhaps one of those was that when they badly needed a proper coach they found they did not have one.
Found out: Diego Maradona came up short when faced by a proper team and a more tactically aware coach
At the end of Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Germany, Maradona was on to the field quickly. It is where he feels most at home. He embraced each of his fallen players in turn. There was a kiss on the cheek for each, whether they wanted it or not.
There were no handshakes for the Germans. Sadly, that is not his way.
This is how it has been from the start. Maradona, despite such a stumbling, fractured qualifying campaign, clearly saw himself as the great motivator, a man who could drag the very best from some moderate players and who could guide his country to the World Cup final.
Man's man: His relationship with the players ultimately proved to be not enough to guarantee performance
To those of us who have watched him closely over the last three weeks, the pattern had become familiar. He was a coach who wanted to be at the centre of the group. After all these years, he still needed to be in the spotlight.
Hence, the pre-match warm-up with his players, the quick change into a sharp suit in time for kick-off and then forays on to the field at half-time and full-time.
While they were winning ? and they played well in games against Nigeria, South Korea and Mexico ? it seemed to work. But when Germany asked him his first big question of this World Cup by scoring in the second minute the great man had no
answers.
Until the weekend, Argentina had not played under any kind of pressure since left back Gabriel Heinze headed them into an early lead in their first group game against Nigeria. From that moment, their passage had been untroubled.
But all good coaches have to earn their money at some time if they are going to succeed on this stage ? witness the way that Bert van Marwijk turned Holland around to beat Brazil on Friday ? and when it was his turn Maradona came up short.
Germany pulled his team to pieces in Cape Town. It was embarrassing, humiliating. Not since 1974 had Argentina conceded four goals in a game at the World Cup finals.
As Germany captain Phillip Lahm explained, his side’s tactics had been quite straightforward. Crowd the space in the centre of the field where the dangerous Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez wanted to operate and then, when in possession, try to expose the weaknesses of full backs Heinze and Nicolas Otamendi.
It worked beautifully. Messi spent much of the game with the ball seemingly tangled at his feet and, staggeringly, each of Germany’s four goals stemmed from raids down Nicolas Otamendi’s side. Maradona, though, was frozen.
Centre of attention: Maradona, accompanied by his daughter Dalma, continued to be the show despite defeat
Not until his team were 2-0 down did the hopeless Otamendi come off. Only at 3-0 did an extra striker in Sergio Aguero come on but another, Diego Milito, was left on the bench.
Maradona did hardly anything to change his team’s tactics as Germany coach Joachim Low outmanoeuvred him on every level and his gameplan seemed only to revolve around making sure Messi saw as much of the ball as possible.
At this level of the game that will never work, not against the best teams. Afterwards, sympathy was in rather short supply, especially from the Germans.
Ball boy: Germany's Thomas Muller (left), who opened the scoring against Argentina, had been labelled a 'ball boy' by Maradona earlier this year
Young midfielder Thomas Muller, for example, was described as a ‘ballboy’ by Maradona after the two countries met in a friendly in March.
Muller said: ‘For me, this was extremely satisfying. Argentina couldn’t cope with us. We played with tempo and pace and aggression and were by far the better team.
‘We beat Argentina deservedly but I can’t believe that we beat them 4-0. As for Maradona, well, this is special for me. I don’t think that he thinks I am a ballboy any more. I think he knows me now.’
According to Low, Maradona cut a distraught figure in the tunnel after the game. In the Argentina dresssing room, Messi and others were in tears.
Maradona said: ‘This is similar to the sadness I experienced on the day I stopped playing. This is the toughest moment in my life, a kick in the face. I have no more energy.’
It is expected that Maradona will resign as coach of Argentina. One hopes he will. It has been a thrill to have him back, if only for a while.
Maradona almost lost his life to substance abuse a decade ago, and we are lucky to have had one of the World Cup’s most inspiring figures among us again.
Ultimately, though, he failed. By a distance.?