In Defence of Diego Maradona

The prospect of Diego Maradona coaching has not been met with universal applause. Cocaine, weight gain, stomach staples, short lived chat shows, a losing record in his blink and you missed it coaching career so far. Also, he talks a lot of crazy.

Argentina fans don’t seem too impressed (71% of voters were against the appointment) that a genuine chance of winning World Cup 2010 is being put in El Diego’s hands. And the rest of the world is veering between astonishment and laughter. Tellingly, the bookies have lengthened Argentina’s World Cup 2010 odds, which isn’t something they do lightly (since longer odds means they potentially pay out more.)

For the record, I agree with all of the above. I think a team like Argentina needs a proper coach. Someone more familiar with strategy than sniffing powder. But if I were to make the case for Diego Maradona, here’s what it would like:

1. All the cheap shots about cocaine can be put to bed. Yes, he did do that. But not anymore. Maradona’s 48 years old now. He’ll never be as mature or serious as, say, Arsene Wenger. But he’s not no longer a wild child either.

2. Maradona will take this very very seriously. Whatever criticisms you can lay against Diego Maradona, lack of passion for the Argentina national team is not one of them. So yes, his coaching career so far is not good. But Maradona will know this is his one chance at glory. He can’t screw this up or throw a tantrum and quit and then expect to be offered the position again for World Cup 2014.

3. Tactics aren’t everything. Remember Jose Pekerman and his amazing attacking team at World Cup 2006? He made the tactical move of going defensive to protect the lead against Germany in the quarter-final and ended up losing the game. Maybe it will be good to see a less cautious coach in charge of a big team. And remember El Diego will have the old head of 1986 World Cup winning coach Carlos Bilardo to turn to for tactical advice.

4. Destiny. It all depends if you believe in this kind of thing, but if you consider the story of Diego Maradona, this is a man who seems destined to do certain things. Maybe the idea of Maradona as a serious coach is laughable. But for reason the idea of him coaching Argentina to a World Cup victory isn’t.

5. Here’s arguably the most important thing: the Argentinean players love Diego Maradona. He’s done the one thing they all dream of doing: winning the World Cup for the albiceleste. So whatever else Maradona’s done (chemical or otherwise) the likes of Leo Messi and Sergio Aguero revere him. They could also be inspired by him. It was suggested recently that the younger players who’ve played most of their careers in Europe couldn’t relate to Alfio Basile and his old-school style. They’ll have no such problem with Maradona.

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