Decision on Edgardo Bauza's Continuity as Argentina's Coach Is Still Unclear

"It's a closed case." "Bauza is out." "It's difficult to support him." "Everyone wants to change the coach." "It's already decided." "He's being fired." And the statements about Edgardo Bauza's continuity as coach of the national team could go on filling all the lines of this text. Except for Nicolás Russo (Lanús), who publicly admitted his stance on changing Argentina's coach, the rest of the directors fuel the fire in the shadows of anonymity, under a strict off the record request. He was not chosen by anyone from the new AFA, he was brought in by the head of a Normalizing Commission (Armando Pérez) who is no longer there and who didn't even remember his name, he has regressed in the team's game and the qualification for the World Cup is in serious jeopardy, he didn't make the necessary changes when he had to, he... The bullets whistle past Patón's ear, who reads and hears everything while continuing his work at the Ezeiza training facility. Beyond the figure of Marcelo Tinelli (president of the Selection Committee), the newly appointed president of Viamonte, Claudio Tapia, will be the one to make the first crucial decision. Will he fire him? Will he call Jorge Sampaoli? Is he truly convinced of getting rid of Bauza, regardless of the opinion of the rest?

Edgardo Bauza says he's "strong to continue" although he doesn't rule out being fired

Claudio Chiqui Tapia: "Everyone sees that Argentina plays poorly"

From the start, the move isn't as simple as it seems. The political cost could be high if the final result is not as expected. With Patón, the team is in a playoff zone with four matches remaining in the qualifiers (Lionel Messi is suspended for three more matches). And if they change the coach and do not secure passage to Russia? Nothing guarantees anything. That's why, even though everyone -off the record, it is insisted- implies that Bauza's fate is sealed, it cannot yet be confirmed that he will be dismissed already.

Daniel Angelici: "Everyone takes for granted that Bauza is gone, and it's not like that"

In the meeting of directors last Friday at the AFA, the subject was hardly discussed and everything was left in the hands of Tapia and Tinelli. According to Clarín, the vice-president of San Lorenzo finds it crazy to think about making a change. Tinelli has a good relationship with Bauza. He supports him even though he wasn't the one who brought him in. What is Chiqui's intention? He's sailing in a gray area and he doesn't close the door to any option. "Bauza is the coach of the national team. He has a signed contract. We will meet with him. I have not been able to do it yet. I did meet with the players before the match against Chile, but I was not yet president then. I have only been here for three days. I will meet with Bauza on Wednesday or Thursday to talk. We were not part of his election, nor do I know his thoughts or ideas. Once we talk, we will analyze the steps to follow," he commented in an interview with La Nación.

In that talk Tapia had with the players before the victory against Chile, he heard Javier Mascherano speaking highly of Patón. In the meeting tomorrow or the day after, Tinelli will also be present. Will a decision be made there? It is impossible to predict. If Tapia listens to his counterparts in the Executive Committee, he should fire Bauza. If he looks at Tinelli, he will tell him that he should keep him. The fact that Patón's continuity is in doubt is demonstrated by a simple fact: neither Tapia nor any other director picked up the phone to dispel the rumors and show support. "I will be more at ease when I can meet and talk with the directors. If they want to reach me, they can easily find me," Bauza said yesterday on the radio program Cómo Te Va.

Some second-tier directors are banking on wearing down the coach's patience so that he is the one who steps aside. "It would have been good if the coach had offered his position to the new administration, but that gesture did not occur," said an important director from a club in Buenos Aires. Of course, he would have saved himself a headache.

If they are so sure about firing Bauza, why haven't they already approached Sampaoli, the one everyone is pointing to? "No one can call another coach while there is someone in charge," Tapia stated. It's hard to believe that they would get rid of Patón without being certain that the current coach of Sevilla will be available to come. Sampaoli is increasingly moving away from the Spanish club. He has several offers: from Dortmund in Germany and from the Netherlands national team. However, the native of Casilda is waiting for an offer from Argentina. They say that since his name started buzzing again, he watches every Argentine football match and loses sleep thinking about how his national team would be -Icardi as a striker and Mascherano as a sweeper in a three-man defense line?-. In the meantime, he frequently checks his phone.

Chiqui Tapia plans to travel to Spain in the next few days to visit Messi. Leo will tell him that he likes Sampaoli, but that he feels comfortable with Bauza and has no intention of influencing the coaching issue. Will it be true that he will then continue his journey to the Andalusia region? Messi and Sampaoli will meet tomorrow in the clash between Barcelona and Sevilla for the Spanish league at Camp Nou. As a twist of fate, Bauza will be watching them on television.