The Curious Case of the Argentine National Team

The Argentine national team has long been a curious problem: many people love it, but when they get it, no one knows what to do with it.

In the late 90s, Marcelo Bielsa took over the team with the goal of winning the 2002 World Cup, but they were eliminated in the group stage. Two years later, in the Copa America held in Peru, they lost in the final against Brazil, and with that defeat, Bielsa lost his position. This summary is unfair, as it doesn't express the virtues of a team that achieved notable performance (losing only 11 matches in 5 years) and displayed attractive play. But when trophies are the measure, a coach can lose legitimacy in 90 minutes.

This legitimacy was something that Jose Pekerman had in abundance, as a hero of the Argentine youth national teams, when he took on the challenge of coaching the senior team. However, his tenure ended in the penalty shootout that gave victory to the Germans in 2006, a moment that immortalized 'Papelito' Lehmann. It can be argued that from that moment on, Argentina entered an unstable and negative phase.

Alfio Basile took charge of the team for the second time in his career, but he didn't have a proper stage; he was replaced by Maradona, who with a Messi in his prime diluted the prestige of both due to a ridiculous performance in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa; only to be replaced by his former assistant, Sergio Batista, who only managed 17 matches. Sabella, who had won the Libertadores with Estudiantes, restored respect and solidity to a team that had long felt like it was wasting the best football player in the world. It takes a very narrow-minded person to attribute any responsibility for the lost final against Germany in the Brazilian World Cup to 'Pachorra', his last match as coach of the national team.

The new defeat forced the call-up of Martino. The idea that a connection from Rosario between him and Messi would end the drought was frustrated twice by Chile, who denied the respective Copa America trophies in two consecutive finals. Bauza, a champion of the Libertadores with San Lorenzo, was a short-lived and ineffective palliative: he lasted only eight matches and his tenure can barely be considered memorable.

The conclusion of this very brief summary is evident: the coaching staff of the Argentine national team is a meat grinder. Can Sampaoli reverse this curse?

It's a tough task. His preferred system demands time and continuity, and recent history has shown that neither the fans nor the Argentine leaders are known for their patience. His success in Chile was largely due to building upon the legacy of Bielsa; now, on the other hand, he inherits a confused team. His character, complicated when facing the media, disguised in his hyper-control, makes him an easy target for an anxious and overcaffeinated press. The way he obtained the position, with a mixture of lies and false indignation, also doesn't leave a sense of seriousness. The only currency he will be able to pay with from now on is success. And success, as Kipling teaches us, is merely an impostor.

The victory against Brazil was strange due to its friendly nature, the course of the game, and the Australian landscape. Sampaoli seeks the backline of three in a team that struggles defensively, he will insist on high pressing and possession, which seems fortunate, but at one point, when the weather changes for the worse, as seen in the second half, he seems willing to be pragmatic. Bielsa gave him a strange compliment regarding that willingness to betray himself in exchange for three points. It will be interesting to see if that will be enough for him or if the condemnation continues.