If there was any doubt why Louis van Gaal signed Angel Di Maria, that was surely answered by his marvellous performance in Argentina’s 4-2 win in Germany last week. With Lionel Messi injured, Di Maria revelled in taking over the “free role” behind the strikers, scoring with a sumptuous chip over the goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller after a trademark dribble, as well as providing the final pass for all three of Argentina’s other goals. Tottenham’s Eric Lamela made his debut and scored for Argentina in the same match, playing alongside Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, who also scored. But Lamela can play behind the strikers, too – that was his preferred position at both River Plate and Roma, where he made his name. Di Maria’s new Manchester United team-mate Marcos Rojo played at both centre-back and left-back in a back four when he won the Argentine League and Copa de Libertadores (the South American equivalent of the Champions League) with Estudiantes, but he operated as a left wing-back in the first half of Argentina’s first World Cup match against Bosnia, famously running down the flank and crossing with a Rabona (kicking the ball from behind the standing leg, a piece of skill usually more associated with Di Maria). And then Rojo had the audacity to nutmeg Arjen Robben in the semi-final against the Netherlands. El cano (nutmeg – literally, “the tube”) is a highly-prized piece of skill in Argentina, and when Leicester City’s Leonardo Ulloa performed one on Chelsea’s Oscar last month, it was replayed on Argentine TV more than his recent equaliser against Arsenal. “I think in Argentina, they put more value on these kind of things”, he told Argentina’s sports daily Ole, “Here in England, it’s better to fall to the ground than perform a nutmeg, but for those who like football, we enjoy these things… But, I didn’t to it to show off, I used it as a method of keeping the ball.” Whether these techniques and tricks are a result of the type of coaching young players receive in Argentina is difficult to analyse, but, on the whole, it would appear that Argentine defenders are more comfortable on the ball than their British counterparts. When City’s Martin Demichelis made a shaky start to his Premier League career last season, some English pundits were quick to mock his defending. Yet no doubt the reason Manuel Pellegrini decided to be reunited with the centre-back he had at Malaga – and who went on to play in the World Cup final – was for his ability to bring the ball out from the back. In Argentina, defenders are considered a vital part of the elaboration of the play, and in youth football it is not uncommon to see central defenders going on mazy runs with coaches seemingly perfectly happy to allow this. Leicester’s Esteban Cambiasso, and Sunderland midfielder Ricky Alvarez, both deadline day signings from Internazionale, and the Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini all received their formative youth coaching from the legendary Ramon Madonni, previously at Argentinos Juniors, now at Boca Juniors. The list of players who have served under his tutelage reads like a who’s-who of Argentine football – Fernando Redondo, Juan Roman Riquelme, Carlos Tevez to name a few. “We always look for technique, that’s the overiding principle in everything”, explains Madonni, “and then we teach them jumping, heading, chesting, shooting, controlled aggression – shielding the ball, using your weight and balance. But the truth is you can’t teach anyone how to play football, but you can perfect it. And most important of all, it must be fun, they must enjoy it.” “Baby football” is big in Argentina and Uruguay. Children between the ages of five and 12 are taught by qualified coaches, on seven-a-side pitches, with a very light ball. They play in leagues at the weekend, but at midweek training the emphasis is on ball control in reduced spaces, with repeated trapping, dribbling and passing exercises. They have been doing this since the 1960s, but today you do hear the same concerns as in Britain regarding lack of open spaces in urban areas and kids spending their time indoors playing computer games.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 08:00:27 +0000