Alfio Basile’s Second Reign: Part II - The End
For those who didn’t read or would like to re-read Part I, please click here.
In Part I, it was all about the 2007 Copa America and how Basile’s tactics eventually led to Argentina finishing second place behind Brazil in the South American tournament. In Part II it’s going to be about the good start in the World Cup Qualifiers and the inevitable end for Alfio Basile.
Following Brazil’s victory of the Copa America, Alfio Basile had 2 friendly matches to test out a few players before the beginning of the 2010 South American World Cup Qualifiers. The first of those two matches was against Norway. Without Riquelme, Basile decided to try out Lionel Messi in the play-making position and other players in different roles. The result? Argentina played miserably and lost the match 2-1 as Maxi Rodriguez scored in the 83rd minute to try and salvage a draw. Basile had one last opportunity to test out some young blood before the start of the Qualifiers in October. In September 2007, Argentina headed down under to face Australia in Melbourne. This time the play-making responsibility went to Federico Insua as Messi partnered Carlos Tévez up front. With close chances on both sides, Martín Demichelis found the back of the net with a header early in the second half, off a Lionel Messi free kick as Argentina won the match 1-0.
With Juan Román Riquelme having not played a competitive match since the Copa America final, Alfio Basile decided to call-up the lazy magician for the start of the World Cup Qualifiers in October. Basile’s desperation paid dividends as Riquelme scored twice for Argentina against Chile, both goals coming off free-kicks as Argentina won the match 2-0 to kick start their 2010 World Cup Qualifying campaign. The Albicelestes got off to an excellent start taking maximum points out of their first 3 matches, getting 9 out of 9 points. The rest was, as they say, downhill. They lost their next match against Colombia, albeit controversially, and drew their next 4 matches. Heading into Round 5 of the Qualifiers, Argentina had 13 points out of a possible 24. Many were blaming Basile for his tactical decisions. Not calling up a real number 9 target man and his decision to keep Roberto Abbondanzieri between the posts following many mistakes. But Basile’s biggest problem wasn’t his tactical approach, it was that he had lost the dressing room. The players were playing individually and not as a group, nor were they following Basile’s tactics at all. Needless to say Round 5 would prove to be crucial for Argentina and especially crucial for Alfio Basile as many said that one more draw and Basile would get the axe.
The first match of the 5th round came against Argentina’s oldest rival, Uruguay, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina managed to hold down their oldest foes with a 2-1 victory. It was their first World Cup Qualifying victory in 6 matches. A stunning statistic for such a huge soccer nation. Even with that victory, Basile’s job was far from secure, as many were still asking for his head. Without the suspended Riquelme against Chile in Santiago, Basile’s hand was forced in the goalkeeping position as Abbondanzieri was injured which meant that Juan Pablo Carrizo would get the nod. Another change was made as Diego Milito was to be used as the target man for the Albicelestes. However it was too little too late. Without Riquelme and the dressing room lost, it was Argentina’s worst match of the Qualifying campaign. No flow, no movement, no direction, Argentina lost the match 1-0. Alfio Basile was outcoached by Marcelo Bielsa (who had coached Argentina for 6 years and led them to Olympic Gold in 2004). Immediatly following the loss, many said that it was Alfio Basile’s last match in charge of Argentina, but AFA President Julio Grondona denied the rumors. A week had passed since the loss to Chile and Basile’s name was still in the papers. Finally, on October 26, 2008, Alfio Basile resigned as Argentina head coach. His successor? Arguably the greatest player to ever play the game, Argentina’s favorite son and World Cup winner: Diego Armando Maradona.
Most say that Basile’s second reign was a disaster and that he had no clue what he was doing while others blame it on the players. After all, there is only so much a coach can do. Looking back at Basile’s second tenure with Argentina, I’ll always remember how beautiful we played in the Copa America, but sadly that’s about it. I started off Part I by saying that he was Argentina’s worst coach since 1993 and I stand by it. I find it absolutely ridiculous to believe that a coach of his experience and the amount of talent at his disposal would lose the team like he did.
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Deepak Srinivasan
