A technical issue… (Last Tango)

Two countries have monopolized international titles in recent years. Spain is what is called “champion of everything”: winner of the recent Euro 2024, the 2023 Men’s Nations League, 2024 Women’s Nations League, 2023 Women’s World Cup, Olympic champion in men’s 2024, Real Madrid lifted the men’s Champions League, Barcelona the women’s Champions League, La Roja the European champion for Under-19 men and women… Overwhelming, unprecedented and unmatched.

On this side of the water, Argentina He strung together three precious pearls: America’s Cup, World Cup, Copa America. It had never happened before. They also won the Finalissima 2022 (Europe vs. South America, beating Italy). And their successes in youth tournaments are frequent. Next year they will meet in the Finalissima. Why so many titles concentrated in just two football media…? Of course, having good players is one explanation. However, there is a common denominator: their technical directors. They flood the planet. The Spanish are the most sought after in Europe, the Argentines dominate America.

Luis de la Fuente, The winner of the last two Iberian laurels (Euro and Nations League), does not have a squad that makes you say “uuuuuuhhh…” It happens that De la Fuente, like his fellow countrymen, have a good tactical foundation and, above all, attack by air, sea and land. They face Germany in Stuttgart and do not stop in their offensive search. His predecessor, Luis Enriquethe same. And all the Spanish drivers of the new guard: Guardiola at City, Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen, Unai Emery at Aston Villa, Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.

Three of the top four in the Premier League are managed by Spaniards, who have been champions in England, Germany and France. The same Xavi Hernandez, who in the short space of four years won 9 titles between Al-Sadd of Qatar and FC Barcelona.

They have invaded the world, they are in high demand. Spain has several of the best coaching schools in the world. That is one of the keys. Another is that, without a doubt, Pep Guardiola left his mark. With nuances, most of them play possession and position. That is: possession of the ball to dominate the game and not be attacked, being in a permanent offensive search situation and generating danger based on movements and combinations rather than individual plays.

This system allowed Spain to win the European Championship by defeating Italy, Germany, France, England and Croatia, four world champions and one runner-up. And without a superstar roster: with a real star like Rodri in the middle, of course; two unbalanced boys up front, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, and the ultra-performer Dani Carvajal on the right side as standard bearers. The rest are interesting players, although average, correct, perhaps Dani Olmo stands out. The two centre-backs are naturalised French -Le Normand and Laporte-. It is not exactly a constellation. The trump card comes from the bench.

In Argentina there are hundreds of coaching schools all over the country. The educational level may be good, but it does not seem to be the main reason for the success and penetration of Argentine coaches abroad. “It happens that it is a country that is football-mad,” says Danilo Díaz, a notable Chilean journalist. “And they have played six World Cup finals, so for those from outside that influences when looking for a coach.”

Of ten teams, the South American Qualifiers will have seven coaches from the country of Di Stéfano, Maradona and Messi, the same number that was in the recent Copa América. And there is more: Claudio Vivas will coach Costa Rica after the departure of Gustavo Alfaro and the United States will announce Mauricio Pochettino for its national team in October. From Patagonia to North America there are 80 Argentine coaches in clubs and national teams. Some countries, such as Per
u, have 12, eight in the First Division and four in the Second Division; there are eleven in Chile, eleven in Ecuador between the national team, First and Second Division; seven in Bolivia and Honduras, five in Mexico And, very significantly, five in Brazil. Brazilian football is increasingly looking to Argentina. There are also 42 Argentine footballers in the main clubs of the Amazonian giant.

And an impressive fact: of the 16 teams that made it to the quarter-finals of the Libertadores and Sudamericana, combined, there are 9 Brazilians and only 3 Argentines, but nine coaches are Argentine (56%).

Unlike the Spanish, hiring Argentine technicians is not new, it comes from a long time ago. It all began in 1935, when Guillermo Stábile, The top scorer at the 1930 World Cup who had played in Italy and France, took over as coach of Red Star de Paris and led them to the First Division. He stayed until 1939.

In the 1938 World Cup he was part of Vittorio Pozzo’s coaching staff in the Italian team that won the championship. He then returned to his homeland and coached the Albiceleste team for twenty years, winning the Copa América six times. In the 40s and 50s there were some names that made a big impact in Europe, such as Renato Cesarini, Yiyo Carniglia (twice European champion with the famous Real Madrid of Di Stefano and Puskas), Alejandro Scopelli, author of “Yo, Mister”, a must-read book for all coaches in the world; Helenio Herrerathe creator of the multi-champion Inter Milan. They left a deep mark and paved the way for hundreds of compatriots.

There is an increasing demand for hiring Argentine coaches, who have always been a highly sought-after workforce. America is scattered, but they are also seen in other continents and even in exotic places. They are seen as good group leaders, they know how to reach the player, they are up to date, and in general their knowledge of the game is valued. The best exponents today, without a doubt, are Lionel Scaloni (an incredible find) and Nestor Lorenzowho completely turned the S upside downColombian election.

“Argentines were ahead of their time in terms of technical management, long before everyone else, and they took a fundamental advantage,” says Ramón Jesurún, president of the Colombian Federation and who hired Lorenzo. “Furthermore,” he adds, “they are not afraid to explore other markets, they adapt very easily to the culture and idiosyncrasy and the competitive system of the country where they go. Today, technical schools are successfully establishing themselves everywhere, but that initial step they took gave them that position and great credibility in their work.”

Luciano Martínez, a Spanish-Colombian friend, asks me the reasons for this success of the Simeones, Garecas, Bielsas, sons of the Zubeldías, Toto Lorenzo, Menotti, Bilardo, Bianchi, Basile, Pekerman. “Where do they train? In Spain the technical training school for coaches is excellent and it is run by the Spanish Federation… Ajax has a famous training school… and the other European countries, each one better than the last. But Argentina has a cloud of fantastic technicians and you never hear about where they train.”

As we say, there are schools, of course, but the best learning is acquired in the locker room, in the discussion at the corner café, on the neighborhood pitch, at the club, in the conversation about football at any time and in any place. It is a cultural fact that
starts from passion: every Argentine, deep down, sees himself as a football coach.

Jorge Barraza

For THE TIME

@JorgeBarrazaOK