At this summer’s Copa America, seven of the 16 participating nations will be led by Argentine coaches. Lionel Scaloni heads the list as the head coach of the Argentina national team. Marcelo Bielsa leads Uruguay, while Colombia and Venezuela are coached by Nestor Lorenzo and Fernando Batista, respectively.
Chile made a big hire with the appointment of Ricardo Gareca, and Paraguay, who had fired Argentine Guillermo Barros Schelotto in 2023, replaced the former Boca Juniors forward with his compatriot Daniel Garnero. Gustavo Alfaro manages the CONCACAF side Costa Rica, who coached Ecuador at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
This isn’t a new phenomenon in South America and certainly not for the continent’s most prestigious international competition. At the 2015 Copa America, all four semifinalists (Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay) were coached by Argentine managers. The 2019 edition of the tournament featured three Argentine managers at the semifinal stage.
Managers from Argentina have always been highly sought after at both the domestic and international levels. But why? In South America, it’s a debate that delves into everything from football heritage to inferiority complexes and fanatical patriotism.
Argentina is the land of Alfredo Di Stefano, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi. Greatness in football is a virtue that Argentines have come to expect. Their most successful managers at both club and international levels are often revered for their philosophical approaches to football.
The late Cesar Luis Menotti is considered to be Argentina’s greatest football mind. Menotti, who passed away in May at the age of 85, coached Argentina to the World Cup title in 1978. His career highlights included coaching Argentina from 1974 to 1983 and stints with Barcelona, Boca Juniors, and River Plate. Up until his death, Menotti was the Argentina Football Association’s (AFA) director of football.
The chain-smoking tactical guru spoke as eloquently as an award-winning novelist. Menotti’s wisdom helped to position Argentine football, specifically the national team, as a conceptual idea rather than a magnet for passionate fandom.
The national team is a very serious place to be, Menotti said in 2019 after he accepted the AFA’s appointment. Every ball that’s kicked by a player awakens a cultural manifestation. Were going to support that cultural growth because it’s something that clubs cannot do. Only the Argentina national team can.
Menotti also once claimed that a double midfield pivot was a lie.
The ball can be recovered not by the accumulation of troops, but rather through the recovery of space. That’s how (Johan) Cruyffs Holland did it, Menotti said.
The ability to express football ideas as if one were a professor of an advanced university course is synonymous with many past and present coaches from Argentina. Managers from Argentina are often viewed as both tacticians and capable leaders. That assumption can lead to nationalistic debates across South America.
When Colombia hired current manager Lorenzo, a former Argentina national team defender, Colombians joked on social media that an Argentine passport was a requirement for the job. Lorenzo replaced Colombian Reinaldo Rueda, a highly esteemed coach in South America.
To make matters more contentious, Lorenzo is the second Argentine manager to lead Colombia in recent years after Jose Pekerman, who coached Colombia from 2014 to 2018.
I was surprised by Lorenzo’s hire, said former Colombia and Costa Rica national team coach Jorge Luis Pinto in 2022. He doesn’t have the status to manage the Colombian national team.
Efran Pachn is the former president of Bogota-based club Independiente Santa Fe. When Lorenzo was hired, Pachn labeled the decision as ridiculous and embarrassing.
We have (Colombian) coaches who have managed at World Cup tournaments and have enriched other national teams, Pachn said. The smart decision would have been to hire every (Colombian) coach who has been at a World Cup and assemble a staff that way.
Clearly, Pachn let his pride get the best of him. Lorenzo, it turns out, is a capable national team manager. Colombia arrives at the 2024 Copa America on a 19-game unbeaten streak under the Argentine.
Coupled with their perceived tactical acumen, Argentine coaches are also known and respected for their ability to adapt to the different cultural idiosyncrasies of South American football. Domestic leagues throughout the region are littered with Argentine managers. The same can be said for players of Argentine descent. They often leave their country’s first division to join some of South America’s top club sides.
Only arch-rivals and five-time world champions Brazil can confidently look down upon the Albiceleste in a battle of egos. Brazilian clubs are dominating in South America, but the 2022 World Cup title has strengthened Argentina’s hold as the continent’s best national team. But even in Brazil, where the language can be an initial obstacle, some Argentine coaches have had success.
The pay is much better in Brazil, but it’s a trend that has cemented the notion that Argentina produces the best managers in South America. Coaches Gabriel Milito (Clube Atletico Mineiro), Ramon Daz (Vasco da Gama), Eduardo Coudet (Internacional, Nicolas Larcamon (Cruzeiro), and Juan Pablo Vojvoda (Fortaleza) joined more than 40 Argentine players who featured in Brazis top flight in 2024. On the other hand, it’s rare to see Brazilian players in the Argentine league, let alone coaches. Take for instance Boca Juniors. The Buenos Aires-based super club has only hired two Brazilian coaches since its inception in 1905 and a total of nine foreign-born managers.
There’s also the Scaloni effect. The former interim manager proved to the world that inexperience is not always a determining factor for success. Scaloni, 46, lifted the 2022 World Cup trophy despite never having been a head coach at senior level. Now considered one of the sport’s premier man managers, Scaloni is chasing his fourth title with Argentina this summer (after the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions, and the 2022 World Cup).
The 2024 Copa America will be another showcase for Argentine managers on the international stage, which will prove that their influence in South America isn’t a trend but rather a ubiquitous reality. Barring a complete collapse by the CONMEBOL sides, it’s more than likely that an Argentine will coach at least one team in the final.
Why are so many of the coaches at Copa America from Argentina?
https://arab.news/gnx7f
Why are so many of the coaches at Copa America from Argentina?
- Lionel Scaloni heads the list as the head coach of the Argentina national team
- The late Cesar Luis Menotti is considered to be Argentina’s greatest football mind
Osasuna dismantle Barca’s perfect Liga start
- The Catalans won all seven of their opening fixtures but Hansi Flick’s rotated side came badly undone in Pamplona
PAMPLONA, Spain: Osasuna shattered La Liga leaders Barcelona’s perfect start to the season with an emphatic 4-2 victory on Saturday.
The Catalans won all seven of their opening fixtures but Hansi Flick’s rotated side came badly undone in Pamplona as Ante Budimir scored a brace either side of Bryan Zaragoza’s strike.
Pau Victor had given Barca a lifeline to pull them back into the game before Budimir bagged his second from the penalty spot.
Abel Bretones added a sensational fourth from the edge of the box, before Lamine Yamal pulled one back with a fine effort of his own.
Victory would have matched Barcelona’s best ever start to a league campaign with eight consecutive wins, but they were not able to build on their four-point lead on second-place Real Madrid.
The Spanish champions visit Atletico Madrid, third, in a derby clash on Sunday.
“It’s normal there are rotations, there are a lot of games, it’s not an excuse,” Barcelona midfielder Pedri told Movistar.
“In the second half we deserved a bit more but we let in goals when we were at our best.”
Ahead of a Champions League match against Young Boys on Tuesday, Flick shuffled his pack.
The coach handed starts to defenders Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez as well as Pablo Torre in midfield and Victor in attack.
The coach rested Spain Euro 2024 starlet Yamal and Brazilian winger Raphinha among other regular picks.
As a result Barcelona failed to ignite in the first half and Osasuna winger Zaragoza took center-stage.
Last season Zaragoza struck twice while playing for Granada in a 2-2 draw against Barca, a performance which helped earn him a move to Bayern Munich.
On loan from the German giants, Zaragoza created the opener for target-man Budimir with a fine cross, which the Croatian nodded home with ease in the 18th minute after escaping the attentions of Dominguez.
Zaragoza finished the second himself 10 minutes later after being sent through on goal, with the winger bypassing goalkeeper Inaki Pena with a fine ball roll and then slotting into the empty net.
Barcelona complained there had been a foul on Victor in the build-up but the referee waved their complaints away.
The leaders created little themselves, with the best opening falling to Ferran Torres. However the Spanish winger miscontrolled on the edge of the box and was quickly swallowed up by the Osasuna defense.
Yamal, Raphinha and Ansu Fati warmed up at half-time, with Barcelona needing to turn to their stars to mount a comeback.
Before Flick had time to send them on, Victor pulled Barcelona back into the game.
Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera gave the ball away with a poor throw, intercepted by Martin, who fed Victor.
The forward took an early shot from distance which Herrera, who slipped as he made it back to his goal, should have kept out but could not.
Flick took off top scorer Robert Lewandowski, largely uninvolved, with 20 minutes remaining and moved Torres into the middle to fill the gap.
However Osasuna almost immediately stretched their lead when 19-year-old center-back Dominguez scythed down Budimir in the area as he went to shoot.
The striker buried the penalty with a low effort hit hard enough to beat Pena although he dived the right way.
Ruben Pena wasted a glorious chance to grab a fourth as he ran in on goal but was caught in two minds whether to pass or shoot, and Eric Garcia charged back to dispossess him as he dawdled.
Bretones, on the other hand, was lethal from the edge of the box when he won the ball back and powered an effort past Barca goalkeeper Pena.
Yamal hit back brilliantly from range and teed up Torres who struck the post, but it was too little, too late.
Osasuna rose to sixth and Zaragoza said his team had been determined to beat the leaders.
“We knew Barca were an incredible team, they had won everything and we knew we had to get stuck into it, and that’s how we went out there,” explained the winger.
“It’s a special game and really nice to play in.”
Winners crowned after first round of Saudi Toyota Drag Racing Championship
RIYADH: The 2024 Saudi Toyota Drag Racing Championship's first round concluded on Friday at the Dirab Circuit in Riyadh with winners receiving their awards.
Organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and sponsored by Abdul Latif Jameel Motorsports, the event saw competition over three days, featuring 58 participants from Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries.
Winners in various car categories included Muslim Al-Qallaf, Ibrahim Al-Shunaifi, Faisal Al-Ahmad, and Majid Al-Harbi.
In motorcycle categories, Khalid Ali Al-Dosari claimed multiple victories.
The top winners were honored in an awards ceremony led by Khalid Al-Suwaidan, CEO of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation.
Man City held without Rodri as Palmer’s four-goal haul fires Chelsea
- City’s second successive draw in the league was especially frustrating as Arsenal moved level on points with them with a last-gasp 4-2 win against Leicester a few hours later
- Palmer became the first player ever to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League match with a stunning display at Stamford Bridge
LONDON: Manchester City felt the absence of star midfielder Rodri as the Premier League champions were held to a damaging 1-1 draw at Newcastle, while Cole Palmer scored four times in Chelsea’s 4-2 win against Brighton on Saturday.
City’s second successive draw in the league was especially frustrating as Arsenal moved level on points with them with a last-gasp 4-2 win against Leicester a few hours later.
Rodri has been ruled out for the rest of the season after surgery on a knee injury suffered in last weekend’s bruising 2-2 draw with title rivals Arsenal.
Josko Gvardiol put City in front at St. James’ Park, but Newcastle were well worthy of the point given to them by Anthony Gordon’s second-half penalty.
Guardiola described Rodri, who is unbeaten in his past 52 Premier League appearances stretching back to February 2023, as “irreplaceable.”
To fill the void left by the Spaniard, Rico Lewis was thrust into a central midfield role alongside Mateo Kovacic.
But City lacked the control and poise so often provided by Rodri on and off the ball.
“It is always difficult here with their physicality and they defend so deep. We had chances but (Nick) Pope (the goalkeeper) was brilliant so we take the point,” said Guardiola.
“We made bad decisions (with the chances) to make it 2-0.”
At the Emirates Stadium, Gabriel Martinelli put Arsenal ahead in the 20th minute with his first goal this season, the Brazilian winger drilled a low finish inside the far post from Jurrien Timber’s cross.
Martinelli turned provider on the stroke of half-time, setting up Leandro Trossard to stroke in Arsenal’s second goal.
James Justin reduced the deficit with a deflected 47th-minute effort and stunned the Emirates Stadium into silence in the 63rd minute when his thunderous volley cannoned in off the woodwork.
But Mikel Arteta’s men stole the points four minutes into stoppage-time when Trossard’s shot deflected off Leicester’s Wilfred Ndidi for an own goal, with Kai Havertz netting moments later to confirm the victory.
Palmer became the first player ever to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League match with a stunning display at Stamford Bridge.
Former Brighton duo Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez were guilty of mistakes when Georginio Rutter put the Seagulls ahead in the seventh minute.
Just moments after hitting the post and then having a goal disallowed, it was third time lucky for Palmer in the 21st minute.
Palmer equalized with a clinical finish after Nicolas Jackson seized on Adam Webster’s mistake to tee up his fellow forward.
When Jadon Sancho was tripped in the area by two Brighton defenders, there was never any doubt that penalty expert Palmer would step up to dispatch the 28th-minute spot-kick with ease.
Palmer completed his nine-minute-and-48-second treble in the 31st minute, curling a brilliant free-kick past Bart Verbruggen from 25 yards to make it five goals in six league games this term.
Carlos Baleba pulled one back in the 34th minute, but Palmer’s incredible afternoon wasn’t over and, in the 41st minute, the England star converted Sancho’s pass with an emphatic strike.
West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek rescued a 1-1 draw at Brentford, who made Premier League history thanks to Bryan Mbeumo’s quick-fire opener.
Under-fire Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui saw his side fall behind after just 37 seconds as Mbeumo’s superb volley made Brentford the first Premier League team to score in the first minute in three consecutive games.
But Soucek swept in West Ham’s 54th-minute equalizer to avoid a fourth defeat in their last five games in all competitions.
Dwight McNeil struck twice in the second half as Everton beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to end their winless start to the league season, just days after the Goodison Park takeover by a group led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin.
Raul Jimenez’s 51st-minute penalty gave Fulham a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool will go top of the table if they win at Wolves in Saturday’s late game.
Guardiola wants close friend Arteta to explain himself after cryptic comments about Man City
- Arteta seems certain their relationship won’t be damaged
- Guardiola, however, might have gotten irritated
MANCHESTER: The friendship between Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could come under strain with the rivalry between their title-chasing Premier League clubs intensifying in recent days.
Arteta seems certain their relationship won’t be damaged.
Guardiola, however, might have gotten irritated.
Arsenal’s tactics, and use of soccer’s so-called “dark arts,” brought some criticism from a number of City players after the feisty 2-2 draw between the teams last weekend.
Arteta responded rather cryptically by saying he has “all the information” about City owing to his time there as an assistant to Guardiola from 2016-19.
“So I know, believe me,” Arteta said.
Those remarks were sufficiently vague for Guardiola to wonder whether Arteta may actually be alluding to the off-the-field issues at City, which are currently defending themselves against 115 charges of breaching Premier League regulations following an investigation into the club’s financial affairs.
“Next time he has to be more clear exactly what does he mean,” Guardiola said of Arteta. “He said he was here four years and we know exactly what happened here.
“It can be related (to) the process now with 115 charges, maybe it’s about that. He knows information about that maybe, or maybe he has something like ... I don’t know. OK, next time, like a good relation I have with him, hopefully this question has been asked. He can answer exactly what does it mean when he said he was here and ‘I know what’s happening here.’“
Guardiola was speaking Friday in a news conference that took place about the same time as Arteta was holding one at Arsenal’s training base.
Asked about his relationship with Guardiola, Arteta said: “I love him, I respect him, I admire him and I admire his team and everything that he does. This is sport. One thing is our profession, another is our personal relationship.
“If our relationship was damaged because one draws and the other one wins or the amount of times that they’ve beaten us, I would not talk to him anymore. So that’s not our relationship, especially the relationship that I consider both of us have. In sport it will never get in my way, a personal relationship, that’s for sure.”
Guardiola said he feels Arsenal might be provoking his players into a rivalry, picking up especially on post-match comments by Arsenal defender Gabriel.
“Gabriel said it perfectly after the match — so this is a war, we are here to provoke the opponent, to push them,” Guardiola said. “At the end what can you do? OK, you provoke me — I’m there. You want a war? I’ll do a war.”
Arsenal have finished runner-up to City in the league the last two seasons.
MOD UAE dominate opening day of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
- Round 3 No-Gi takes place from Sept. 27-29 at Al-Bait Metwahid in Sharjah
SHARJAH: MOD UAE emerged as the frontrunner on the opening day of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Round 3 No-Gi, which is being held from Sept. 27-29 at Al-Bait Metwahid in Sharjah.
Friday’s action saw athletes from the Adults and Masters divisions take to the mat, with MOD UAE competitors delivering commanding performances to firmly establish their lead. Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club followed closely in second place, while Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club secured third spot.
The championship continues over the weekend, with U-12 and U-14 athletes competing on the second day, followed by the U-16 and Youth categories on the third. The competition is part of a five-round series held across the Emirates throughout the season.
Yousef Abdullah Al-Batran, board member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship is a great platform to promote jiu-jitsu and support its growth among different categories of athletes. It shows our ongoing efforts to achieve excellence and reflects the strong support from our leadership to advance various sports, especially jiu-jitsu, as it plays a key role in promoting values like determination, persistence and patience.”
He added: “We’re pleased to see the large turnout and strong support from the audience, which has added excitement to the championship and motivated the athletes to give their all to win. It also highlights the special place jiu-jitsu holds in everyone’s hearts.”
Haitham Hanawi of MOD UAE, who won gold in the Men’s Adults/Masters Brown/Black 56kg category, said: “Competing in this championship was tough, especially with the different strategies needed for No-Gi competitions. I won gold thanks to the hard training and support from my teammates and coaches. The matches were difficult, but it was a great way to test my skills. I believe this tournament will keep helping jiu-jitsu grow in the UAE.”
