Argentina’s 1978 World Cup-winning coach Cesar Luis Menotti says team that controls the ball, controls its destiny
Who says ‘Joga Bonito,’ or to ‘play beautifully’ is a theory of football that exists no more? While playing technically right football — or what they call the Mourinhoisation of football — may earn you three points, it certainly hasn’t hampered the teams to play football in a manner that entertains people, according to former Argentine World Cup winning coach Cesar Luis Menotti.
Highly impressed by the way in which Spain and Germany have performed in this World Cup, Menotti, who coached Argentina to glory in 1978, believes the two semifinalists prove that the team which controls the ball, controls its destiny. “A player wants to dominate his toy, the football. He needs to dominate it, he needs to possess it in order to give the ball a destiny — a destiny that the player wants, that he decides upon,” the 71-year-old says. “That was how the ball ran at the feet of the Spanish and German players. The manner in which they have exhibited their football this world Cup, it is the best thing to have happened to the
tournament so far.”
A staunch believer in the theory that ‘football should be played to entertain the crowds,’ Menotti says Wednesday’s semifinal between Spain and Germany should be a treat for every football lover, and expects the beautiful game to look better than ever before. “Spain developed an idea based on possession of the ball, on its ingenuity and conviction. Following this script, and employing cleverness of its players the team has defended its role. It was exciting and emotional to watch a team that played to win, and which in the end won a hard game in the quarterfinals against Paraguay, who only played not to lose,” he says.
“Germany, on the other hand, have imposed a dynamism in attack, finding the effectiveness they needed from their way of functioning under their enormously talented orchestrator Bastian Schweinsteiger,” adds the former
Argentina coach.
And that is the reason why Menotti is not at all disappointed about the humiliating exit of Argentina at the hands of Germany.
“Doesn’t this look like Diego’s side, literally? When was the last time when Argentina played football so beautifully, so flamboyantly as they have this time round! I feel sad because we couldn’t go beyond the quarters but I am very happy at the positive attitude shown by the team on the field,” Monetti says.
Although he realises that playing football beautifully may not always fetch a positive result, Monetti says it’s better to entertain people and go down, rather than ‘bore them and win.’ “Watching these teams play, I am forced to ask myself once again, where can we find this modern football? To the detractors of the beautiful game, I advise them not just to wait for the defeat of a team which is playing well. Enjoy it at the time, because sometimes even a team who is playing a good game has to lose. And who knows, perhaps in this World Cup, the team who has played football beautifully may just emerge champions!” Monetti prays.
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