We won the first three and then won only one in the following seven (at home 2-1 over Uruguay).

4 wins in 10 matches for Basile. Defeats at Chile and Colombia and disappointing draws vs. Ecuador and Paraguay at home. Another disappointing draw (in Belo Horizonte vs. Brazil, when we should have won it) and costly points dropped in Peru (1-1 draw) .

Say what you might, but both of Diego’s defeats came under unusual conditions (altitude), where more accomplished managers than him (Passarella, Pekerman) have also struggled.

He barely had time to work with the players and if you ask me, against Ecuador, he was VERY unlucky with some key players (Tevez, Messi) missing incredible chances to score.

The story would have been very different had Tevez put that PK away or had Messi scored that sitter inside the first 10 minutes.

“Huevos” will be vital vs. Brazil, but also the intelligence to avoid falling into their game and let them counter-attack all they long (like Uruguay allowed them to do).

I still support Diego.

Maradona is not a coach. He has no philosophy of football, as many great coaches do. Nor does he have the guile and experience to change a match through substitutions and tactical adjustments. He reminds me – and it pains me to say it – of Kevin Keegan when he was in charge of England. Lots of passion, respected by the players, but not really up to the job.

You can say he beat France, Colombia etc. But with the players at his disposal (the players that aren’t even in his squads would be regulars for any other South American Nation besides Brazil – D’allessandro, Aimar, Zarate, Cambiasso, Higuain, even Saviola) beating anyone is a possibility, so I give him little credit for his few successes, just as I don’t really blame him for his failures. He never should have gotten the job in the first place. I agree with Matthew that he’ll quit if the Brazil and Paraguay games don’t go his way. Maybe as soon as the Brazil game if its a defeat.

To think that this might be a ‘play-off’ is sad.

And if a loss to Brazil is followed by a draw or loss in Paraguay, I think it’s going to be more than ability that decides the group.
I downloaded the Uruguay-Brazil match off Rojadirecta, and thought Uruguay played very well indeed. They were just unlucky in front of goal (unlucky that Abreu is Uruguyan, ha ha) and Brazil were playing like champions for spells, and would have beaten any side. But a similar performance from Uruguay against Argentina and it really would be up for grabs. Nerves might kick in and Argentina collapse :-(

I also doubt United’s board would allow Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to both leave in the same summer. That wouldn’t be a wise move in terms of appeasing the fans.

The current squad is hugely talented and capable of winning well, but not getting the direction it needs. It seems to be an affliction for big Argentine sides at the moment, Ischia and Gorosito are not big enough for Boca and River, and I don’t think Diego’s charisma and history are enough to get this side going.

I think Bianchi might have qualified by now.

I think suggesting they’ll actually fail to qualify is a bit much. It’s still in entirely their own hands, even a loss to Brazil (and let’s not forget that even when they’ve been useless in decades past, Argentina don’t lose home qualifiers) would leave 5th place at least in their hands, and that brings a playoff against the 4th team from CONCACAF (who might admittedly, the way they’re going, be Mexico).

I don’t agree with the first comment. I don’t want Argentina to go back to 1990… though to be fair, *all* football was horrible in 1990, all the teams had a negative attitude, just look how far Ireland got with horrible play, and the hugely talented Dutch side’s craven attitude in ‘fixing’ a draw against them.

Dreadful days, instead I’d love to go back to the summer of 2006 and just make Pekerman a little bolder in the quarter-final against Germany that was there to be won. But it just isn’t happening for Diego, and I’m sorry but I don’t expect it to do so against Brazil and Paraguay, particularly if Verón is anywhere near that squad.

I predicted that Argentina might not qualify after the Bolivia result, and it looks extremely doubtful at the moment, with the fixtures you have left. It would be a massive blow to the status of the competition, to have a squad that is potential winners, and capable of playing magical football under the right guidance, staying at home. I felt the same way about the Dutch after they were done for in 2001.

I’m half inclined to think Diego would look better if he held his hands up and walked away now, before the two most important qualifying matches Argentina have played since 1993. Do Argentinian fans really have any confidence that he can outfox Dunga and get that essential win?

However, there are so many great, dedicated and brave fulbolistas all over the world these days. So, these results are not a great surprise to me.

Argentina will have to learn how to compete in this new reality and with a national team of players playing all over the world. It will be very hard to compete going forward. And, Argentina can no longer count on results without raising their level to a new place they’ve never been. Imagine that.

As for 2010, I am beginning to give up. I cannot see this team’s nature coming through and qualifying.

If we don’t qualify for 2010, I expect a new breed of fighters – whether they are on the team now or not – to emerge and take us to the Finals in 2014. In other words, I think we can raise our leve!

I hope I’m still alive to see it.