What Has Gerardo Martino Achieved With Argentina?

By Ewah Chika.

"I don't know if this is the last chance, but we have to take this new opportunity and grab it as though it is the last one.

"This is the fourth  final I've played with the national team and I would like someday to change history and be a champion," were the words of Lionel Messi before the defeat to Chile in the Copa America final on Sunday night. This is similar to the words of Argentina coach Gerardo Martino
himself who said , "how we are judged will depend exclusively on the outcome of the final."  After losing the final, Argentina can now be judged as losers as they have continued to flatter to deceive, losing when it matters most. Gerardo Martino represents many things to many people . While Barcelona fans see him as out of touch  with modern coaching and an average coach, Paraguayan football fans see him as their Hero and their national team best ever manager. Martino had taken over an average Paraguayan side before turning them to one of the best sides in International football, reaching the second round of the FIFA 2010 World Cup before losing to eventual champions Spain and also reaching the 2011 Copa America final before losing to Uruguay .

Just like in 2011, Martino again came within minutes of winning the Copa America before losing on penalties for the second time to Chile ( first was in 2015 final). This means that Argentina continues to wait for a major tournament since the win over Mexico in 1993. Martino is also known in Europe as a manager who lost the Copa dey Rey to Carlo Ancelotti's  Real Madrid which is worse when one remembers he again lost the Spanish La Liga on the last day after failing to beat eventual champions Atletico Madrid on the last day of the season (2013/2014 season) .

Argentina has the best players in South America with the likes of Angel Di Maria, Lionel Messi, Erik Lamela, Javier Mascharano, Nicolas Otamendi and Gonzalo Huguain to mention but a few but this hasn't been enough to win a
win a  trophy as Martino has twice been out thought and out smarted by compatriots firstly Jorge Sampaoli and now Juan Antonio Pizzi. Though Martino's love for attacking and flair football cannot be doubted, he has found it difficult to beat opponents who push high against his team, relying so much on their energy and defensive discipline to match his team who play more like individuals rather than a team. It will be unfair to blame Martino squarely for the flaws of the Argentine team who until the appointment of Sabella (Martino's predecessor) never made it to the final of a major tournament since winning the Copa America in 1993 except for 2007 where they were beaten in the final by Brazil.

Though the Copa America started on a good note for Argentina as Martino's team scored more then three goals in four occasions for the first time since the tournament in Peru, it was when it mattered most in the final that they team failed the final hurdle. It is difficult to pinpoint the problem of the Argentine side as it is clear it is not lacking talent or disunited but one thing that can be concluded is that the might be suffering from a mental block which makes them unable to shine when it matters most. The players might be having that losers mindset which comes with losing so many finals and having a feeling no matter what happens it will never click . This was the case with Spain who dominated club but could not replicate it in international football until Aragones changed all that in 2008 Euro against Germany in the final.

Whatever happens , Gerardo Martino might continue to be a near until he ends Argentina's wait for a major trophy and that is  if he is not sacked  soon after this loss by his bosses in Argentina.