After watching the Argentina-South Korea match this morning, I think I have an idea why--despite all of their defensive frailties and Maradona's apparent insanity--Argentina has the potential to succeed. Maradona's lineup only consisted of four so called defense-minded players as he managed to have Messi, Higuain, Tevez, Maxi and Di Maria on the pitch at the same time. The reason that this works (I think) is that Maradona is letting his players have fun. He has opened up the lineup to allow bold creativity and flashy offensive play. Messi has achieved some of the form that he shows consistently in Barcelona, and for the second straight game he inspired his Argentina team. Today in the New York Times, David Brooks (however much it pains me to agree with him) has an interesting view about soccer:
"Soccer is a sport that rewards neurotic creativity. Many of the greatest players have been marginally insane. They see a situation unfold before them and they respond in unpredictable ways, not straightforward ones. Their neurons are just a bit off."
My initial reaction is to disagree, considering it a bit harsh, but then I think... Zidane, Maradona, Ronaldino, Rooney, Ronaldo (Both the tranny-hooker and the Paris Hilton versions). Brooks may have a point, and Argentina may have a chance. With Maradona at the helm he will take some media pressure off of his team by being insane, but in the meantime will give his offensive geniuses the freedom to express their own creativity.
Also, I see this as America's biggest deficiency (Sorry landy cakes). The US is a team defined by tenacity and the mentality that sum of our parts is greater than our individual talent. Big, fast, athletic players are the ones who make it into the national team. Without a culture of kids playing in the street and showing one another up with fancy moves, personal creativity gets stifled at an early age with the "everyones a winner" mentality in AYSO. Jose Francisco Torres, Clint Dempsey and Benny Feilhaber are the closest thing the USA has to mad geniuses, but there touch is lacking. I don't know how or when or if this creative force will develop in America, but I wouldn't favor our chances of making a deep run in the World Cup without this type of player.
Of course people can say that Italy won it last time by curbing personal initiative and acting as a disciplined unit. But, that's boring and for our sake I hope we get to see a team led by a madman make a good run. Vamos Espana, Chile y Argentina!
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