As coaching goes, Fabio Capello and Diego Maradona could not be more different. In short one is brilliant, the other is not. However, they do have quite a few similarities:
- Both are hated by many.
- Both were accomplished footballers.
- Both love spas.
- Both draw the consistent ire of the Italian tax authorities.
And both have Bartlett’s scrambling for the nearest exit.
After the victory last night Diego was predictably in a bullish mood. Part of what made him so great as a player was this overwhelming sense that no one believed in him, and the ensuing rage which made him want to prove them wrong. That and cocaine. (There’s a word for this in Spanish which begins with b but is escaping at the moment - the rage, not the coke. Help appreciated.)
And he’s attempting to use this same advantage during his coaching stint, claiming the press are out to get him. Which they are. Mostly because he’s lacking that one thing which is an absolute necessity for this position, a working noodle.
After his boys qualified last night, Diego had a few choice words for the press in the crowd, underlining his position:
“You lot take it up the arse…if the ladies will pardon the expression.”
“But certain people who have not supported me, and you know who you are, can keep sucking.”
A modern day Oscar Wilde, is he not?
This may or may not go down well. What we do know for sure is that it will not matter, and it may only spur Diego on to prove to all that he can win success in South Africa next summer.
Meanwhile across the pond Fabio Capello was busy grabbing his grapefruits and taking potshots at larger foes: David Beckham and Barrack Obama.
Obama, you may have heard, won the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this week for achieving precisely nothing, which has turned many a global head.
David Beckham, you may not have heard, won man of the match against Belarus on Wednesday for playing precisely thirty minutes, which turned Capello’s head.
Thus a quote was born.
Capello was just as taken aback by Bruce’s choice, though he welcomed the prospect of Beckham playing in Serie A. “Yes I was a bit surprised,” said the England head coach. “I just thought it was like Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize after eight months as President of the United States. He gets the man of the match after 30 minutes here …
Nobel Peace Prize/MotM in Minsk…same difference.
Now we shall dream of a scenario where Argentina meets up with England in South Africa next summer. The game may not be splendid, but the pressers will be spectacular.
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