The world champion with the Albiceleste in 86 analyses the final against Colombia, for the Copa América. He assures that Scaloni’s team will only face a top rival this Sunday.
Ricardo Bochini (70), world champion with Argentina in 1986, is looking forward to the 2024 Copa América final in the United States. But he is not stunned either: “the team did not play very well,” he says. The third . However, the winner of 13 titles with Independiente, his team of always, affirms that Lionel Scaloni’s team has an advantage against the coffee growers. In the same vein, he does not hide the good work done by Marcelo Bielsa in Uruguay, but he does not forget his failure with the Albiceleste in Japan and Korea 2002.
How do you rate Argentina?
He reached this final without playing like he did in Qatar. But the opponents he faced are very inferior and he was able to approach this last match calmly. This, by winning the match against Ecuador, who were the most difficult rivals that could have won with a header missed from almost two meters. They won the rest of the matches thanks to the quality of their players, but so far they have not had a good Copa America.
So have individuals taken precedence over the collective?
That’s how it is. Canada, which is a very mediocre team, cannot complicate a team like Argentina or another great team from South America. Then they played against Peru, which is at a very low level; Chile played a small game and lost with a goal at the hour mark. Ecuador was more complicated, but they still won on penalties, because we know that Argentina has a goalkeeper like Dibu Martínez who gives a lot of advantages.
Did the team trust each other?
No, not at all, the national team has not relaxed. The players are giving their all, maybe the moment is not the best. It is not like Qatar who were 10 points behind. The part of the year in which the tournament is held can have an influence. They can show it against Colombia, who are a difficult opponent, but who Argentina can beat.
What is your analysis of Colombia?
It is a very strong team, it has great individuals. It has two important defeats that will affect it a lot. The four (right back Daniel Muñoz) sent off is a fundamental player, the five (containment midfielder Richard Ríos) is injured and is also important. Two absences that can be noticed in a game of this level, which will be very balanced.
Would you dare to give a forecast?
No, no, no… The game is very close because of the circumstances surrounding it, so one team doesn’t seem better than the other. They’re very evenly matched in it right now.
How do you rate Lionel Messi?
It looks like he is injured. So he is not at the level that is expected of him. He has not played a match because of this, he even rested one match. It is not one hundred percent. However, at any moment you can play differently. In a complicated match, the course can change, especially in a balanced final.
Are these your last matches?
I don’t know, but I don’t believe it. For me, he will play in the next World Cup, he still has a lot to give.
After the victory against Uruguay, Colombian coach Néstor Lorenzo quoted you to explain Jhon Córdoba’s good performance: “They asked Bochini what he did to play so well and he replied: ‘I swim, I stand where there is no one and I give it to the one who is alone'”…
(Laughs)… I heard them and I saw them. Many people from Independiente sent them to me… Sometimes someone talks about something and there are technicians who reproduce it in an instant, as Lorenzo said. It is something comforting to be named in a Copa América. It makes you proud.
How did you see Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay team?
They had a good group stage, but they lacked a bit of football against Colombia. He had an opportunity at the beginning and then did not create many clear situations to equalize. It was very difficult for them and Colombia could have scored one more goal if Matheus Uribe had not failed twice alone in front of goal. It was easier to make them than to miss them, but he failed. With the departure of Bentancur, Uruguay declined sharply.
What is your assessment of Marcelo Bielsa’s work at La Celeste?
He did a good job. It was now noticeable in this Copa América, in which they reached the semi-final. In the qualifiers he won important games. Uruguay has very good players, but perhaps they lack a striker who scores. You can really feel what Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez were like, who did not forgive any play when they had the opportunity to score a goal. This boy, Darwin Núñez, has trouble defining the actions he creates.
What is the perception of Bielsa in Argentina after 20 years since his departure?
No, no, in Argentina they talk about (Lionel) Scaloni, nothing more. Neither about (César Luis) Menotti, nor about (Carlos Salvador) Bilardo and even less about Bielsa. People are with Scaloni who was champion of the Copa América, of the World Cup and now he is aiming for another title.
What legacy did Bielsa leave to his country?
In fact, I don’t know what legacy Bielsa could have left. It’s the players trained by Bielsa who have to speak. From the outside, I didn’t see anything special, I never saw that Bielsa had left a legacy in Argentina. Bielsa was eliminated from a World Cup in the first round with great players in his team. Later, he won the Olympic Games, but with the professionals it’s very different, before with the amateurs it was much more complicated. Later, Sergio Batista also won the Olympic Games.
You think it’s not a big deal…
I don’t know, footballers talk about him as a great coach. But you have your opinion, for me in the 2002 World Cup I should have played differently, with other players, but well… He tried this football of planning the matches with three attackers, two wingers in the middle… In practice, three attackers and seven defenders… (Matías) Almeyda, (Juan Pablo) Sorin, (Javier) Zanetti, plus the three at the back, with (Juan Sebastián) Verón in the middle. A team that played on the counterattack and Argentina always did it in a different way, like now, touching the ball and moving.
An Argentina final against Bielsa’s Uruguay would have caused a lot of morbidity…
No. The final against Uruguay or Colombia would have been the same. In the previous Copa America, the Colombians were eliminated in the semi-final against Argentina on penalties. It’s a good balanced match in the final, the two best teams arrive.
And what did you think of Chile?
It has improved a little with Ricardo Gareca, but new players must appear to reach higher levels. Coaches can put their hands to the task, but what really makes a team good are the footballers. You know Gareca a lot… Yes, he is a great coach, who likes his teams to progress, so Chile will surely improve a lot with him.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
