When I first started watching football back in 1977 and the time that led up to the World Cup played in 1978 in Argentina, I apart from becoming a great fan of the sport learnt the basics as to what was the game of football. By the "basics" I mean not just learning what the object of the game was but the rules that included knowing the meaning of words such as off sides, a direct free kick, an indirect free kick, penalty, foul and many others. I however did not limit myself to learning the rules but also the strategies used in the game of football as it was during this time that I saw many a match. World Cup qualifiers, repeats of the 74 World Cup and international friendlies that included teams like Italy (above all), Argentina, Germany, Brazil, Peru, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Poland and many others.
In this which I considered a learning experience I was very careful in observing the differences between how the game of football was played by different countries. Brazil went forward in attack though I was told were going through a period in their football in which they had become more defensive minded than usual. This making me wonder by how many more goals they would have beaten Bolivia, whom they beat 8 to 0 in a qualifier had they been playing with their standard offense orientated football? Argentina looked impressive going in to the world cup beating Poland 2 to 0 in Buenos Aires with their nice South American touches though different than the Brazilians, perhaps with a flair of their own. Italy seemed very defensive minded which I was told by my father had always been their style while they seemed to concentrate more on playing as a team. Germany played a similar system, one of precision passing that did not go for brilliance at any particular moment but was consistent. Naturally with so many players lost to them such as Beckenbaur, Mueller and Breitner they were not really expected to win the world cup in 78 but they would be interesting to watch.
I had noticed that there were differences between the European styles and the South American styles, with the South Americans such as Argentina, Brazil and Peru who would represent South America in the world cup putting more emphasis on technique and ball control and individual playing while their European counter parts were of another mindset. European football was also about technique and speed but in a different manner that perhaps had more power with less finance though this explanation to a large extent is an over simplification. Of course there were teams in Europe such as France which played a system that took from both the South American and the European.
I however in this do not wish those who should read this article to get the impression that when it came to football I limited myself to being a spectator for I also took to this sport as a player. It was in my time in Argentina that I did play the game of football and though it did take me some time to get the hang of the game since I had never even kicked a football till the age of 10. I did eventually learn the basic skills to play the game in a way that was at least passable. However in learning about the game both from playing and watching it; I got the impression that football was a game which for the most part was all about simple yet at times complicated things; such as scoring goals while preventing one's opponent from doing the same.
Scoring goals for the most part in the games I had seen came either via being at the right place at the right time such as I had seen players like Pele and Muller do an many occasions when the ball came to them at a moment in which they found themselves in the right position in the box with defenders having lost their mark.
Of course many were the methods of scoring; for instance one could kick the ball in from a distance but this basically meant hitting the ball just right. This being with a certain part of one's foot which struck the ball just were it ought to; making the ball fly in the right direction and with a goal keeper who might have been slightly slow to react or out of place the ball would go in. Naturally there were certain shots which would do the incredible like Nelinho's goal against Italy in the match for third place in Argentina 78 but for the most part such long distance goals could be blamed on the goal keeper.
I for my part came to think of such goals from long distance, like the one scored by Haan against Italy in Argentina 78 as not so much luck but of the result of taking many shots and having one go in, meaning that just as easily as the ball went one way it could have gone out. If perhaps the ball had been struck on another part or while spinning differently, a ball which just as easily might have gone in; might not have. Naturally there were players who practiced probably all day and would take most of their team's free kicks and from time to time out of 10 would score one. Making all forget about the ones that did not even come close and such was the case with Platini or today's Beckham; players who are like the field goal kicker in American football.
Speed was another factor which also led to goals, where a player would simply go around a defender by being faster or by taking advantage of a hole in the defense and being quick enough to be able to get through the gap before the defenders could close. This was the case with Kempes's 1st and 2nd goals for Argentina against the Netherlands in the 78 World Cup final or Lato's goal for Poland against Brazil in their match for 3rd place in the 74 World Cup. This basically meaning that it could be done by running fast with few skills required as was the case with Spanish international and Real Madrid striker Gento; who granted was fast but little else.
Passing the ball around in an effort to catch the other team of their guard or a defender who had lost his mark was also another way I had seen scoring could be done. For instance Brazil, Germany and Italy used this tactic of short passes that would try to find the open man though Brazil did it more by waiting for that forward run by one of their speedy mid fielders such as Zico. Italy by relying mostly on the counter attack, and waiting for the opposing team to lose the ball or make a bad pass to strike quickly as was the case with Paolo Rossi's second goal against Brazil in Spain 82.
Ball controlling was important too, I had noticed but this was limited to one or two moves that would give one an opening for the shot on goal or a simple faint toward one side which the defender would fall for. This giving the attacking player a chance to pass his marker. Ball handling skills (not to be taken literally with one's hand) or dribbling also meant avoiding defenders and not necessarily taking them on in a way that was astute.
This was how I perceived football or at least it was up until one day after my birthday (on a the day of Richard Wagner's) in the year 1979. It was on that day in order to celebrate the anniversary of FIFA that a game would be played between the two teams that had reached the final in the last world cup. It would Argentina vs. The Netherlands once more.
It was actually my father who told me to look out for this new sensation in world football whose name was no other than Diego Armando Maradona and though in all truth I saw nothing spectacular from him on that day. Him playing neither particularly well or badly for that matter; I did see him play for the 1st time in a match that would end with a blank score which would be settled in penalty kicks. Maradona converting his spot kick in a shoot out that would need almost 20 penalties from each side before Argentina came out on top. I can not say that I had been overly impressed that day but I did see him play and got an idea of his skills with the ball though not to the full extent which they were.
That summer Argentina would take their newly found talent on a tour of Europe that would see him do wonders though I did not watch any of these matches that included a three goal performance against Austria and their outstanding goal keeper, Koncilia. However before this performance; on the same tour I got a chance to see Maradona playing live in Giant's Stadium in New Jersey against the New York Cosmos in a game that ended with a 1 to 0 victory for Argentina. Goal being scored by a Daniel Passarella header during the second half which was most fortunate for myself as well as those who were with me as we missed the first half completely due to heavy traffic. Regarding Maradona's performance that day I can not say much about it other than a few good runs and passes and that it was the first and last time I saw him play live.
I had heard much about Maradona's greatness but I had yet to see it with my own eyes however it would not take long till I saw him in all his abilities and it came in that summer of 79 when he played against a combined team of stars from the rest of the world.
It was Argentina (who had not lost since their defeat to Italy during the world cup) vs. a team that included the best players the world had to offer at that time such as Tardelli from Italy Nelinho, Zico and Roberto from Brazil, Rummenigge from Germany, Platini from France and many others. This was a game in which Maradona, (only 18 at the time) really showed what he was capable of; outdoing everybody on the field. In the opening half came the first goal I had ever seen Maradona score; a shot he took while standing with his back to the goal and at an angle with Nelinho on him. The ball took a curve in the air and somehow managed to go over the head of Brazilian goal keeper Leo in an amazing shot.
The second half would see Maradona become the whole team of Argentina surpassing those players who had won the world cup the previous year and though he did not score again and Argentina would go on to lose that match there are two plays by Maradona which I will never forget. The first being one in which after having made a move past Tardelli, he was so viciously fouled that the referee would show Tardelli, a red card for his challenge however the play he did that impressed me the most was yet to come.
Argentina was trailing to 2 to 1 when Maradona got the ball in midfield and off he went. It was as if seeing an American football player running through defenders; such was his ball control. Making it seem that those who were the best at the time were standing still, even managing to get around goal keeper Koncilia with the greatest of ease; after which from an angle he shot at the ball and just as the ball was about to go in. What should happen but Nelinho; on the very goal line denying Maradona of what would have been a spectacular goal to rival his effort in against England.
I can say this was the first time I had even been truly impressed by a player and though Argentina, lost not that this meant anything to me personally as I supported and still do only Italy; I had seen what Maradona was capable of. He was capable of more than just scoring goals, not that this meant nothing but sometimes a goal can come because of a penalty and ultimately if a player stays around the box long enough one or two balls are bound to go in the net but Maradona was something else. He had a mastery over the ball that went beyond simply being able to pass his marker thanks to one or two moves or faints.
With Maradona it seemed that he had a whole catalogue of moves that he could apply at any given moment which would almost leave the defender with no choice but to have to foul, which unfortunately for him was what happened most of the time. For instance Garrincha had been a great player but he for the most part limited himself to one move which was a step in one direction which granted was well-timed but nothing more. Maradona on the other hand with all he had at his disposal made it even look unfair.
My name is Gianni Truvianni, author of many an article to be found on the internet along with the book "New York's Opera Society". My works also include the books "What Should Not Matter", "Love Your Sister" and several others which still remain unpublished though I am presently looking to change this.
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