01 September,2011 08:57 AM IST | | Agni Pandey
For Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, the match against Venezuela here at Salt Lake Stadium tomorrow marks the beginning of the countdown to the elusive World Cup qualifiers that kicks off with a game against Bolivia in November.
In other words, India, a country ranked 158th in the latest FIFA Rankings, will provide the platform for Argentina to hit top gear under a new coach and skipper.u00a0u00a0
Lionel Messi arrives at the Salt Lake Stadium yesterday. PIC/Ajoy Roy
Sabella is no mood to treat the game as a friendly, "Our World Cup qualifier journey starts from Kolkata. This is my first game in charge, and the start of a new era. It is very important to start of a winning note and gather confidence as a group. It is a beginning of a long trip for us, and is important begin well," Sabella told reporters here yesterday.
The FIFA-sanctioned friendly between the South American rivals, which comes in the build-up to World Cup 2014 qualifiers, will be the biggest football match ever played in cricket-mad India.
Sabella, who represented Argentina at the 1983 Copa America, appointed star striker Lionel Messi as the country's captain in his first move as national coach earlier this year.
"A player is more important than a coach, they are the real heroes. Messi is brilliant, and undoubtedly the best player in the world today. He will be our captain till the World Cup qualifier. We are hoping that he will lead us at the next World Cup too.
Not just for Barca
"A lot of people have criticised him for not performing for Argentina (like he has for Barcelona). That's not true. Things are very different when you are playing club football as compared to playing for your country. He is our best player," said Sabella.
The 56-year-old Sabella, who succeeded Sergio Batista after his contract was terminated following Argentina's elimination from the Copa America quarterfinals by Uruguay on their home soil, wanted his players to adjust quickly to the artificial turf.
"This is going to be the first time we will play on an artificial turf. In Argentina, we don't have such pitches. We must adjust very quickly," he said.u00a0
When asked to compared the legendary coach-player partnership of Carlos Bilardo and Diego Maradonna to himself and Messi, Sabella said:
"That combination was very different. How can I say if this partnership will reach those heights?
" However, there's one thing I can assure youu00a0-- Messi will be given a lot of freedom. We want to build this team around him."
