Maxi Rodriguez: Football in Argentina is worse now than a decade ago
The former Liverpool attacking midfielder stated that domestic football in his homeland is degrading, and labelled the league lacking in finesse and aesthetics
By Alex Mott
Aug 18, 2012 4:25:00 PM
Newell's Old Boys midfielder Maxi Rodriguez has labelled football in Argentina 'worse than 10 years ago'.
The 31-year-old returned to South America this year after spending the past decade in Europe with Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, and is quite upset with the low standard of the domestic league nowadays.
"Aesthetics are no longer a priority," he told Argentine daily Ole. "Teams are becoming more defensive, and players are focused purely on fitness. I think teams are playing worse than 10 years ago.
"There is a fear of losing, because if you lose three or four games in a row, the coach is likely to be thrown out.
"This generates a lot of madness; fans are pushing you to win all the time and managers are forced to make rash decisions.”
Newell's currently sit ninth in the Argentine league after two games.