Carlos Tevez has never been a man to mince his words — and his verdict on a series of football’s most prominent managerial figures, delivered to journalists outside the stadium in Miami after watching Argentina’s narrow passage through their World Cup last-16 tie against Cape Verde, was entirely in keeping with the reputation of one of football’s most forthright former players.
On Argentina — “We Are Only Messi”
Before turning to his wider verdicts, Tevez addressed what he had just witnessed from the Argentine side with characteristic bluntness. “Not good tonight. Not good at all. We are only Messi — we are just Messi, a gift from God. But did you see the goal he scored? Leo is not of this world. Thank goodness he is there.”
It was a comment that, in its own way, said as much about the state of the current Albiceleste as any tactical analysis.
On Spalletti — “He Has No Blood”
The sharpest words were reserved for Luciano Spalletti — the man currently managing the club Tevez represented with enormous distinction between 2013 and 2015. The verdict was delivered with the kind of simplicity that leaves no room for misinterpretation: “Spalletti doesn’t appeal to me. He has no blood.” For a player who embodied combative intensity throughout his entire career, the perceived absence of passion in a manager’s demeanour is apparently disqualifying. What Spalletti offers tactically is, for Tevez, insufficient compensation for what he sees as an emotional detachment from the game.
On Allegri — “Too Defensive, Like Scaloni”
Massimiliano Allegri fared marginally better in Tevez’s estimation — but only marginally. “Allegri? OK — but he is too much of a defensive manager.” The comparison he reached for was revealing: “Like Scaloni,” drawing a parallel between the Juventus legend’s former manager and Argentina’s World Cup-winning coach in terms of their cautious, results-oriented approach. For Tevez — who thrived under the more expansive demands of coaches like Pep Guardiola and, earlier in his career, various managers who gave him freedom to roam — defensive pragmatism, however effective, clearly holds limited appeal.
On the Italy Job — “Conte and Maldini Every Time”
Asked about the Italian national team vacancy — currently the subject of intense debate in Italy, with a shortlist that includes several high-profile candidates — Tevez was unequivocal. “Italy? Conte and Maldini, every time.” The pairing of Antonio Conte as head coach alongside Paolo Maldini in a sporting director capacity represents, in Tevez’s view, the combination best equipped to restore the Azzurri to the level the country expects. Whether that specific formula is ever assembled is another matter entirely — but as a statement of what Italian football might aspire to, it is hard to argue with the instinct behind it.
