Martino admits he failed as Barcelona coach

Argentina football team head coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino has said that his 2012-13 season as Barcelona coach was a "complete failure".

In an interview published by Panenka magazine, Tata on Thursday said that even if he had managed to lead Barcelona to victory in the final game of the season and win La Liga, it would have not made any difference, reports Efe.

"My spell at Barca was a complete failure. Normally a failure means not winning, but my vision is different," Martino admitted.

"If Barca would have had a different profile, even though we wouldn't have won the title, it would not have been a failure," the Argentine added.

"But we didn't win it and on top of that we did not play well. Liga would have been a title that would not have brought anything to the club," he acknowledged.

Tata added he believes that soccer is not only about winning, but also providing inspirational performances, a concept he currently follows with Argentina.

On Barcelona star forward Lionel Messi, Martino believes that he is the best in the world "because he does everything naturally, when he plays and when he trains" both for the national team and for his club.

Comparing Messi and 1986 World Cup hero Diego Maradona, he continued: "They both win when it comes to dribbling, also in terms of vision, dead balls.

"As for leadership, maybe Diego had more of a role in the dressing room. It's not that Messi doesn't have that skill, but it doesn't interest him. He wants to play football."

--IANS

pur/vm