Argentina hope their new coach Jorge Sampaoli's magic touch, along with returning striker Lionel Messi's magic skills, will spirit them through a rocky qualifying campaign to the 2018 World Cup. Sampaoli moved a step closer to taking over the vacant position as Argentina coach on Friday as his current club side Sevilla said it had reached a deal with the Argentine Football Association (AFA). In one year at Sevilla he coached them to an impressive fourth place in the Spanish league, behind the might of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Now he is leaving Sevilla fans and management disgruntled and coming back to his home country just when it needs him. "I always dreamed of (coaching) the national team, "I want to get back to talent and the art of dribbling, in order to move forward," Sampaoli said recently.
Argentina will be grateful if he just gets them on the plane to Russia 2018. In March they looked like they risked failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1970. That was after a humiliating defeat to Bolivia and Messi's four-match suspension for swearing at a referee.
-AFP, Argentina
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