Argentina coach Diego Maradona is catching a lot of heat from fans. (Scott Heppell/Associated Press)Furious Argentines are blaming their national soccer team's most recent World Cup qualifying loss squarely on coach Diego Maradona.
Argentina lost to Paraguay 1-0 Wednesday, leaving the two-time world champions in danger of missing their first World Cup since 1970.
"This Maradona has shown dramatically that he wasn't born to coach, that his glorious image was useful at first, but no more," the Diario Popular newspaper wrote in Thursday's editions. "We're stuck in hell."
The sports daily Ole wrote: "We're going nowhere" over a picture of Maradona.
The Argentine soccer federation has never fired a national team coach, but Maradona is under pressure to resign or accept other coaching changes for the team's last two qualifying matches.
Argentina dropped to fifth place in the 10-team South American standings, with only the top four spots gaining automatic qualification for next year's World Cup in South Africa.
However, a fifth-place finish still would give the Argentines hope because that team will play the fourth-place team from the CONCACAF region in a two-game playoff for another World Cup spot.
After Wednesday's loss, which came only four days after a 3-1 loss to Brazil, Maradona was defiant, saying he'll keep fighting as long as he's got "a drop of blood left."
"Since I was 15 years old I've been fighting with you [reporters] for your criticism," Maradona said. "Now I'm 48 and I'll still keep fighting. And its possible that I'll also have to confront criticism from some of the players, but I'll do it behind closed doors."
Several newspapers criticized how the once great player handles his current charges from the bench.
"The national team has to be rebuilt," Ole wrote. "Maradona can't be this Maradona. He doesn't speak on the field and the team says little for him."
La Nacion left little room for Maradona to stay on as coach.
"The cycle of Maradona is eroding at a very fast pace," the paper noted. "Maradona is stuck in the eye of the storm and it's difficult to see how he'll emerge OK."
