COPA AMERICA: MARTINO AND PEKERMAN GO HEAD-TO-HEAD

The presence of six Argentinian coaches has been one of the distinguishing features of the 2015 Copa America, with five of them steering their teams through to the quarter-finals of the competition, meaning that at least two have ended up facing each other with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

As fate would have it, the Argentinians who will be crossing swords are Colombia coach Jose Pekerman and Argentina boss Gerardo Martino. Formerly in charge of La Albiceleste, Pekerman handed international debuts to three of the players he will be facing on Friday, among them Lionel Messi.

Setting the scene for an intriguing duel, FIFA.com compares the records of the two men in the dugouts.

Idols with their first clubs
Pekerman: 133 games and 12 goals for Argentinos Juniors
Martino: 505 games and 37 goals for Newell's Old Boys

Now 65, Pekerman was a defensive midfielder in his playing days and made his first-division debut at the age of 16 with Argentinos Juniors, scoring 12 goals in 133 appearances for the club, whose website acknowledges him as one of their most outstanding youth products of all time. El Bicho was the only Argentinian side Pekerman ever played for and remains very close to his heart, as he has explained on many occasions: “Argentinos was, is and always will be my home.”

The 52-year-old Martino made his name as an attacking midfielder and also started his career early, having turned 17 when he made his debut for Newell’s Old Boys, where he won three titles and made a club-record 505 appearances in three different spells, scoring 37 goals in all. Such is his status at Newell’s that one of the stands at the Estadio Coloso del Parque Marcelo Bielsa was renamed in his honour in December 2009. “You think you’re ready for something like this, but I’m overcome with emotion. My ties with Newell’s are the strongest of all,” said the man they call El Tata, who, like Pekerman, was also a one-club man in Argentina.

Trophies won as coaches
Pekerman: 3
Martino: 6

Pekerman began his coaching career with Chacarita Juniors’ youth teams, though it was a successful spell in charge of the youth ranks at Argentinos Juniors that earned him similar posts at Chile’s Colo Colo and then with the Argentina national team. He enjoyed a hugely successful stint with the Albiceleste U-20 side, winning the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1995, 1997 and 2001, the only titles he has secured as a coach to date. His only experiences as a head coach in club football came in Mexico with Deportivo Toluca and Tigres UANL.

For his part, Martino cut his teeth as a coach in the Argentinian second division before making the switch to the Paraguayan top flight, where he won a league title with Cerro Porteno and three with Libertad before being appointed Paraguay’s national team boss. From there he moved on to his beloved Newell’s, first of all saving them from relegation and then winning the fifth trophy of his coaching career with them. The sixth was the Spanish Super Cup in his recent one-season stay at Barcelona. 

FIFA World Cup™ appearances as coaches
Pekerman: 2 (2006, 2014)
Martino: 1 (2010)

Pekerman left his post as Argentina’s national director of football in 2004 to take over the senior team, ensuring they qualified with plenty to spare for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™, where they won their group and overcame Mexico in the last 16 before going down to the hosts on penalties. It was on that day, in the changing rooms at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, that he announced his resignation. His second trip to the world finals came with Colombia at Brazil 2014, following another successful campaign. After seeing his side win their group and knock out fellow Latin Americans Uruguay in the next round, Pekerman once against suffered defeat at the hands of the tournament hosts in the last eight, this time in normal time. It was, however, Los Cafeteros’ best ever performance in the World Cup. In reward, Pekerman had his contract extended afterwards.

Martino was appointed Paraguay coach at the end of 2006. His charges qualified for South Africa 2010 with some ease, and went on to win their group in the world finals and then beat Japan on penalties in the Round of 16. Like Pekerman, El Tata failed to progress beyond the last eight, his side losing 1-0 to eventual champions Spain after missing a penalty when the game was still goalless. His Albirroja reign came to an end after he guided the side to the runners-up slot at the 2011 Copa America. 

Points rates in their current jobs
Pekerman: 71.92 per cent 
Martino: 75.75 per cent 

In his 38-match reign with Colombia, Pekerman has seen his side record 25 wins, seven draws and just six defeats, while scoring 74 goals and conceding 22. Had points been on offer in all those games, his side would have won 71.92 per cent of them. Chile 2015 is the first Copa America of his career.

Martino has been in the Argentina job for just 11 matches, eight of which have ended in wins, one a draw and the remaining two defeats, equating to a points rate of 75.75 per cent. His side have scored 26 goals in those games and let in nine. This is El Tata’s third Copa America and his first with La Albiceleste.