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Former Argentine coach Ricardo La Volpe has taken aim at his compatriot Diego Simeone, the Atlético Madrid manager, slamming the counter-attacking style that defines his sides while heaping praise on Lionel Scaloni's work with the Argentina national team.
Speaking to "De Sports" radio, La Volpe, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 1978, said: "If Simeone's team is playing, I change the channel or go for a coffee with my friends. I don't like coaches who focus on counter-attacks; I simply don't watch their matches."
The bad blood goes back years. When "Cholo" was in his second spell in charge of Estudiantes de La Plata, he won the Torneo Apertura in 2006, seeing off Boca Juniors, then managed by La Volpe, in a historic knockout-stage tie.
Scaloni gets a very different verdict. La Volpe wants him to stay on at the helm of the three-time world champions and said: "I would like Scaloni to continue. He came in and had to change the approach of an entire generation. He built a team, and the most important thing for me is that he built a footballing philosophy. His team played well, and that is what I like about him."
The Argentine coach also turned to Lionel Messi and his international future, praising the level the captain still hits despite his advancing years.
La Volpe said: "He showed his professionalism through his participation in the World Cup. In the match I watched him play against Cruz Azul in the Champions Cup, I was amazed by his skill and intelligence. I couldn't believe that at this age he still has that lightning speed and that immense power... there are things about him that are simply innate."