New Argentina coach hopes for rapport with Messi

Published Aug. 31, 2011 2:38 p.m. ET

foxsports

New Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said Wednesday he hoped to develop a good rapport with new captain Lionel Messi, starting with the friendly against Venezuela on Friday.

The game between the two South American teams at the 100,000-capacity Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata will be the first for Sabella and Messi in their new roles as coach and captain.

''I'm looking forward to having a great understanding with Messi,'' Sabella told reporters. ''Messi will remain the captain till the end of World Cup 2014 qualification and I'm looking for a good playmaker to make Messi comfortable.''

Sabella took over from Sergio Batista after Argentina failed to make the most of hosting last month's Copa America, crashing out in the quarterfinals against eventual champion Uruguay.

''This will be the first match for the national side after the Copa America. We are giving a lot of importance to this match and hope to gain confidence by doing well here,'' Sabella said.

The coach said his team was looking forward to playing in new conditions in Kolkata, which boasts a large football-following community and has hosted some high-profile games in the past.

Brazilian great Pele turned out for the U.S. club Cosmos in a friendly against local club Mohan Bagan in 1977 while German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn played his farewell game for Bayern Munich against Bagan in 2008.

''We are not used to playing on a synthetic pitch but we will try to adjust,'' Sabella said about the artificial turf to be used for the game.

''Hopefully, the team will be able to put up a good show. This is the beginning of a long journey which will end before the start of the World Cup.''

Meanwhile, Venezuela's coach Cesar Farias said his team was looking for some practice ahead of the World Cup qualifier between the two teams on October 14.

''This is going to be an ideal preparation before we take on our stronger neighbor in October,'' Farias told reporters. ''Every time we play Argentina, we like to do well and this would be an opportunity to check our ability.''

The coach said Venezuela was not worried about Messi.

''All of us have high regard for Messi but football is a team game. I'm sure our players will be able to give a good account of themselves,'' Farias said.

''Quite a few of our players have played on artificial turfs before, so that is not a worry either,'' he added.