Argentina national team coach Alejandro Sabella recently spoke with FIFA.com, touching upon the albiceleste‘s recent form, their approach to the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014, and of course the contribution of its star player and captain, FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. The complete interview can be found here. A few excerpts are after the jump.

A question about Lionel Messi. What has surprised you about him most as a person?

I knew I’d be working with the best player in the world, a player who can change a game quicker than anyone. But to see him close up, and his acceleration, explosiveness and technique at pace, was a real eye-opener for me. The control he has of the ball at full pace is amazing. It reminds me of the Scalextric I used to play as a kid – those cars going flat out from a standing start. What’s surprised me about him more than anything, though, is what he means to people in India and Bangladesh, for example. It’s incredible. It’s the same in Venezuela, and Colombia was something else. He means so much to people. They idolise him and they’re crazy about him on and off the pitch. It’s unbelievable.

You watch a lot of football. Which national teams have impressed you the most recently?

Germany and Spain are the best sides around. Germany are looking really good and they’ve grown a lot. They’ve brought in a couple of new and very talented young players, the likes of [Thomas] Muller have cemented their places in the team and big-name players like Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger are still there. They’ve gained in experience after going through a transitional phase. Spain are up there as well, no question. They’ve got fantastic potential but sometimes you ease off a little when you’re the world champions. They stand out the most, but then there’s Brazil too. How could I forget about them? Brazil are Brazil, and the five-time world champions too.

Turning back to football now, would you say your biggest problem has been putting the defence together?

Overhauling the defence is taking a bit more time, that’s true. We need to stay grounded about it but when you’ve got strikers of the quality of [Lionel] Messi, [Gonzalo] Higuain and [Sergio] Aguero, I don’t think people should be offended by anyone saying the back line is proving to be a bit more of a headache. The thing is, we don’t have much time to work with and solve the problems inherent in the team. We need to get a good squad together, make sure the players get on well and that they have a sense of belonging and feel something when they pull the Argentina shirt on. That’s what these boys have been doing, especially in the second half against Colombia.

Source: FIFA.com; Image Credit: Getty Images