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Diego Maradona deserves huge credit for the way he has bounced back from drug addiction and weight gain and gotten his life into better order.

However, if, as expected, he is appointed as the new head coach of the Argentina national team this week, it must still go down as one of the most surprising stories of the year.

Ever since he was introduced to cocaine in the 1980s, Maradona has been one of soccer's most controversial characters. For a spell during the middle part of this decade, it appeared as though his various lifestyle problems would drive him into an early and tragic grave.

While it is wonderful to see the slimmed-down version of arguably the greatest player ever in a better state of mental and physical condition, there must be concerns about his suitability for the Argentina job.

There will be fears that the high level of pressure and scrutiny of the position could inflame the addictive side of his personality and that his drug dependency could resurface. Even ignoring those potential issues, the 47-year-old would still be a strange choice to replace Alfio Basile, who was fired after a string of disappointing results in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Maradona has had only two brief and unspectacular forays into coaching with Deportivo Mandiyu and Racing Club. Much could depend on the experience and know-how of the men brought in around him as assistants. His best chance of revitalizing Argentina's fortunes is by using his personality and iconic status to inspire his players and mobilize a wave of public support behind the squad.

Many of Maradona's personal problems were self-inflicted and he has made some severe errors of judgment. Yet if he gets the green light as national team coach, it would be hard not to wish success to the man whose extraordinary exploits in the 1986 World Cup single-handedly gave Argentina the title – and himself an eternal place in soccer folklore.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

"I would like Maradona to be our next coach."

Noray Nakis, president of the Argentinean FA selection committee.

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Freddie Ljungberg became Major League Soccer's latest designated player on Tuesday after being unveiled as the marquee signing for the new Seattle Sounders FC franchise.

The Swedish midfielder parted company with West Ham after a difficult one-year stint, which followed nine prolific seasons with Arsenal.

Ljungberg raised some interesting topics while addressing the U.S. media and, although you don't get any points for impressing in news conferences, there are several reasons why I believe he can have an impact in MLS.

• Ljungberg retired from international soccer after Euro 2008, meaning there should be none of the disruption similar to that the Los Angeles Galaxy have suffered with David Beckham.

• Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has previously described Ljungberg as one of the best prepared players he has ever coached. The 31-year-old has already ordered several DVDs of MLS games in order to analyze his opponents ahead of next season.

• He comes in with his eyes open. "I am not disrespecting anyone but I realize the level is not going to be as high as in the Premier League," Ljungberg said. "I must accept that and adapt to it – and not get frustrated or annoyed. I want to give 100 percent and also help the players around me to be as good as they can be."

• Sounders FC has not played a single MLS game yet but is already impressing many around the league with its level of commitment and preparation. Chiefs Joe Roth and Adrian Hanauer appreciate the importance of having Ljungberg settle in quickly and are prepared to do everything in their power to ensure a smooth transition, on and off the field.

Ljungberg's success all really depends on his fitness. He has been plagued by several injuries in recent seasons, part of the reason why several European clubs passed on him following his release from West Ham. If he does stay healthy, though, Seattle could have a bargain, even at an estimated $2.5 million per season.

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CARSON, Calif. – David Beckham broke his silence on his likely loan move to AC Milan at the Home Depot Center on Saturday, but the most revealing words actually came from his Los Angeles Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan.

Beckham addressed the assembled media in predictable fashion, spelling out how his desire to switch temporarily to Serie A was motivated simply by a desire to stay sharp during the long MLS offseason.

The 33-year-old midfielder is a long way removed from the shy young man who blustered his way through interviews early in his career – and he makes his point well. However, all his slick talking and positive spin can not disguise the fact that his actions have caused disruption to the Galaxy and will continue to do so.

Before Beckham was surrounded by journalists and camera crews, Donovan spoke briefly to a small collection of local journalists and gave an indication of the level of frustration with Beckham that exists in the L.A. locker room.

When I asked him if the timing of Beckham's announcement was unfortunate and could have been handled better, Donovan replied: "Candidly, yes."

"It doesn't make it much better or much worse," Donovan added, "but it would have been nice to have waited."

Donovan himself is leaving it until after the Galaxy's final game of the season on Sunday to address his own future in Los Angeles.

Beckham's excitement at spending two months in Serie A is understandable. Yet the way he has shown little regard for how he is affecting his employers and teammates reflects poorly upon his character.

As for his argument that playing for up to 11 straight months – two in Italy followed by the 2009 MLS season – will be no problem as he is accustomed to having little rest between seasons, he needs to remember he is heading towards the twilight of his career and does not have the same sap in his legs as he once did.

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This week's UEFA Champions League matches represent the midway point of the group stage, but already the competition is starting to take a familiar shape.

By Thursday morning, many of the eight groups could be some way towards being decided, with few exceptions, along predictable lines.

Some of the biggest clubs in world soccer can effectively book their place in the last 16 if they win on Tuesday or Wednesday. Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are all in strong shape to take a big step towards the knockout phase.

Most confident of all should be Chelsea, Manchester United and Inter Milan, after they scored a combined 13 goals to nil in domestic action last weekend. Chelsea takes on an AS Roma side in the midst of a miserable run, United hosts Scottish champions Celtic, and Inter welcomes Anorthosis Famagusta, the surprise from Cyprus that has done a magnificent job so far but will surely be outgunned in Milan.

There is still room for outsiders such as Cluj (from Romania) and Anorthosis to break into the last 16, but in the main part, expect the established order to reign in this season's Champions League.

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FC Barcelona's attempt to grab a piece of the Major League Soccer market in Miami should be treated with delight and suspicion in equal measure.

It is clearly great news for North American soccer for one of the world's most famous and successful clubs to want to get involved. However, there must be caution about the plan to strike up a franchise in Miami, where the Fusion folded back in 2001.

With exception of the NFL Dolphins, professional sports have struggled to gain widespread support in the Miami market. Even with the changing demographics of the city, with a big recent increase in South American and Caribbean immigrants, an MLS team would be a tough sell. And for diehard sports fans, the choice between South Beach and a game of soccer on a sweltering summer's day is a fairly simple one.

Barca is serious about its bid though and wants to be involved in MLS as soon as 2010, although 2011 would be far more likely. Club president Joan Laporta is a man used to getting his own way, both in business and soccer politics. With Barca's pockets more than deep enough to meet the expansion fee of around $45 million and a respected business partner in Bolivian Marcelo Claure, it is hard to see MLS turning down the prospect of teaming up with the Catalan giants.

But that doesn't mean it will be a giant success.

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Ruud Gullit was back in the United States this week for the first time since his ill-fated stint in charge of the Los Angeles Galaxy came to an end.

Gullit struggled to grasp a full understanding of soccer Stateside during his brief tenure in California and his comments at a training event on Monday were also misguided.

Talking about David Beckham, Gullit said: "David is more than just a football player and I think he does extremely well to give football here a lift. But I doubt if they (U.S. soccer organizers) really want that. I think they are afraid of football because it's so popular everywhere around the world. I think they will just control it so it doesn't become more popular than their American sports."

Gullit's claim that there is some form of conspiracy, either in U.S. soccer or American sports in general, to restrict the sport's popularity is nonsensical. To suggest that the sport's rulers themselves would impinge upon soccer's progress in an utterly self-defeating manner shows just how little understanding Gullit actually acquired while with the Galaxy.

As for other sports ganging up on soccer to ensure it does not threaten the established order, that day is a long way away. At present, NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball are so far ahead in terms of popularity that it is hard to imagine them losing too much sleep worrying about being overtaken by soccer any time soon.

The real challenges facing Beckham as he moves toward the midpoint of his stay in L.A. will be trying to find a way to turn the Galaxy into a competitive team instead of seeing them languish as one of MLS's worst sides. The only way for him to make a major imprint on the psyche of the American sports fan would be to spearhead a charge for the MLS Cup, something he has been unable to get close to over the past two seasons.

His performance level with L.A. has dropped off this campaign, and unless there is drastic improvement in 2009, there will be more ammunition for the critics who claim his career is entering a terminal decline.

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A club's success can often be determined by its ability to flex its muscles in soccer's political playground and Real Madrid do it better than most.

However, as the tug-of-war between the Spanish giants and Manchester United over Cristiano Ronaldo recommences, action must be taken to curb Real's flagrant attempts to unsettle the player.

Real coach Bernd Schuster sparked more friction between the clubs over the weekend by claiming it is only a matter of time before Ronaldo moves to Madrid.

"Manchester United are going to find it very difficult to retain Cristiano next summer," Schuster said. "He's full of pride about the idea of coming to Real Madrid. We are full of hope we'll sign him next season.

"He has to be my No. 1 priority. I'll expect Real to do everything in its power to bring me Cristiano. The meetings we held were really positive because the player was genuinely interested in signing for us."

The issue of Ronaldo's possible move to the Bernabeu rumbled on for much of the summer, with him eventually remaining with United after the clubs failed to reach an agreement. But Real was never going to give up that easily and is determined to keep the pressure on United.

Yet Schuster must not be allowed to get away with such direct comments about what has become an explosive situation. FIFA rules clearly forbid proclamations such as this about another team's player and punishment should be meted out swiftly and harshly.

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In these troubled times where interest rates and stock fluctuations are discussed in the court of public opinion with as much scrutiny as the box scores, it was only a matter of time before the credit crunch and soccer were debated on the same agenda.

The Leaders in Football summit at Stamford Bridge this week featured an intriguing showdown between Lord Triesman, chairman of the Football Association, and English Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.

Triesman argued for tighter regulations and more in-depth checks upon foreign owners, insisting that the global financial difficulties left teams in greater danger of hardship if a buyer's credentials were not properly examined. He also claimed that English clubs carry total debts in excess of $5 billion dollars, a third of which comes from the Big Four of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Yet while it is those big names that will catch the eye of the public, the real danger does not lie at the top of the English game. Instead, it is the smaller clubs in lower leagues that could be in peril, as consumer spending cuts back and that £300 season ticket doesn't seem like such good value any more.

Forget about there being major headaches at the likes of United. Sure, the Glazer family borrowed heavily in order to purchase the club, but those debts are secured by future earnings that are unlikely to drop.

Television rights deals worth billions and stretching on for several years are in place – precisely why Premier League ownership was such an attractive position for these savvy businessmen in the first place.

Furthermore, the real cost of borrowing fell around the world on Tuesday, with many central banks slashing interest rates. More cuts are expected to follow.

While foreign ownership is not to the taste of many in England, for some clubs it is the best way out of financial difficulty. As long as the buyers satisfy the necessary criteria of integrity and solvency, the pros outweigh the cons.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

"The FA themselves know about all these things because they are one of the most indebted organizations in the world."

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.

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The decision to award Euro 2012 to Poland and Ukraine continues to look ever more foolish as political issues overshadow the event.

Poland's status as hosts was plunged into major doubt when its national football association was suspended by the Polish government and an administrator put into place.

FIFA and UEFA received documents on Monday suggesting the Polish FA board would be reinstated, but there is still a long way to go before soccer fans hoping for another successful European Championship can breathe easy.

Ironically, the selection of Poland and Ukraine itself was largely spawned by political factors.

Italy was by far the most sensible choice to host the tournament, yet was denied as it was felt awarding them hosting rights so soon after the Italian match-fixing scandal would send the wrong message. However, the current situation is potentially far more damaging.

Poland and Ukraine have already fallen behind certain deadlines regarding the readiness of venues and since it is unclear who is really running Polish football, there is no one to pin responsibility. UEFA should strip Euro 2012 away from Poland and allow a nation with a proper administrative structure to step in.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

"It's extremely difficult to organize the Euros in Poland and Ukraine. If we made them stick to the commitments they signed in April 2007, they would be in trouble, terrible trouble, already. We've done absolutely everything and more to make sure they can organize it, and the first thing they do is deceive our trust and go back on a commitment they made a year and a half ago to FIFA."

FIFA spokesman William Gaillard on the problems surrounding Euro 2012. 

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Just when you thought the crisis engulfing Newcastle United couldn't get any worse, interim manager Joe Kinnear ensured the proud English Premier League club made the headlines for all the wrong reasons once more.

Kinnear was a bizarre choice to fill the breach left by Kevin Keegan's departure, although it was hoped he could provide a safe pair of hands to guide the team through a tough period. Instead, he heaped more embarrassment on the club and the city with a disgraceful, expletive-laced rant at reporters.

Kinnear incredibly used 52 cuss words as he vented his anger at the way his appointment had been reported. The main man in his line of fire was the Daily Mirror's northeast correspondent Simon Bird, with Niall Hickman of the Daily Express also copping some flak.

I worked with Bird at the Daily Mirror for several years and he remains a friend of mine, so maybe my take on this issue is somewhat biased. But I stand by my conviction that Bird is far better as a journalist than Kinnear will ever be as a manager. In my experience, Bird is a man of character who takes an even-handed approach to his profession.

Kinnear has every right to take issue with journalists if he feels slighted. The weekly press conference is a perfect forum for such an exchange. But Kinnear got it totally wrong by launching into such a vitriolic attack and showed a definite lack of class as an individual with his foul language.

Furthermore, he must shoulder the blame for the way the humiliating audio footage has now been beamed around the world.

Bird, Hickman and the other reporters present were happy to make that part of the conversation "off the record," meaning it would not be published. However, Kinnear refused to listen to reason.

Instead of calming down and discussing his grievances in a grown-up manner he instead told the scribes to "write what you (expletive) want." So they did. And the upshot is that the magnificent, loyal and patient fans who bleed Newcastle black and white must once again suffer as the laughing stock of the league.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

"He is a coach? I don't know him. I am a man of peace."

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari when shown a picture of Joe Kinnear.