BUENOS AIRES (Reuters)

Diego Maradona criticised Argentina's style of play yesterday, saying there were too many backward passes.

Argentina have adopted a patient passing game under coach Alfio Basile, centred on playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, but Maradona said that too often the ball went backwards.

Basile's team have won their first two matches in the 2010 World Cup qualifying competition, 2-0 at home to Chile last Saturday and 2-0 in Venezuela on Tuesday, but the 100 per cent start was not enough for Maradona.

"The team has not left me satisfied," he said in a television interview. "I'm tired and bored of watching them pass the ball backwards. They gave it to Riquelme, he played it backwards, they gave it to (Javier) Mascherano, he played it backwards, it's no good at all. If you're beating Germany or Brazil 2-0 in a final, then that's fine, but not here."

He added: "I'm moderately satisfied with the six points but nothing more."