Maradona has made motivation and pride key issues since his surprise appointment in October and his presence on the touchline appears to have had a galvanising affect on his players.
Argentina's uncompromising performance in a sometimes niggly 2-0 win over France in Marseille on Wednesday echoed his much-repeated warning that there is no such thing as a friendly in his book.
"The most noticeable thing was the team has gained confidence and security in defence," said La Nacion.
While Lionel Messi took the plaudits for scoring Argentina's stunning second goal, defender Martin Demichelis had a superb game at the back, winning almost everything in the air.
"I'm very happy with the image the team has left," Messi told the Argentina Football Association's website (www.afa.org.ar).
"We played great football at times, we spread it around, we got stuck in, we played football. This is what we must do to keep improving. I'm proud to be in this team."
The big debate left by Wednesday's performance is whether there will be room for Juan Roman Riquelme, who has not featured under Maradona because of club commitments.
Riquelme's elegant and unhurried style and his ability to unlock defences with slide-rule passes are widely admired.
