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Juan Sebastian Veron has admitted that Argentina must improve if they are to have any chance of success at next summer's World Cup.

After a qualifying campaign during which Argentina spectacularly failed to shine, Diego Maradona's men finally secured their ticket for the 2010 South Africa extravaganza on Wednesday courtesy of a slender 1-0 win in Uruguay.

The crucial victory was followed by a public - and distinctly toe curling - tirade from Maradona who wasted little time in rounding on his critics and, in particular, the Argentine press.

With doubts still surrounding Maradona's future, Veron has revealed that Argentina must sort themselves out, even slamming the role of Argentine Football Association head honcho Julio Grondona - the man who hired Maradona nearly a year ago.

"There's nothing to celebrate. From Grondona on down, it's all bad," the Estudiantes enforcer declared.

"We suffered, we hung in there and in the end we were able to win, but we have much room for improvement.

"Now the coach can take the time he needs to correct what needs to be corrected, and put together a team for the World Cup."

"In terms of players we have some of the best, but we are not a team," he added.

With Maradona's reign set to be put under further scrutiny and Argentina's newspapers still far from convinced, Grondona remains adamant that they have the right man for the job - even excusing Maradona's outburst.

"Anybody at a moment can say things that they regret later," Grondona said

"Logically, I'm not content with the football we're playing, but you can look at football from many angles, from the fans' view, from the economic side. There are many factors in play."