Javier Mascherano and the renewed challenge at the helm of the Under 20s: “The boys mustn’t carry any backpacks”

10 days after the debut of the selected Argentinian sub-20 inside world to be held at Argentinathe national coach, Javier Mascheranowas extremely pleased with the squad he managed to put together for the tournament, as well as the fact that some players were not loaned out by their clubs, such as Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Facundo Buonanotte (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Nicolás Paz (Real Madrid). ).

“We have a very good generation in this category and also in those coming down. Argentina is a country where players come from all over and that’s a blessing. Unfortunately, there are guys who haven’t had the chance[to come]because their current status at their clubs indicates otherwise.but we are very happy with what we have”, highlighted the DT, who revealed that it caused him “a headache to name only 21 and leave (out) other guys who were in a very good situation and had the conditions to be part of the team”.

Talking to ESPN, the former midfielder explained what the main incentive should be for a team that didn’t qualify for this tournament, given that he had been eliminated in the first round of the South American championship which was played in Colombia, but which he accepted thanks to the fact that the venue, which initially corresponded to Indonesia, had been granted to Argentina by the direction of the president of the Argentine Football Federation, Claudius Tapia.

“Usually football doesn’t offer opportunities like this. Fate has put us in this place and we must take advantage of it. Our driving force must be to play in our country, with our people, our relatives, our friends,” she proposed. they mask, who proposed as a premise that his team respects its essence: “We cannot afford not to be ourselves. We have an idea and what could be better than presenting it in a situation like this. Great teams are those who develop an idea in large instances”.

Precisely this lack of identity, which he identified mainly in the 3-1 loss with Brazil (“we didn’t dare to play like that in a good part of the process”), was the main flaw that the coach noticed when analyzing the poor performance in the South American , although he also pointed out some deficits in the pre-tournament phase: “We didn’t have the optimal number of matches in preparation and pace, we are quite sorry. And in a short championship we were unable to react after losing the first match (against Paraguay).”.

As for the scheme he will use in the World Cup, the former player of Barcelona and Liverpool, among others, has announced that he will plant “a line of four with wings that have the ability to attack” and explained that he likes “the teams in the lead, who have control of the game through possession”.

In any case, he underlined that his work and his decisions were linked to his participation in an articulated selection process in which he tried to establish the matrix lines to which the coaches of the various training categories could adapt. “I have to promote players who take risks, who are protagonists. For example central defenders who learn to play one-on-one, with an attacking line and a lot of space behind,” she explained.

The tournament that will start on May 20 and in which Argentina will share group A with Uzbekistan (its rival at its debut in Santiago del Estero), Guatemala and New Zealand will represent a revenge not only for the players, but also for Mascherano, who had resigned after the elimination in the South American and resumed his role after the confirmation of the change of venue for the World Cup (and the consequent participation of the national team).

“After what happened in South America, I believed that the most honest thing was to step aside so that someone with other ideas, another energy and another mentality would come along, who could do another type of work,” he explained the DT, who recounted that in their change of position they had been fundamental, for their support, Claudio Tapia, Lionel Scaloni and Bernardo Romeocoordinator of the Youth Selections of the AFA.

Mascherano also acknowledged that in his initial decision he had considered his past as a player in the first team, with which he played 147 games and never managed to win a Scudetto. “My name has always been associated with the national team and at one point I thought this was counterproductive for the boys. They don’t have to carry any backpacks“, he explained.

The former midfielder said among those who had backed him to continue leading the under-20 squad was his former team-mate and friend Lionel Messi. “He gave me his opinion of her and I listened. Beyond knowing her, she came from affection and that is also important, that’s why I appreciated her word, ”she stressed.

mask He also took the liberty of making known his opinion on the future of the senior national team captain, who has a contract with Paris Saint-Germain until the end of this season. “I would like him to finish his story at Barcelona so that I can greet his people and the club he made so great in the best possible way. But I also think it would be nice to have him in Argentina for a while. Either way, he’s earned the right to do whatever he wants,” he said.