The coach of the Argentine national team, Lionel Scalonirevealed today that he was very close to leaving his position as technical director since “he was without energy” but that the group accompanied him in making the decision to continue.
“I was close to leaving, it wasn’t right. I said what I felt, to take my time, they gave me their opinion, and it was similar to what I thought. At the same time I said that everyone was going to accompany me, we decided to continue and I renewed the energies that I had lost”expressed Scaloni in an interview for Neura.
He also recalled that he suffered a lot in the months after becoming world champion: “Six months after winning the World Cup I felt anguish and fears that I didn’t have before, because I wasn’t comfortable, not even one hundred percent, because what I’ve achieved generates a certain anxiety”.
And he added: “If you stop to think, your head is playing tricks on you. I don’t wake up every morning thinking that we are world champions.”
The coach surprised everyone when in a press conference in November last year he announced that he planned to leave his position as technical director, just under a year after having lifted the title in Qatar 2022. “I want some time to think because this team needs a coach who has all the energy possible”he stated at that time.
Scaloni, Di María and the National Team
Scaloni assured that Angel Di Maria He was dying to play in the National Team and suffered in the moments when he had to not be called up: “Ángel was never out of the National Team. We had called up Nicolás González and having Di María was very heavy for him but we were not going to leave him out for what it means for Argentina.”
Given this, Scaloni revealed that although he does not believe that his decisions were the right ones, the players understood and trusted him. “Sometimes, even if you don’t believe what could happen, you have to let them know that they trust that it will be like this. The players listen to you and understand, they only ask you if they are suffering,” he said.
The Santefesino coach assured that no one is obliged to come to the national team, but that the players are invited: “The National Team is an invitation, not an obligation. Sometimes it gave us a lot of pressure to be called by the National Team, many did not. “They wanted to come, but we were able to change that and now we have a good response to each call from the footballers.”
And he expressed that he always ignored the criticism, for which he never wanted to take revenge. “Winning does not allow you to do what you want. We are very wrong with that idea. You have to be an example for society and you remain even more in the sights of public opinion. There is no point in taking revenge for criticism,” he analyzed.
“We didn’t achieve glory, that’s what may be difficult to understand since we were world champions. But it’s just football, and nothing more,” said the coach. And he added: “In this country it seems that only winning matters but you have to accept defeat, that helps you grow and understand more things about the path you took.”
Scaloni and the Argentine reality
“I understand that we are fine”the world champion coach released. He was referring, of course, to the country’s present. “The reality is that what I want is for the country to do well, like every Argentine. I don’t think anyone else would say otherwise,” the former soccer player continued.
“I look at my part of the field and for us it is essential that the country does well and there is trust in the sector. I understand that we are well and I hope we get out of it, we have the potential to be well”he stated.
Finally, he brought the comparison to Spain, where he lives: “I, who am in Spain, see what the country is like and if you compare the potential of Spain with Argentina, everyone says that Argentina is a power. I don’t really understand politics, But I can say that we have miles and miles of countryside and I hope, I hope everything goes well. The good of the country is the good of everyone,” he concluded.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
