Javier Mascherano spoke about his resignation and return to the Sub 20

Javier Mascherano returned to the technical direction of the Under 20 team to play the World Cup that Argentina will host from May 20, after the frustrated classification in the South American of Colombiabut for this he took his time, because he came to think that his presence “it was counterproductive for the boys” as a result of the specific weight that his career as a player had, both in Barcelona and essentially in the national team.

“Personally I was convinced that my presence was harmful because my name is attached to that of the senior team, and especially in recent times where as a player we lost those three finals. That was installed in people and it was a backpack that they did not want to pass it on to the boys”explained mascherano in an interview with ESPN.

“And since everything in life has a bit to do with what one feels, sometimes the fact of being in a privileged place, such as being in charge of the Under 20 team, with the responsibility that this represents leads you to reconsider Is he the right person to fill that position?he pointed.

mascherano, that in the middle of the World Cup, next June 8, he will turn 39, it was then that he recognized that at a time after the South American in which Argentina did not go beyond the first group stage, he came to think that his name “was counterproductive for the boys” .

“Because these players I’m in charge of are 18 or 19-year-old boys who don’t have to carry a backpack. What happened to me in the National Team was during my playing career and now it’s something else, because I’m just starting one as a coach. And that was a point that perhaps made me wonder if my name is not a burden many times for them and that could prevent them from developing with the necessary calm.”he remarked.

“It is that when one decides to continue in soccer after having been a player, they do so with the illusion of doing things in the best possible way and that was my intention within youth soccer. And I want to clarify that I am aware that in soccer professional you have to compete, but that does not mean that directing the Under 20 team is just an experiment for me”he warned.

And on that point, “Masche” tried to be very clear so as not to leave loose ends on that fine line between professionals and youth players, which, however, is well defined for him.

“In youth soccer one is an accompaniment for the player, trying to instill in them the necessary knowledge so that they arrive at first with clear concepts, because that will mean that once they achieve it, they will be able to establish themselves with a lower level of difficulty. Afterwards, the Their responsibility will be to play as well as possible.”he pointed out.

“That’s why what ended up tilting the balance for me to lead the Sub 20 again was that the people who were on a day-to-day basis told me that I had to be here again, although I made it clear that I always believed that there is no one essential nowhere”he emphasized.

And riding on this point, he warned that “after what happened in the South American” he took “considerable time to think, because he believed that the most honest thing was to step aside so that someone with other ideas, another energy and also another type of work.

“And I owe it to him for deciding to come back, and I have to thank the AFA president, Claudio Tapia, the youth team coordinator, Bernardo Romeo, and of course the senior team coach, Lionel Scaloni, because they gave me the support I needed to show me his desire to continue at the helm of the Sub 20”he explained.

“Because at the end of the road, when the people who decide at different levels support you and encourage you to continue being in a place, you have to value it a lot. So I told myself that it was time to turn the page and prepare for what is coming. And Now I am convinced that we are going to have a good World Cup”, he appreciated.

And already at the end of the talk he also rescued the support of someone very special for him as for all Argentine football, who is Lionel Messi.

“With ‘Lío’ we always talk about personal issues because we have been friends for many years. And although I didn’t need a specific word from him to continue, when he gave me his opinion I listened to him, because beyond the specifics that have to do with what football, his part of the affection he has for me, and that is also important”, he concluded.

mascherano he directed the first soccer practice of the Under 20 team in Ezeiza on the third day of pre-World Cup training, and tomorrow he will do the first test with the team in a friendly that will be played against the Dominican Republic starting at 3:30 p.m. at the AFA stadium in Ezeiza, on place where he harbored so many dreams, many of them truncated, in his time as a player, and where he will now go for another in his new role as brand new coach. And again with the convictions of those not so distant times.