Argentina coach: 'World Cup is very cruel'
"During a World Cup, a mistake or something unexpected can knock you out," Scaloni told Olé newspaper. "The World Cup is very cruel, very unfair. There are times when the teams that reach the finals don't show their superiority over the rest. But that has to happen from the first games to help them progress gradually. and get to the final in the best way."
The 44-year-old coach also cited the 2002 World Cup, where Argentina was eliminated from the group stage. Entering the tournament in Korea and Japan with stars like Javier Zanetti, Juan Sebastian Veron, Pablo Aimar, Gabriel Batistuta or Hernan Crespo, Argentina disappointed when drawing Sweden 1-1, losing to England 0-1, only beat Nigeria 1-0 and finished third in Group F.
While playing professionally, Scaloni played for his hometown clubs Newell's Old Boys, Estudiantes, before going to Europe to play for Deportivo La Coruna, West Ham, Racing Santander, Lazio, Mallorca and Atalanta. He played seven times for the national team and attended the 2006 World Cup. That tournament, Scaloni only played a 2-1 victory over Mexico in the 1/8 round.
After retiring, Scaloni worked as a deputy for compatriot Jorge Sampaoli at Sevilla and then recruited Argentina. After the defeat in the 2018 World Cup, Scaloni and Pablo Aimar were appointed as acting coaches. By November 2018, Scaloni was confirmed to lead Argentina. After finishing third at Copa America 2019, Argentina has progressed continuously and has gone 36 matches unbeaten on its way to winning the Copa America 2021, the Intercontinental Super Cup and qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
Scaloni emphasized that accepting the invitation to lead the homeland team was the fastest and most correct decision in his career. "I'm confident that the people around me are capable and I need them on the team. And everything goes well," he added.
According to Scaloni, Argentina currently has a clear idea and style of play and will not change against any opponent. He also said that no candidate really stood out in Qatar this time. "Many strong teams may soon encounter each other in the round of 16. Therefore, it is difficult to say which team can win the World Cup," the 44-year-old coach analyzed. "There are about 10 teams capable of competing for the Cup, and the teams for the 2022 World Cup are much more even than in previous times."
The documentary film "Copa America Champion" released in early November has a scene revealing Messi's speech before the final against Brazil in 2021. Amidst the circle of players looking at him, the 35-year-old star said: "There is no such thing as a coincidence. The tournament was once arranged in Argentina and is now taking place in Brazil. God brought it here for us to lift the Cup in Maracana, to make everything more beautiful. Come out confident and calm, we'll bring this title home."
About this moment, Scaloni commented: "It's good that those images are made public, so that people can understand more about Messi. Like other times, Messi's sharing gives you goosebumps. He is always like So with the right motivational and motivational songs."
