Argentina coach: 'World Cup is very cruel and unfair'

"During a World Cup, a mistake or something unexpected can knock you out," Scaloni told Olé newspaper on November 18. "The World Cup is very cruel, very unfair. There are times when the finalist teams don't show their superiority over the rest. But that has to happen from the first games to help them improve gradually and make it 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.

Scaloni once again emphasizes the brutality of the World Cup, but wants to enjoy his first time as a coach at the biggest football festival on the planet. "I have to try to enjoy everything, with joy, of being in charge of Argentina," he added. "That's how we go forward. Hopefully, everything will go well with Argentina."

According to Scaloni, Argentina 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. "There are many strong teams that may soon face 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 that are likely to compete for the cup, and the teams for the 2022 World Cup are much more even than in previous times."

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 had seven caps for Argentina and attended the 2006 World Cup. In this tournament, Scaloni only played a 2-1 victory over Mexico in the round of 16.

After retiring, Scaloni in turn served as deputy for compatriot Jorge Sampaoli in Sevilla and the Argentina team. After the defeat in the 2018 World Cup, Scaloni and Pablo Aimar were appointed as interim coaches until the end of the season. By November 2018, Scaloni was confirmed to lead the Argentina team until next summer and help the team finish third at the 2019 Copa America. Since then, Argentina has progressed continuously and is currently 36 matches unbeaten, thereby winning. Copa America 2021, Intercontinental Super Cup and qualifying for World Cup 2022.

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.

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 Argentine players looking at him, the 35-star star Age said: "There is no such thing as a coincidence. The tournament was once arranged to be held in Argentina and is now taking place in Brazil. God brought it here for us to lift the trophy in Maracana, to make everything more beautiful. . Come out confident and calm, we'll bring this title home."

"It's good that those images are made public, so that people can understand more about Messi," Scaloni commented. "Like other times, Messi's shares give you goosebumps. He always does with the right motivational and motivational songs."