At 00:00 UTC on October 1 (CEST), Argentina will host Bolivia in a friendly match. Ahead of the game, Argentina's head coach Scaloni attended a press conference. This article covers the third part of the press conference.
Lionel, back in January 2019—it feels like a very long time ago—Menotti sat down and discussed three points: first, support based on your experience as a former national team player, but also skepticism about you never having coached a national team of this magnitude; second, cohesion with the fans, which he believed was absent despite emotional highlights, due to a lack of championship success; and third, the extremely complex fixture schedule facing the national team. Looking back and forward, how do you view his words from back then? Today, this close connection with the fans seems undeniable in areas that were once fractured—something he pointed out wasn't happening then, but has now been achieved through your collective efforts.
I think everything has been achieved except for the fixture schedule, which is indeed beyond our control. When César Menotti said those words, we listened carefully and fully agreed, because returning to our roots, representing the Argentine national team in the best possible way, and inviting players without any coercion—if someone doesn't want to come, that's perfectly fine; it's just an invitation, and we'll find others, because this is the Argentine national team. As for the bond established with the fans, I think it has reached its peak. To be honest, we are very proud to have achieved this.
I reiterate: the fixture schedule is beyond our control, not just in Argentina but globally. It's a hot topic, and we don't know when an agreement can be reached because there are more and more matches. As national team coaches, we are caught in the middle, and our biggest priority is protecting the players.
Take the young players in the Argentine domestic league, for example. We desperately want them to join the national team, but they have club commitments. To be honest, during international breaks, we'd prefer them to play for their clubs while also wanting them to train with us. This requires reaching a consensus with the clubs.
What we're doing now is having these young players train here and then return to their clubs for matches. For instance, in the case of Tomás Palacios, although we couldn't use him in a match this time, the goodwill of both the club and us made it possible for us to benefit from his training. We'll see if there's an opportunity for him to represent the national team in the future. That's how the schedule is, but no one is to blame; it's just that matches are becoming increasingly frequent.
Lionel, I hope you can share your thoughts on the Alvarez situation: the disputes between clubs, the rumors coming from Spain, the pressure he had to endure, and how his mental state is after going through all of that during the last transfer window. How is he doing now? What are your thoughts on that situation?
I haven't discussed this topic with him. I think... and the transfer window is now closed. But we see him in good form, happy, and enjoying time with his family in Córdoba, which always helps one relax and rejuvenate. I hope he can regain the trust of Atletico Madrid fans, which would be good for Atletico Madrid and also good for the Argentine national team.
Good afternoon, Lionel. I'd like to ask you about the current squad renewal process in the national team. How do you see the similarities and differences between the current new players and those from when you first started coaching the Argentine national team, which ultimately brought us so many victories and honors?
There isn't much comparability between the two, because the squad overhaul back then was much larger, and the philosophy was completely different from now. Although there is still a renewal happening now, it's built on a much more stable foundation, and we clearly know the direction and path forward. At that time, we weren't very clear about the direction, and we weren't even sure if we were just interim coaches. But now, with a different foundation and trustworthy personnel, there is a sense of security.
However, a sense of security does not guarantee match results, and we are very aware of this; football can often be very cruel. But indeed, we are now in a different phase, whether it's on the competitive football level, the external environment, or the fan atmosphere. This is an ideal environment to integrate new players and allow them to play without the immense pressure of wearing this jersey.
Lionel, regardless of your decision to continue coaching the national team, as a fan and as the national team coach, what are your thoughts on Argentina's plans for 2030?
2030 is still far away, but regardless, we will always remain competitive—that much is clear. This is also one of the reasons that led me to try to continue coaching, because we see that the talent pool is still there, and the desire to stay in the national team remains strong. Not a single player will say, "I want to skip this international break and not come." This is a very positive sign. On the contrary, everyone is excited when they gather, which is a good phenomenon. As long as we can see this, we can guarantee the team's competitiveness against any opponent, which is the most important thing. Competitive football DNA flows in our blood, and there is no doubt that I believe we can maintain a high level.
Lionel, you just talked about the schedule. Do you think the previously undecided Copa Euroamericana will be played at some point in the future? Has there been any communication regarding it? Is it possible to hold it in the near future? Also, regarding Messi, you mentioned the other day that you had convinced him to participate in a farewell match. Now, do you know if he has talked to you about your continuation as coach? If he were to communicate with you now and persuade you to stay, what would you say to him?
Sorry, what was your first question again?
The first one was about the Copa Euroamericana?
Ah, I really have no idea about that. Given the current fixture schedule, as you can imagine, I'm completely unaware. And I see that there are UEFA Nations League matches in Europe, with all the schedules fully packed, so I don't see any possibility of it being held at present. As for Leo, after that call discussing whether he would play on the 6th, I haven't spoken to him again, but this doesn't depend on whether the players ask me to stay.
If I make the decision that I don't want to continue coaching, even if he personally comes to persuade me, I won't change that decision. I would be very grateful to him, just as some people said the other day that the players are all expecting and waiting for me to stay. To be honest, I appreciate this support, but the core issue remains whether I personally have the desire to continue leading the team; that is the key.
Lionel, you just emphasized that this team's competitive ability is what prompted you to sit down and negotiate a contract renewal. Could you please elaborate on what you mean by the competitive ability of the Argentine team? Also, what was the biggest lesson you took away from the 2022 World Cup?
After the World Cup, we evaluated the situation of each position: how many players would maintain their level at a specific age, which new players we needed to find, what standard we consistently maintained from the coaching staff's perspective, and whether we could continue to pursue our desired style of football with this group of players. This is basically what I just said; we believe this is entirely achievable.
As for the last World Cup, the lesson it left us personally was: every match, no matter the opponent, must be played with full effort. All opponents are very difficult, and as we have repeatedly confirmed, every match we played was not easy. We advanced with difficulty in a completely different way from other teams, and finally reached the end of the tournament—that is the reality.
So when talking about opponents, I was still analyzing opponents with the players yesterday and said: Our opponent is always Argentina itself, because opponents' fighting power doubles when facing us. You watch a previous game recording of a certain opponent, and then when they play against us, it feels like a completely different team. This is because, naturally, everyone wants to beat Argentina, and this situation will always exist. This is our analysis: all teams change their tactics when facing us, and we have also learned how to endure hardship and suffering, which is also very important.
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