Scaloni's blunt self-criticism after Argentina beat Mauritania | OneFootball

Argentina beat Mauritania 2-1 at La Bombonera, and Lionel Scaloni, head coach of the national team, admitted that his players did not play a good match in the first of the two friendlies they will play during this FIFA window.

At the press conference, Scaloni acknowledged that “it’s true that the match was not good, that’s the reality,” although he stressed that “a great many conclusions can be drawn” from this performance.

“As we always say, there are no easy opponents,” the coach added, and reiterated: “Today the team was not good. That has to be said and corrected. I’m not worried as such. There are things to fix, as always, and it’s better for them to happen now.”

“Sometimes, when we try something different, the way the team functions can suffer, especially if there isn’t much time,” reflected Scaloni, who started without Lionel Messi and changed virtually the entire starting eleven in the second half.

In the second half, he even decided to take off Julián Álvarez and tried Messi as the furthest forward, alongside Enzo Fernández first and Thiago Almada later.

Scaloni admitted that “it’s obvious we can play much better; we have done so,” and added: “All the young players we were able to see contributed what they could, but when a match becomes complicated, it’s harder.”

Scaloni also referred to Argentina’s World Cup opponents, who also played this Friday: Austria, Jordan, and Algeria.

“We watched a bit of our World Cup opponents. Like everyone else, they are tough, because they also play at 100 percent, and a tournament like that is decided by small details. Fortunately, we are already forewarned thanks to the experience of our opening match at the last World Cup,” he reflected.

Finally, Scaloni referred to the serious injury suffered by Joaquín Pachinelli in the last training session, which will keep him off the pitch for several months.

“What happened yesterday was very sad. He had been training in an incredible way. I send him a big hug, and also Juan (Foyth), they are incredible lads,” said Scaloni.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.