Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed he will probably leave the post when his contract expires in December.
Scaloni took over in 2018 and has enjoyed a golden period in charge, leading his country to two Copas America and the World Cup title in 2022. However, the team’s attempts to win a second world crown ended in disappointment and disgrace in New Jersey last night with a dreadful performance against Spain – they didn’t register a shot until the 27th minute of extra-time – as the European champions won 1-0.
Argentina’s gameplan was to frustrate and they used all the dark arts to achieve it with Enzo Fernandez sent off in the second half of normal time. Their frustration spilled over after the final whistle when Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina started brawling with Spain players as they celebrated.
Despite bizarrely claiming his players know how to lose gracefully, Scaloni deserves huge credit for enabling a fairly limited side to reach the final once again.
He broke down in tears at the official post-match press conference when discussing his future and confirmed in the mixed zone that he was set to depart at the end of the year.
I’ll probably stop, says Argentina boss Scaloni
He said: “I’ll be here until December, and then I’ll probably stop.
“Honestly, I feel the need to think because I don’t know if we’ll be able to do something as grand as this. We would need to talk. I am grateful to the president of AFA for giving me this opportunity. To be in a place that I am in, which is a dream for everyone. We tried until the last minute to give it our all, the coaching staff and players. I think it’s just that I take the time to think.
“This place is marvellous. To continue, we need a lot of things. We need to reset. We need to form a group like this one, which is difficult to form again. It hurts my soul. I’m sorry.”
It is likely to be a period of change for Argentina with several ageing players coming towards the end of their international careers, most notably Lionel Messi.
