Scaloni: I Haven't Discussed the Future With Paredes Yet, But of Course He Belongs to the National Team

On October 1st at 8:00 AM Beijing time (2:00 AM CEST), Argentina will host Bolivia in a friendly match. On the eve of the match, Argentine coach Scaloni held a press conference. This is the second part of the press conference.

First, I'd like to know if it's confirmed that Cristian Romero will be the captain of the national team? Who is the vice-captain? Second, since the World Cup, there have been rumors that River Plate is interested in you to replace Eduardo Coudet. Is that true? Has anyone contacted you?

In principle, the captain... actually, "in principle" isn't even necessary. After Messi and Otamendi, Cristian Romero is the captain. The vice-captain will be E. Martínez, and the third captain will be Lautaro. That's the arrangement for these upcoming matches.

As for the other question, honestly, rumors are just rumors. Nobody has spoken to me. As I've always said, I don't know if I need to repeat it, but I'll be here until December 31st. I won't respond to any offers from anyone; no one has approached me. Until December 31st, if no agreement is reached, I still won't listen to other offers. If someone contacts me, I'll tell them I'm here until December 31st. That's the reality, and that's how I always operate. If I stayed here and said I haven't received any invitations, that would be a lie, but I always say I'm here and I feel good. The rumors about River Plate aren't true; nobody has contacted me, and I'll be here until December 31st.

Hello Lionel, I have two questions: First, will the contract renewal announcement be made during this international break, or will we have to wait until the end of the year? Second, we haven't asked questions about Lautaro and Álvarez for a while. With Messi's absence, is it possible they could play together on the field for a longer period?

Well... I'm not sure if it will be this time. Honestly, looking at the calendar, I don't think it will be now, but it depends largely on whether we can reach an agreement. As for the starting lineup, in principle, yes, at least for this match, they will play together. It's a very good opportunity to see what they can bring us when they're both on the field, and we'll see how it develops. They're both excellent players, and now we have the chance to have them play together to see how it works.

Hello Lionel, over the years, throughout your time leading the Argentine national team, both on and off the field, Messi has consistently demonstrated his leadership. My question is: do you think it will be difficult from now on, in his absence, to find a quality of leadership that can work both on and off the field?

Without a doubt, first of all, setting aside his status as a player, I always say that the influence he can generate both on and off the field is something I've never seen in anyone else. So you can imagine how difficult it is – the aura he brings is unique and irreplaceable. However, we have players who can show leadership, we have a group of excellent people, and most importantly, in our eyes, they're all good people, which is what matters most.

We don't need an authoritarian leader, someone who intimidates new teammates. We need positive and virtuous people. We believe there are such people in the team, and everyone can work together to fill the void left by Leo. As I've said, it will be difficult, but the team always reacts positively, and this time, I believe we have people who can take on this responsibility.

Hello Lionel, I'd like your thoughts on this group of young players who have been recalled to the national team. They may have been excluded from previous squads, like Matías Soulé, who many expected to be a starter. Has anyone particularly impressed you? Do you feel they're bringing new vitality? Also, this rotation has excluded key players like Lo Celso and De Paul. What do you think about this rotation?

Very good, we know most of them. Take Matías, for example; we had already called him and we're monitoring him. We know Santiago Castro well from his time in youth teams. We've also been following Román Vega for a long time. That is to say, these young players have shown an extremely strong desire to participate. We'll give them playing opportunities, whether as starters or coming off the bench for a few minutes, but what's important is that they can contribute.

This week's training has been very important and effective. We rarely have this many days of concentrated training time, and the players even earned an extra rest day because the intensity of training this week was very high. We're very happy because we believe they can help. We've already spoken with them and we'll give them the necessary playing time.

Lionel, you just mentioned that you'll be here until December 31st. Although you don't have a specific date at the moment, do you think you're closer to or further from a final decision?

At our first meeting a few days ago, we didn't discuss specific details, but we talked about mutual willingness, so...

Understood. My other question is: after the World Cup, have you spoken to Paredes about his suspension and his future?

No, I haven't spoken to him. I was just referring to previous statements. Of course, Paredes belongs to the national team; how could it be otherwise? Especially given his contributions to our team, his historical importance, and our special affection for him. But I haven't spoken to him again because, honestly, after the final, I didn't have much to add to anyone, not just Paredes.

The door is certainly open because he's an excellent player, and we have deep affection for him. Unfortunately, we can't call him up for these upcoming matches. Setting aside the length of his suspension, it's really not ideal, but unfortunately, we can't use him right now. When he can be used and maintains this level, he'll remain an excellent player, there's no doubt about that.

Traduit par IA.

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