At 08:00 on October 1st (CEST Beijing time), Argentina will host Bolivia in a friendly match. Ahead of the match, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni held a press conference. This article is the second part of that press conference.

Related Articles

【Scaloni: Contract Extension? Both Sides Have Good Intentions, We've Just Started Talking】

【Scaloni: I Hope Julián Álvarez Will Regain the Trust of Atlético Madrid Fans Again, Which Would Be Good for Everyone】

【Scaloni: Cristian Romero Can Be Too Hotheaded Sometimes. He Needs to Work on That】

First, I'd like to ask you: Has Cristian Romero been confirmed as team captain? Who is the vice-captain? Second, since the World Cup ended, there have been rumors that River Plate is interested in bringing you in to replace Eduardo Coudet. Is this true? Has anyone contacted you?

Generally speaking, the captain... well, after L. Messi and Otamendi, Cristian Romero is the captain. The vice-captain is Emiliano Martínez, and the third vice-captain is Lautaro Martínez. This is the arrangement for these upcoming matches.

As for the other question, frankly, rumors are just rumors. Nobody has contacted me. As I've said all along, and I don't know if I need to repeat it—I'll be here until December 31st, and I won't accept any offers from anyone. Nobody has approached me. Until December 31st, if there's no agreement, I still won't accept any other offers. If anyone contacts me, I'll tell them I'll be here until December 31st. That's the reality, and that's how I've always worked. If I'm here and say I haven't received any invitations, that would be a lie. But I usually say I'm here and feeling 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 announcement happen during this international break, or do we have to wait until the end of the year? Second, we haven't asked about Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez in a while. Now that L. Messi isn't here, is there a possibility they could play together on the pitch for longer periods?

Hmm... I'm not sure if it will happen now. To be honest, considering the timeline, I don't think it will be now. But it mostly depends on whether we can reach an agreement. As for the players themselves, in principle, yes, they should play together in this match at least. This is a great opportunity to see what both of them can bring to us when they're on the pitch at the same time. We'll wait and see how it goes. They're both excellent players, and now we have the chance to let them play together and see how it works.

Hello Lionel. Throughout your years as Argentina's national team coach, both on and off the pitch, L. Messi has consistently demonstrated his leadership qualities. My question is: do you think it will be difficult to find leadership qualities that work both on and off the pitch now that he's gone?

Without a doubt. First of all, beyond his qualities as a player, I've always said that the influence he could create both on and off the pitch is something I've never seen in anyone else. You can imagine how difficult it is—the aura he brought is unique and irreplaceable. But we have players who can show leadership. We have an excellent group, and most importantly, in our view, they're all good people, which is the most important thing.

We don't want a dominant leader who makes new teammates feel afraid; we want people of quality and positive thinking. We believe we have such people in the team, and together they can fill the void that L. Messi has left. As I've said, it will be difficult, but the team usually responds positively, and this time I believe we have people who can take on that responsibility.

Hello Lionel. I'd like to ask your opinion on the younger players who have been called up to the national team again. They may have missed their chance at selection a few times recently, such as Matías Soulé, whom many fans favored. Is anyone in particular impressing you? Do you feel these players have brought new energy to the team? Also, this rotation has left out key players like Lo Celso and De Paul. What's your view on this rotation?

That's good. We know many of them well. For example, Matías—we've called him up before and we've been keeping an eye on him. We know Santiago (Castro) well from his time in the youth setup, and we've been following Román (Vega) for a long time. In other words, these young players have shown strong desire to join us. We'll give them the opportunity to play—not sure if as starters or as substitutes for a few minutes—but what's important is that they can participate.

Training this week has been important and very productive. We rarely get such long, intensive training sessions, and the players have gotten an extra rest day because this week's training intensity is so high. We're very pleased because we believe they can help the team. We've spoken with them and will give them the necessary playing time.

Lionel, you just said you'll be here until December 31st. Although you don't have a definite timeline right now, do you think you're getting closer to or further from a final decision?

In the first meeting a few days ago, we didn't discuss specific details, but we did discuss our mutual intentions. So...

I understand. My other question is: have you spoken with Leandro Paredes since the World Cup about his suspension and his future?

No, I haven't spoken with him yet. Domenico mentioned the earlier statement. Leandro Paredes is definitely part of the national team. How could he not be? Especially considering his contributions to us, his historical status, and the special affection we have for him. But I haven't spoken with him again yet, because frankly, after the final match ended, I didn't have anything more to say to anyone—not just Leandro Paredes.

Of course, the door is always open because he's an excellent player and we have deep affection for him. Unfortunately, we can't call him up for these matches. No matter how long his suspension is, that's really unfortunate. But unfortunately, we can't use him right now. When he's ready to play and can maintain this level of performance, he remains an excellent player without a doubt.

แปลโดย AI

เว็บไซต์ AF เปิดตัวแล้ว! ดูข่าว ความคิดเห็น รายละเอียดแมตช์ และสถิติครบถ้วนบนคอมพิวเตอร์ของคุณ เยี่ยมชม: www.allfootballapp.com