Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni will not resign now after all. Last night, the boss hinted in a provocative post-game press conference that he's out of gas.
“Argentina needs a coach who has all the energy possible and who is well,” said Scaloni following the Albiceleste's hard-fought win at the Maracana. “I need to stop the ball and start thinking. I have a lot of things to think about during this time.”
“These players have given a lot to the coaching staff, and I need to think a lot about what I'm going to do. It's not goodbye or anything, but I need to think because the bar is very high and it's complicated to keep going and it's complicated to keep winning.”
“These guys are making it difficult, so I need to think about it for a while. I will talk to the FA president and the players afterwards.”
Scaloni plans on returning to his home city before he decides his future. The 45-year-old has led Argentina to two major trophies — the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup — since taking over the helm in 2018.
How the Argentina players reacted to Scaloni's resignation hints
Goal scorer Nicolas Otamendi mentioned that Scaloni did not make his typical post-game speech in the dressing room. However, the defender remains confident that the boss will stay on.
“We have to talk about it. Words are now superfluous, I think we have to talk about it personally and obviously communicate with him. We received the information and well, we will try to talk about it and see what happens.
“There were a lot of guys who had not entered the locker room. He usually gives a talk when we are all inside but there were some who were doing the doping test. Fideo (Ángel Di María) was doping, Leo (Messi) was undergoing treatment, so we were not all together. But afterwards, we will surely have a conversation.”
Cristian Romero advised that he'll do his best to convince Scaloni to make a u-turn.
“We are sure and hope that Scaloni will continue,” stated Romero. “Let's see now he will have time to think. He didn't say anything in the dressing room about it. We will try to convince him.”
Said Leandro Paredes: “We didn't talk to Scaloni. We are aware he's the head of the group, let's hope he stays, that he makes the decision to stay because he is very important. He will have his reasons but we are more than grateful. Let's hope he changes his mind, stays with us.”
Argentina sits comfortably above the top of the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying table.
Meanwhile, Brazil must be desperate to sign Carlo Ancelotti. The Brazilians have lost three matches in a row for the first time since 2001. Last night, was Selecao's first-ever World Cup qualifier loss on home soil.
Photo: Twitter/JuegoSimple_
