Mascherano: Ex Barcelona Midfielder Ready to Resign After Spectacular Failure With Argentina U20
- Former Barcelona and Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano is set to resign from his position as Argentina Under 20 boss
- The second-most capped Argentine international assumed office as manager of his country's Under 20 team in January 2022
- He won two Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008 with his country's U23 national team but wasn't able to win any title with the senior team during his playing days
Javier Mascherano has revealed he is ready to step down as manager of Argentina's Under 20 football team.
Mascherano's side suffered an early elimination at the Sudamericano - the under-20 tournament for South American nations - following a 1-0 loss to host nation Colombia.
Source: Twitter
The former Argentina captain mustered only one win in four games, bowing out of the group stages of the competition.
Reflecting on his side's underwhelming performance in Colombia, the 38-year-old tactician stated that he doesn’t think he will continue as coach.
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“There isn’t much to say," Mascherano began as quoted by Mundo Albiceleste.
"The one who failed is me. It’s an incredible generation of players. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give them confidence and peace of mind.
“I don’t think I’ll continue. The best thing is to go back to Argentina and be calm. I failed and I admit it.”
How did Mascherano fair as U20 boss?
The former Barcelona and Liverpool midfielder recorded just one win at the Sudamericano - losing 2-1 to Paraguay in their opening game before suffering a painful defeat to archrivals Brazil.
Argentina bounced back to record a narrow win over Peru but will ultimately fall in their fourth group game against Colombia, per Soccerway.
Mascherano had previously won the COTIF tournament in Spain and a friendly tournament in Uruguay.
Mascherano retires from football
Sports Brief earlier reported that former Barcelona star Javier Mascherano has announced his retirement from international football after his side's exit from the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia.
The 2014 finalists were beaten 4-3 by France at the Kazan Arena with Kylian Mbappe scoring a brace in the encounter.
Having failed to help La Albiceleste avoid crashing out of the championship, the 34-year-old felt it was time to hang his international boot.
Source: Sports Brief News