Javier Mascherano, former FC Barcelona player, begins his new adventure as a coach. During his football career he was fortunate to learn from some of the best coaches such as Benítez, Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Sabella. Now he’s planning to make his mark on the world of benching and who knows, maybe we’ll see him training in Spain in the future. At present, focused on his development as a coach in the youth teams of Argentina.
Despite his new facet as a coach Mascherano continues to maintain his close relationship with Guardiola and Messi. He was recently present at the LaLiga Summer Tour in San Francisco and took the opportunity to give an exclusive interview to our colleagues from MARCA newspaper. The Ex Azulgrana shares his vision and experiences and is excited about the future as a coach.
“I was fortunate to have very good coaches, many of whom had a different perspective and way of thinking about football. I tried to create my own from all the ideas that were shared. That’s it.” Delete that My time at Barcelona shaped me a lot when it comes to leading a team, looking for the game and looking at the opponent’s goal. One tries to convey all this. At the moment I have to work in the youth teams of Argentina and this idea also goes hand in hand with what we want in the youth teams. Try to give the player freedom, leave him as he is Feel the calm in the middle of the training phase when you are able to play and express yourself at your best to fully exploit his potential,” says the footballer about his vision of the game as a coach.
“I always say the same thing Pep is the best coach many of us have ever had, but it would be crazy to copy him.. He is a coach who has influenced football in an extraordinary way, he has influenced many of his players. Obviously there are things that one tries to see and if possible I’m not telling you to copy them but to assimilate them because He is a coach who has continued to make an impact on football in recent years with things we see on their teams. But always adapt to the reality you have,” he explained the mix-up with “Guardiolismo”, adding that he likes “a team”. I can control the game, and if that’s done through possession and playing on the opponent’s field, that’s much better“.
In the MARCA interview, he also had time to talk about former teammates like Xavi, now Barça coach, and also his compatriot, friend and former teammate Leo Messi.
As for Xavi, he appreciates the work done at a difficult time for the Barça club. “I think that it was very good. It came at a difficult time, it was a team that had been hit and needed to rebuild A bit of last season when he had the opportunity to sign and start the season from scratch. The fact that we were able to win LaLiga is an incentive to continue to build on that.”
He shared a few kind words about Leo and was energetic when it came to settling the debates over who is the best. “I’ve always said that the game usually controls us and tests us. In the case of Leo, he is testing the game.” He controls everything that happens within a court and therefore in my way of seeing or from what I have seen He’s the greatest player I’ve ever seenexplained Mascherano.
“After what happened to Argentina at the World Cup and what he What was achieved during the World Cup has already settled any debatethe few that were left. “The reality is that he now enjoys everything that happens to him,” noted the Jefecito.