Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli hit back at critics with the country’s World Cup hopes on the line amid rumors he had lost his players.
Sampaoli’s squad has just one point from two matches so far and must beat Nigeria on Tuesday to even give themselves a chance of advancing past the group stage of the World Cup. On Monday, he said he was ignoring critics in the “virtual world” who “make you feel like a criminal.”
“Personally, the virtual world doesn’t affect me at all,” Sampaoli said, via Spanish outlet AS. “I try not to pay attention to the virtual world but I am aware that many people around are part of the virtual world. It’s not that easy to separate oneself. Sometimes, I do have to enter the virtual world to tell there are realities, facts that can’t be changed. I have to deal exclusively with the reality that Argentina didn’t win against Croatia. That complicated matters for our progression.
“Sometimes people in the virtual world make you feel like a criminal simply because you lost a game. If I were to think that I’ve got to immerse myself in the virtual world, I would have to throw in the towel and leave my position.”
There have been numerous reports of a rift between Sampaoli and his players, though one leading figure in the Argentina camp has refuted this. Sampaoli is still in charge for the crucial game against Nigeria, and he is expected to make significant changes in the team for that game.
