Mascherano: Messi and I didn t have a dispute, we were talking about how to find offensive space

Miami International coach Mascherano talked about his so-called dispute with Messi in the last game at the pre-match press conference of the FA League.

In the last AP League game, Miami International lost 3-5 to the Chicago Flames at home. Messi was very dissatisfied with the result and even talked with Mascherano. Some media said the two had an argument. Mascherano first clarified the matter: "There is no problem between Messi and I. Some people say we have a dispute, but it is completely nonsense."

Mascherano continued to explain: "At that time, we were just talking about the low-post defensive tactics adopted by the Chicago Flames. If you watch the game, you will see that after the opponent scored two goals first, the defense line retreated very far, and it was difficult to find the offensive space. We were talking about how to find space, because the opponent's defense contracted very closely and it was difficult to find a breakthrough. This is what I observed at that time, and we also talked about this issue in the locker room later."

Mascherano reiterated that the responsibility for losing the last game was on himself. "Victory or failure has little impact on me, especially victory. People sometimes think they shouldn't be blamed, but I always try to communicate with players. When I make mistakes, I don't evade. No one wants to make mistakes, no one wants to hurt the team, I don't think there is anything wrong with this. It's just that I'm in my position and it may not be common to say what you feel."

Finally, Mascherano also praised DePaul's performance in joining Miami International for several months: "I think he's doing well. We don't pay too much attention to statistics, but we do look at the data and pay attention to it appropriately. The most important thing is his performance on the court. He is a very talented player with a large coverage. The key is how you run, not just look at the distance. DePaul brings us more tactical flexibility, more in the inside defense rather than the outside defense. DePaul can give us this flexibility depending on the different strategies of the game."