Javier Mascherano, the coach of the Argentine national team, who will debut in Paris 2024 against Morocco in Saint Etienne, stated that "when you're in the lead-up to these types of tournaments, expectations are always high."

An Olympic champion in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, the former Barcelona midfielder justified this impression by saying it’s about "the excitement" they have "to do well in the tournament" and the fact that they’re "happy and confident with the squad" they’ve assembled, "which wasn’t easy given the restrictions" on "getting players released by their clubs."

"But well, in the end, we managed to do it, and the preparation and planning time we’ve had has also turned out as expected. Now we just have to wait for the debut day and start competing," he told FIFA media.

Mascherano faces the competition knowing that "being the coach of the Argentine national team always comes with the special responsibility" of "doing things in the best way possible to achieve the best results."

"Regarding my time as a player, I was lucky enough to do well, particularly in this competition, and now I find myself at the Olympic Games again. But we always talk internally about how the Olympics are much more about the athletes than the coaching staff. It focuses a lot more on the athletes, their prominence, because the athlete is the star. That’s good because it should always be like that; we’re here to support," he pointed out.

He explained that, compared to the South American U-20 Championship or the Pre-Olympic tournament, they maintain "the same identity," "trying to have a lot of connected play" with midfielders "who are very skillful, with an associative play style" and having players like Julián Álvarez or Lucas Beltrán who "bring quality in the final third of the pitch." "But I always say the same thing, we try to adapt to the characteristics of the players," he added.

Regarding the “older” players, Gero Rulli, Nicolás Otamendi, and Julián Álvarez, he said they "give us a lot." "They are three world champions with a lot of experience, not only with the national team but also in international football," he said.

"Our idea was to add, within our possibilities, one player per line because we knew they would enhance us in that sense. Both Gero (Rulli) and Nico (Otamendi) give us the possibility of having leadership in the defensive line, organizing us, which is no small thing, beyond their quality. And obviously, Julián (Álvarez) is a player who can share his ambition, desire, and energy with us, which we’ve also seen in the senior national team; it’s impressive," he said.