After confirming his continuity at the helm of the Argentine National Team until 2030, Lionel Scaloni also began to define how the structure of his coaching staff will be for the next cycle. In this context, the coach announced an important departure: Walter Samuel will no longer be his assistant coach to start his own path as a head coach, after eight years of working alongside the world champion coaching staff.
The departure of the former defender had been a possibility that had been discussed for some time, and it was Scaloni himself who confirmed it during a press conference. "Initially, Walter, as he had already informed us, is going to start his career alone. Eternal gratitude to someone who is my friend, whom I wish the best because he has been an important part of this coaching staff and it is only fair that he can start his path and he will be in these two matches. We hope to do our best to thank him for what he has given us", expressed the coach.
On the other hand, Scaloni ruled out the possibility of bringing in another member to take his place. "Initially, we are not going to add anyone, we believe we can continue like this and that is what we are going to try. We will stay as we are and in any case, we have people in the youth teams who can help us in the future", he explained.
Samuel has been part of the cycle since 2018 and became a fundamental piece within Scaloni's work structure. During these years, he had a prominent role in the tactical analysis of the team and in the organization of set pieces, in addition to being one of the most trusted men of the coach from Pujato. His departure, therefore, represents the end of a stage within one of the most successful cycles in the history of the Albiceleste, which achieved two Copa América titles, one Finalissima, and one World Cup.
Thus, the coaching staff will continue to be composed of Pablo Aimar and Roberto Ayala as assistant coaches, Martín Tocalli as goalkeeper coach, Matías Manna in the area of video analysis, and Luis Martín as fitness coach.
