World Cup 2018: Sergio Aguero and Javier Mascherano admit Argentina need a miracle amid reports players want manager replaced BEFORE final group game
Defeat to Croatia has left Lionel Messi and the South Americans facing being dumped out of the group stages in Russia 2018
SERGIO AGUERO and Javier Mascherano admitted they are hoping for a “miracle” after Argentina’s World Cup horror show.
They may also be hoping for a new manager before their final group game against Nigeria, according to reports.
A crestfallen Lionel Messi walked through the mixed zone in Nizhny Novgorod without stopping.
But with Messi silent, Manchester City ace Aguero was forced to row back on his initial blast at coach Jorge Sampaoli in the wake of the blitzing by Croatia that left the 2014 finalists on the brink.
And ex-Liverpool midfielder Mascherano conceded the Argentines had simply fallen apart in the wake of Willy Caballero’s nightmare cock-up for Croatia’s opener.
Aguero was informed by Argentine reporters that Sampaoli had claimed the defeat was because the players had not “adapted to the project” of the coach, which was why it had failed.
Clearly fuming, the City man hit back “Let him say what he wants” before storming off.
But soon afterwards Aguero spoke to Sampaoli, recognised he had got the wrong end of the stick and explained: “I answered before I properly knew what he had said.
“I feel sad, angry, but there is still a chance, although we now we depend on others.
“We did everything we could. But now we can only hope for a miracle and then try to beat Nigeria."
Despite Aguero's calmer take, there are reports that some Argentina players want Sampaoli replaced before their final group game against Nigeria on Tuesday.
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They are said to be dismayed with the way the boss has set up the team and the failure to get the most out of Messi.
According to the , Jorge Burruchaga - the man who scored the winning goal in the 1986 World Cup final - has been consulted by the Argentina FA about taking over.
It's expected Sampaoli will stay but the reports show the deep divisions in the camp.
Mascherano admitted: “We fell apart after the first goal, everything was out of shape, distorted.
“There's not much more to say. You just have to look at the images of the game yourselves and draw your own conclusions.
“I don’t have the clarity to analyse why we couldn’t get over it but they controlled everything, we were abysmal and could not get into the game.”
Mascherano accepted that Caballero’s error was “a psychological blow” but attempted to shield the under-fire Chelsea keeper.
He added: "Football is a game of great actions and also mistakes.
“Anyone can do things wrong and you should not be condemned for that. These things happen.
“Of course we all feel bad but we should not be going after him for what he did.
“As a team, we must analyse why it was that we could not recover from what happened.
“We had a total lack of control. It was a hard blow, no question. Now we must swallow the poison that needs to be swallowed.”