Another former Barcelona player takes charge of the Herons following the departure of Tata Martino as coach of Inter Miami. Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi’s former teammate in Argentina and Barcelona, is the new boss on the sidelines. Mascherano currently coaches the Argentina Under-23 team, which he coached at the Paris Olympics.
While experience is not always the most important factor in training, Argentina senior coach Lionel Scaloni It’s a perfect example of that.Mascherano’s coaching experience has been eventful so far. Mascherano, leading a talented Argentina Under-20 team, failed to qualify for the Under-20 World Cup, but did so after Argentina gained hosting rights because the tournament had to be moved from Indonesia. Argentina then failed to advance beyond the round of 16 in that home tournament.
During the Olympics, Argentina also disappointed by losing to France and failing to medal, but would now need to improve a team that won the Supporters’ Shield, set a new MLS points record and will also have numerous questions about its squad heading into to the new station. It’s no secret that Messi has immense power in Fort Lauderdale and Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas has doubled down.
“I spoke to Lionel on Saturday after he and Tata spoke,” Mas said in his end-of-season press conference. “I asked him: ‘What is important to you and what is important to get the best out of our squad and the starting eleven? How can we improve?’ “Leo shared his opinion with me. This is a very attractive position for a coach. On Tuesday we had three final candidates. Familiarity with Leo and the other stars is an advantage in all aspects.”
Inter Miami could be repeating the mistakes of LeBron James and LA Lakers
It’s no surprise that respect for Messi is one of the most important things for an incoming head coach to have, but there’s a balance between respecting star power and making the best decisions for the team. It is something that has been clearly seen in American sports with the Los Angeles Lakers. When LeBron James joined in 2018, he was given immense influence in the decisions the organization made. The Lakers were rewarded with an NBA title in 2020, but it’s one that comes with, if not an asterisk, at least an explanatory footnote, as it came during the incredibly strange circumstances of the games they were played inside Disney’s COVID bubble.
If that championship led to more success, it’s something that would have indicated that the Lakers’ way of empowering LeBron was working, but instead, it has become an anomaly. Not only have the Lakers failed to win another championship in the last four seasons, but they lost in the first round in two of those seasons and failed to make the playoffs in another.
Heading into this season, the Lakers delved into LeBron’s extended basketball universe and hired his former podcast co-host and friend JJ Reddick to coach the team. It’s very similar to what Barcelona are doing with a respected former professional and friend of Messi, Mascherano, taking charge of the Herons, but the similarities don’t end there.
From relying on injury-prone players like Anthony Davis to bringing in players who didn’t fit into the core like Russel Westbrook, the Lakers’ roster management has left a lot to be desired over the past few seasons. It’s something that could be changing after their strong start this year (and that start also means the jury is still out on Reddick’s coachability), but they’ll have to prove it’s different this time by advancing past the best. Western teams. . In a back-to-back league, having enough depth to win multiple games in a week is critical while ensuring your team is fresh enough to be competitive when it matters in the playoffs.
The NBA season is a grind, and in that sense it has a lot in common with the Major League Soccer season, which includes extended travel, multiple games in a week, and in-season tournaments. Miami has similar issues with its roster construction, which were highlighted when its entire playoff trip went up in flames when Sergio Busquets was injured and the midfield couldn’t cope. Participating in the Club World Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and league next season, the Herons will face even more matches while sporting a kit that is even older than this season’s. Younger players who can contribute will need to be brought in, as well as players who rest at the right times.
Martino coped well without Messi during the regular season, but Federico Redondo did not prove to be a similar midfielder as a replacement for Busquets. What Miami needs to make sure they don’t take a page from the Lakers’ book is that they aren’t rounding up more of Messi’s older friends to the detriment of maximizing the roster with personnel that gives Messi the best chance to win. Mascherano alone is a risk as a coach, but it is the construction of the roster that will determine if this team can win an MLS Cup.
This is an area where Mascherano can help, having coached Argentina at youth level. There is certainly a world where hiring Mascherano is a success, just as there is a world where Reddick is. There is a clear path from South America to MLS on the way to Europe and that is where Miami has a big advantage over other teams in the league. Argentina has already built a training center in Florida and Messi is the best recruiting tool in the league. Leaning on that to get players who have room to grow or who are in their prime is what Miami needs to do to ensure another season doesn’t end in disappointment like this one.
