Sergio Hernández during the historic World Cup in China / Web
Sergio Hernández closed his cycle as coach of the Argentine national team admitting that the team “did not measure up to the competition” in the last Tokyo Olympics, where he was eliminated in the Quarters by Australia.
In dialogue with “One against One”, the Bahian coach also acknowledged that Gabriel Deck, infected with coronavirus in the preparation prior to the start of the tournament, “made a huge effort but was not there to play.”
“The team was not up to the task beyond the fact that the rivals were very good, which made our version not the best,” said the DT who also led the Albiceleste cast in Beijing 2008 (bronze medal) and Rio 2016 (eliminated in Quarters).
“We had three extra days in the Villa after losing, which helped us to have that moment of analysis and reflection,” Hernández assured.
“Even when practices ended we didn’t look good. We talked about the game, how to improve and everything, but inside we knew that we were not finding the point that we knew how to find in other preparations ”, described the coach.
Of the four matches played in the tournament, the representative from Albiceleste lost three (Slovenia, Spain and Australia) and only beat the local Japan, led by Julio Lamas.
“We confuse speed with haste; we put more energy than science into defending; We were past revolutions and we did not know how to control the times at any time, ”Hernández launched in a self-critical tone.
The coach said that he does not feel “guilt” for what happened, although he did express the need to “assume responsibility and make the self-criticism that corresponds to me.”
Finally, the technical director stated that “my stage in the National Team is over, I consider it over. I think the process needs a change. Today I’m out ”, he warned before referring to the retirement of the captain and emblem, Luis Scola, who decided to put an end to his story with the blue and white.
“We never touched on the subject of Luis’s retirement in the previous one. Because otherwise he would kill us. He has a very powerful mentality, “he said.
Scola, historical scorer of the selected team, played his last match at the Olympic Games, being replaced shortly after the end of the quarterfinal match so that “basketball and the Olympic Games” would make that “moment of recognition for a legend”, he assumed. DT. “I decided to take him out, even though he didn’t want to,” Hernández said, to illustrate what happened at the Saitama Arena, when the few attendees stopped to pay tribute to the former player from Toronto, Indiana, Houston and Brooklyn, among other NBA players.
“His leadership was impeccable from where you look at it. From helping us all from the sport, as people. I wouldn’t have achieved anything from 2007 to here if he wasn’t there, ”Hernández said.
.
