Former Argentina captain, Javier Mascherano, has blasted his critics for the negative remarks they make about his aggressive playing style. The former Liverpool midfielder was lucky to not have conceded a penalty against Real Madrid for a foul against Lucas Vazquez inside the box and has since received some sort of a backlash from viewers.
However, the Barcelona defender has hit out at those claims, sarcastically labelling his detractors as “geniuses” while also stating that isn’t easy to keep up the fitness levels after playing so many games in a season.
"According to the geniuses on TV, I commit every single penalty," he said confrontationally in response to recent errors. "It's not easy to reach that number of games, it's very difficult to stay for so long and to play so many times.
"I'm very happy to have been there for so long and happy with things that have been achieved, but we have to try to look forward and want to get more silverware.”
The Argentine then went on to reveal that while he knew about Barcelona’s stature in the world of football, he never thought he would go on to win 17 titles ever since joining from Liverpool
"I had not imagined that when I arrived, I would go on and win 17 titles.
"Of course I knew I was going to a club with aspirations to win titles, but it takes a certain amount of luck to get there, and yet everything happened.
"I do not know how many more matches I will play, but I hope there are many more and that there will also be titles," the centre-back continued.”
Meanwhile, Javier Mascherano, who was Argentina’s captain before the armband went to Lionel Messi, has praised his team-mate and partner in defence, Samuel Umtiti, for the latter’s understanding of the game. The duo has formed somewhat of a strong pairing at the heart of the defence and their 4-0 win against Gladbach was on the basis of a sturdy backline.
"We played a serious game, but it was important for us to improve our performance and to look for the best level we can play at and also to give those who have fewer minutes a bit of confidence for the upcoming matches," he pointed out.
"In Barcelona, there aren't any games which don't count for something.
"Umtiti and myself understand each other well, he has a lot of potential and he has shown this in three or four months."
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