New Argentina coach will travel to Barcelona to persuade Leo Messi
Edgardo Bauza's first challenge after being appointed as Argentina's new coach is to convince Lionel Messi to reverse his decision to retire from international football.
Countless painful memories, including three consecutive defeats in major finals with the Albiceleste, saw the Barcelona forward announce his decision in the immediate aftermath of the Copa America final loss to Chile on June 26.
Bauza plans to travel to Catalonia in the near future to bring the 29-year-old back out of the abyss and onto the international stage once more.
"The idea is to travel [to Barcelona] and chat with Messi, not to convince him of anything, just to talk about football," the 58-year-old told Fox Sports just hours after leaving his position as Sao Paulo coach.
"I'm optimistic with Leo. Hopefully the talk I have with him can help him return playing for Argentina."
Bauza, who takes over from former Barça coach Gerardo Martino, also claimed that 'La Pulga' defends too much for the Catalan club and his energy should be saved for when the team are on the attack.
"Leo defends a lot [for Barça]... Their high pressing game presents the opportunity to recover the ball quickly, which means you can give the ball to him more frequently," he concluded, "He doesn't need to go back into his own half to defend."
