Mascherano denies rift

Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano denied on Sunday that a rift had opened between the players and coach Jorge Sampaoli following their 3-0 World Cup defeat by Croatia, saying the relationship between the two sides was totally normal.

"The relationship with the coach is totally normal," said Mascherano.

"Obviously, if we feel uncomfortable about anything, we let him know....and that goes for the players on the bench as well as the ones on the field," he told a hastily-convened press conference at the team's base outside Moscow.

Mascherano added that he had played under eight national team coaches in his Argentina career and none of them had complained afterwards that the players had picked the team.