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Argentina defender Javier Mascherano denied reports of a division between coach Jorge Sampaoli and the players, insisting they all remain united ahead of a crucial World Cup game against Nigeria on Tuesday. A victory in St. Petersburg is necessary for Argentina to have a chance to move on to the knockout rounds after they drew Iceland in their opener and lost to Croatia. "The relationship with the coach is totally normal," Mascherano said at a news conference in Moscow. "Obviously, when we feel some discomfort or we see something, we express it to him because otherwise, we would be hypocrites. If you are uncomfortable with something on the pitch and don't express it to the coach, are you going to play an uncomfortable game? You would be harming the team." Reports this week in Argentina and Spain have not only indicated Sampaoli has lost the team, but also that the players themselves will decide who starts and the formation they use against Nigeria. But the defender said that Argentina's players will work with Sampaoli to find a solution to the woes that have plagued the 2014 runners-up. "The best coaches in the world also ask the players for their opinion, because the player is the one who ends up making the decisions," Mascherano said. "The coach gives you the tools, but you decide which is the best option [on the pitch], and for that to occur, you have to be comfortable." Mascherano, who has represented Argentina since 2003 and, with 145 caps, has made more appearances than any of his teammates, said the players know they must take a relaxed approach to the game on Tuesday. But he also acknowledged more is expected of the team and that they need to step up in nearly every phase in order to have a chance of moving on. "Whether we like it or not, we are the World Cup runners-up and at some point we have to prove it," he said. "I think it is done by giving our best, giving everything we can to the team and, mainly, saying what we think." Meanwhile, midfielder Lucas Biglia acknowledged Argentina's future rests on more than the Nigeria result. They need to win and score at least two more goals than Iceland will against Croatia afterward to ensure they move on. "[The outcome is important] not only for the points, but also because we haven't found the game we wanted, the tranquility we would like," Biglia said. "There are a lot of factors that are needed in this kind of competition. Sometimes we have to just cling to something, and in Nigeria's last match, we were already clinging to a miracle. "We needed Nigeria to give a positive result. It happened and now we bet it will [again] cling to us."
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