• Coach says he has been made to feel like a ‘criminal’ • Lionel Messi’s mother reveals he cried after Croatia defeat

After five days of soul-searching that has seen everyone from Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi’s mother have their say on where it has gone wrong so far for their team, it was left to Jorge Sampaoli to put things in perspective on Monday. “The week was difficult after the defeat,” the coach admitted. “Tomorrow the World Cup starts for Argentina.”

Yet, if you had believed the reports, the man who led Chile to the Copa América in 2015 might not have even been in charge as his side prepare to face Nigeria in St Petersburg knowing that only a victory can keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages.

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Speculation that Sampaoli had been sacked in the early hours of the morning after the devastating 3-0 defeat to Croatia – and that players had demanded Jorge Burruchaga, the general manager and a 1986 World Cup winner, should take over – were angrily dismissed by their FA’s president, Claudio Tapia, who accused the media of “hurting the national team”.

Javier Mascherano also attempted to defuse any suggestion that they had demanded Sampaoli ditch his favoured three-man defence in an attempt to improve the service to Lionel Messi, who has yet to score in Russia. “The relationship with the coach is totally normal,” he said on Monday. “Obviously, when we feel some discomfort or we see something, we express it to him because otherwise we would be hypocrites.”

Unlike for the opening draw against Iceland and the loss to Croatia, however, Sampaoli decided against revealing his hand 24 hours before kick-off, claiming he had yet to inform the players of his team but that it is “in his head”.

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“The way the match was structured against Croatia didn’t suit Messi,” the coach said. “We’ll try to make it better and hope that he will be able to receive the ball a lot more.”

Maradona, who coached Argentina to the quarter-finals in 2010, has been among Sampaoli’s chief critics this week, accusing the 58-year-old of “lacking a plan”, but also blaming Tapia for a failure to plan ahead that has seen the country’s previously all-conquering youth sides fail to qualify for several recent major tournaments.

While Messi escaped his ire, the captain’s mother also revealed in an interview with Argentinian television that her son “suffered and cried” after the Croatia defeat. “His dream is to win a World Cup. It’s what he wants the most,” said Celia Cuccittini.

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His 31st birthday on Sunday was marked by a peck on the cheek and a pat on the back from Sampaoli before training, amid reports he had been one of the instigators of the revolt, while down the road in Bronnitsy – a small town 30 miles to the southeast of Moscow that is Argentina’s base in Russia – there was another celebration going on. Known as the farthest point of Napoleon’s advance after the fall of Moscow in 1812, local residents arranged a party in honour of the Barcelona forward that featured a 60 kilogram life-size chocolate sculpture of their hero as its centrepiece. A team of five workers at had worked for nearly a week to produce it before being distributed among supporters.

In response to the rumours about his position, Sampaoli said: “The week went from low to high, and with respect to what was said, I cannot clarify things that did not exist. They make you feel like a criminal because you lost a game.”

He has a contract until 2022 and with the Argentina FA in severe financial difficulties, would usually expect to lose his job if they are eliminated. But against a resurgent Nigeria – who in November beat Argentina 4-2 in Krasnodar – they face a difficult task. “The two teams are going to try their best to qualify, which makes it a very attractive match,” Sampaoli added. “I am convinced that we have a big opportunity to make it through.”