Former Barcelona coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino said he was not prepared for the media scrutiny during his tenure and had no idea the Catalan club knew so little about him upon his arrival from Argentina, according to a report.
Martino spent one season with Barca, resigning after the final day of last season, when they were beaten to the title by Atletico Madrid after a 1-1 draw beaten the two sides at the Nou Camp. The Spanish Super Cup was his only trophy in a single season with the club.
The Rosario-born coach has a lengthy CV as a club coach in South America, having taken charge of eight clubs, but he is best known internationally for his time at Barcelona, even though he failed to deliver the sort of success his immediate predecessors had made routine and left Barcelona after failing to win La Liga or the Champions League last season.
"I was surprised how much they didn't know about me in Barcelona," Martino told Argentina newspaper La Nacion. "You don' t expect the man who waits on you in the grocery store to know you, but you expect something different from those who work in this."
Martino, who was named as coach of the Argentina national team last month, said the toughest part of his tenure at Barcelona was "seeing the daily repercussions" in the media.
"A lot of things went on and I would ask myself, 'and when did this happen that I didn't notice it?' Published news, things that happened, but also things that didn't happen...I never like to make excuses and it's true that I didn't while I was there but it was hard to live with it all. There was a day to day life with the players and I loved that, they were great young men and we could talk football, very famous but also very easy to get along with. That made it worthwhile, but this was a year that cost me a lot."
Martino said the constant media attention took its toll.
"You feel like you are always being watched, over things that sometimes happened but other times didn't," the 51-year-old said. "There was no way to not feel guilty for what was happening because when you join a club that always win, they stop winning ...and the only new face is mine...I didn't feel as qualified to defend our football after a loss," he said.
"So I assume responsibility, I say what I have to say and then the case is closed. Because when you assume responsibility, there are no more questions. If I had to say that we didn't play so bad, that there were circumstances, then I would have had to build up that defense and I would run the risk of contradicting myself."
Martino said he struggled to make adjustments.
"It was a very profound change," he said. "The team had been scoring several goals in every game, we had scored 19 and conceded four or five. And at that time, which I think was in the fifth round of fixtures, I started to think it was going to be difficult to keep it up.
"At Barcelona there is a lot of importance placed on winning; but not everything is celebrated in the same way, and you also have to look at the stature of the opposition. I was too much of an unknown quantity when I arrived. I was surprised by the level of unfamiliarity about me."
Regarding Lionel Messi, Martino said he knows how the player "is critical of himself and how he feels when he does not accomplish his objectives. What I want is that the player who comes to the national team to enjoy himself. If he doesn't, then why bother to come?"
Martino will be coaching the Albiceleste for the second time after a lengthy stint as Paraguay boss from 2006 to 2011, highlighted by a run to the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup and an appearance in the 2011 Copa America final.