Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is in talks with Javier Mascherano about the midfielder's below-par form.
Mascherano has struggled to hit the heights of his previous two years at Anfield and has suffered a nightmare since being named Argentina skipper by Diego Maradona.
Last week he hit a new low as defeats to Brazil and Paraguay left the Argies battling to even make a play-off slot - with the very real possibility they will not even make it to South Africa.
Mascherano's woes followed a summer of uncertainty with Spanish giants Barcelona sniffing round.
Yet Benitez is confident a heart-to-heart with the player will see him return to his no-nonsense best.
And he will have talks on a contract extension beyond 2012 once he proves it.
Benitez said: "Not winning while playing for a big country like Argentina, you have to be worried.
"Javier is the captain so he will be really worried. He has two more years and we'd like to keep him. He has enough time but he has to play at the level he was before.
"It's very, very important for us to have the best from Mascherano if we want to win more games."
