The Argentine national team had a very positive FIFA double date Even though he had to face it with weight loss, he was able to successfully finish his tour of the United States. After defeating the Costa Rica team 3 goals to 1, technical director Lionel Scaloni provided an assessment of what happened in the month of March and also dared to mention a couple of names on the list of those called up to play the upcoming Copa América, the main objective of the most recent world champion team.
“We are satisfied with the tour, happy with how the games went. It was seen that they were not easy rivals and that everyone makes things difficult. The second game helped us a lot, I saw a very mature team. We found ourselves with the game down and in the second half the team played a very good 20/25 minutes. Happy with that. We are going to encounter games like this, and it works for us,” the coach of the so-called ‘Scaloneta’ began his analysis.
Active relay generation
Scaloni also shared his views, feelings and much more about two of the debutants. for the senior team (goalkeeper Walter Benítez and midfielder Valentín Carboni) and in the first start for Manchester United attacker Alejandro Garnacho: “Walter is happy, he played a good game despite the difficulty he had, because the game was not It was easy, he played a good game. The same as Garnacho, Carboni, who are guys who can contribute to us and we will see if in the future they will continue to be with us or not. It is not easy to play with this shirt and these rivals who make it difficult for you.”
Names to play in the Copa América
Even though the coach is characterized by being reserved, on this occasion he had the chance to mention to names that may make up the call for the 2024 Copa América in the United States: “(Walter Benítez) He is on the list, it is a possibility. In the world of football you never know. Today he is here and he will have his big chance, it is evident that he has come with us. Guarantee none, only those who did not come (Lionel Messi). The rest pick and shovel. Well, we’re going to put Fide in too. He has it guaranteed.”
‘El Fideo’ in a stellar plan
Ángel Di María was in charge of wearing the captain’s armband of the Argentine team and was the leader of the team in the absence of his friend and teammate Lionel Andrés Messi, due to injuries. The Albiceleste will be the top seed in Group A, where they will face Peru, Chile and Canada.
“The first 15 or 20 minutes we were good, we had chances. But I think the game was on the right side, with Ángel (María) wide open and Nahuel (Molina) doubling and with Lo Celso between the lines. What happened is that in the first half we wanted to go inside and they chased and had three centre-backs. We didn’t understand the game well. In the second half we corrected, we saw that the game was on the outside with Molina’s doubles, with Garnacho’s 1 on 1 and with the arrivals of the interiors. It went well and they understood it very easily,” he explained after the victory with goals from Ángel Di María, Alexis MacAllister and Lautaro Martínez (Manfred Ugalde had opened the scoring for the Ticos).
Furthermore, he added the following: “We saw how they played in Costa Rica, it was just as we prepared it, but in soccer one plus one It’s not two, things happen and they have to be corrected. They are a good team, they have their validity and they will compete. As I always say, there is no easy rival.”
Something quite positive for Scaloni is the large amount of talent he has in the player squad to be able to play with it in the midfield and manage different schemes: “The team always had strong midfielders. Exequiel (Palacios) did not come in this one, Guido (Rodríguez) is outside. We always had good players, there are plenty of them. Thiago (Almada) is with the Under 23s, he could play there. There are many players, they are positions where we are well covered. If someone’s performance drops, there is someone else to play. Nobody can relax.”
Lionel Scaloni also counts for the midfield with names such as Giovani Lo Celso, Alexis MacAllister, Enzo Fernández, Leandro Paredes or Rodrigo De Paul, among others.
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