Local based players announced for Argentina

By
Roy Nemer
-
90
Lautaro Martinez Argentina
Photo courtesy of ESPN

The local list of players has been announced for the Argentina squad.

It’s been rumored for the past few weeks and now it has happened. The Racing Club wonderkid Lautaro MARTIEZ has made the Argentina list. Along with MARTINEZ, Cristian PAVON, Fabricio BUSTOS, Pablo PEREZ and Maxi MEZA are all included. No real surprises from the list coming out of South America.

Here’s the full Argentina team:

Argentina squad
Argentina squad for the matches vs. Italy, Spain

Apologies for the lack of updates recently, this week will be slow as I am currently in Spain until Monday. I will try to update as much as possible until then!

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90 Comments

  1. Hi.

    Knowing who the permanent starters for the Argentina team will be at the world, I thought this will be a good 11. Just a thought. 4 3 3 formation.

    Di Maria,aguero and messi the
    front 3. In the middle will be banega,pairing with Enzo perez and mascherano at DM. My back 4 will be “acuna” at left back, 2 centre backs will be rojo and Nicolas with mercado at right back. Keeper,i will always choose romero between the sticks.

    I can help it guys I’m excited for the world, it’s going to be real tense with quality and pressure. But I can’t wait to se sampa… in action as the national coach. My team is ready, but I think we all know the problem Argentina have is the creativity in the middle of the park and that’s all I’m concerned about the defence is solid. However I have I question, why did Argentina loose the world in 2014?

  2. Hoping our players don’t pick any injuries & come in 100% match fitness for wc18. Every day u hear someone breaking down …neymar, Filipe Luis, kokorin, sigurdusson( good for us😊).worried on aguero, otamendi, higuain, dybala, Messi, banega as their clubs trying to win multiple cups & will over use these key players. For now we have lost only mammana which is still manageable.

  3. Hi.
    I’m new to this group and I’m a south African and a supporter of the Argentina national soccer team.

    Argentina are going to do good at the world cup because they have one of the best coaches (sampa).

    Argentina have everything a national team can wish for is just about getting these guys right,mentally and physically, the talent,class,experience is all their.

    Yes some of you here in this group will speak of your dissatisfaction of some players like “pastore”,”aguero”, gonzalo and “ever”. But just imagine these guys were all on form, just think for a second, can we even imagine what kind of Argentina team would it be like then, knowing the potential of these players???

    I personally think their is still time for “pastore”, but it’s up to him. He would be a good option for the Argentina team in the world cup,and other countries will fear him because everyone knows what his capable of when in form. I will never forget “pastore” performance against I think it was against Barcelona in champions league, I think they lost that game but one could see glimpse of the magic “pastore” poses.

  5. We need Angel Corea and Lamela. It’s ashamed such high-quality players with experience on big teams are left out. We need a surprise factor like Angel Corea to break a tight game. Everyone knows how the oldies play. Remember Owen 1998, Gotze 2014, Trezeguet Euro 2000, and our Cannigia 90, Batistuta Copa 91, 93.

    • Good that angel Correa is selected. I think sampaoli will play him at right midfield in 4-4-2 as salvio is just coming out of injury. Pavon could be more of a sub. Salvio may be risky for wc considering his injury track record

    • Certainly seems like it, because I’ve watched the 2 games where he was RB and he nailed it and apparently he was fantastic in Europa league today (still have to watch that game later).
      Gonzalo and I have been praising Battaglia for a while now, he’s a physical, capable DMC who can go forward and now he’s apparently shown some serious signs of versatility and now with the likes of Mercado, Bustos, Mammana, Tagliafico, Insua and even Battaglia maybe Argentina has more options at the fullback position than we originally thought.

      • I feel we have enough fullbacks currently to play with 4-4-2 formation.

        Mercado should start as RB. Tagliafico & others can fight for LB position. The match Tagli played against Brazil was really poor. But lets see how he progress in Ajax.

        My back 4__

        Mcado __Nico__Rojo/Mori__Tagli/Acu

        • Bustos shld get a chance for RB. Mercado recent games don’t give confidence. At least we need a backup. Also rojo/muri have not played in club…they can’t straight jump into wc18 & perform. Next 2months is crucial on how much game time they get. Else it’s fazio or pezella.

      • While battaglia is good, he clearly is out of sampaoli radar for wc18. We shld look at how masche, biglia, meza, Enzo & Pablo Perez plays bcos that’s where the partner for banega is going to come from. Parades can be banega backup

        • who says that Banega is going to start? As of right now I can’t see a single player as a starter in the midfield unlike Romero, Otamendi, Mercado, Messi, Dimaria and Kun.

  8. Anyone noticed Chelsea’s 3-4-3 yesterday? I thought their tactics was great over both legs. It was only Messi’s brilliance and individual errors from Chelsea players that made the difference.

  9. I am very surprised that you guys never mention a player like Dybala. He has been the best player in the serie a for at least 2 years. He can play in many positions, great technic, good goal scoring ability, good passing and excellent free kick. How do you guys ignore a player like that in the starting lineup. You guys still mention DiMaria?… I may be go for another sport I have no clue in football.

  10. Is really Ruben Galvan so much forgotten that no one here mentioned (behind tweets) he has just passed away? World Cup winner and 4 times Copa libertadores winner with Independiente!!!

    • yes seems like that way. actually i sometimes wonders nobody talk here about pre maradona era that team of 1978 was fabulous with a super coach menotti

  11. Only on Mundo you log into and read a bunch of stupidity. Mundo was cool long time ago. I’m done chatting football here. People who I always think are good observer of he game talk the most nonsensical things here lately. People don’t have to always agree, but that doesn’t give you the license to spew out dumb comments which is not base in reality. Here is the thing, chat with some expert now and then, chat with more professional athletes (even from other sports) and watch games without your blinders on, and after that, maybe you can finally have an honest discussion on a player with a sane and open mind. If people here want good football discussion join Sevilla, Juventus etc. fan club chat. There is always Google translator. It’s pointless chatting football here.

    • @Kid, “It’s pointless chatting football here” Lol

      It was only two months ago when you said something like this and we are seeing your comments day in and day out 😂

      If you don’t have the patience to discuss with people who have different opinions than yours then you are in a big trouble.

      If you like certain players there could be other people who don’t like them (for a reason), so you must accept that!

  13. banega , aguero will be liability for the team,it’s certain. that’s why sampaoli called meza and pablo perez. paredes…..perez…..meza we need a midfield like this. If gago gets well soon we will get rid of banega for sure. i do believe thats why sampaoli still keeps an open door for gago. Sabella knew that banega wasn’t a national team material that helped him to reach final ,if sampaoli figured that as well he might win the final this time.

  14. Well at the moment Banega is our only Pirlo or Riquelme. Of course he is inconsistent. First we have to be clear who is our Gattusso. We can’t expect Pirlo or Banega to defend also. He should be having a free roaming role. We need pure defended minded players to play along Banega to let him play freely. So the question is who is our Gattusso and in case Banega inclines towards a bad game who is our Pirlo ? Also Why Zabaleta is totally ignored. After all he changed the game against First leg against Monaco and Pep never used him in second leg. He can be vital if he comes as second half sub for final 30 minutes providing his overlapping. Demichellis is slow error prone but excellent reader of the game. Like wise Zaba can still contribute. Mercado is neither technical nor tactical but got stamina.

    • Can we for once not mention retirees to contend for our team anymore? We are argentina and we have more athletic, young and pacey players to be called up instead of some arthritis patients who have long been excluded.

    • In the game against Peru where Argentina was dominating the game,it took Mascherano to come to the midfield and distributed the ball. All Benage did was losing the ball. He is far from the man that we are looking for.

    • Banega and Pirlo don’t belong in the same sentence and Leandro Paredes is more than capable of filling in for the ‘regista’ role provided Sampa actually gives him a damn chance.
      As for Gattuso’s role (don’t know why you’re using the Milan analogy but ok) well there is Ascacibar if you want youth and tenacity or Mascherano if you want experience but I personally would take Battaglia who is still young but has experience (best of both worlds).

  15. I’m yet to see one great performance from Banega for NT (or any high calibre opponents for that matter), I will say he is only good for maintaning possession when we’re leading as a sub. That’s it. Yeah he plays well against mediocre teams like Man Utd (yes it’s big but weak team atm) but doesn’t do shit against quality opposition like Real Madrid, Valencia, Athletico and international games. One good game against ‘park the bus Man Utd’ and Mundo experts are convinced he is the solution to the midfield problem as if he is not one of the reasons Messi is forced to search the ball from deep positions, making him operate far away from the goal? Therefore one good performance against a mediocre team is not convincing enough. His passing does not unbalance opposition like Riquelme, Busquets or Modric.

  16. Some of you guys need on here need to be more realistic and stop calling for the selection of certain players knowing the WC is a few months away and Sampaoli is working on limited time. By now we should have a rough idea of who will be starting, assuming the current pool of players stay injury free between now and June. We all know, DiMaria, like it or not, will be a starter so there is no sense in creating a line-up without him. We also know that Acuna has produced quality when given the opportunity and Samp seems to like his play a lot. Knowing that, can already pencil him in at LB/Wing depending on what formation and where DiMaria is deployed. I am more than sure that Mercado will be the starting RB and why not? He may not be the most gifted but he always plays well for the NT. He actually assists and scores. Otamandi’s spot at CB is more than cemented and needless to say, Messi’s is as well. So as of today, the only uncertainties I see are; the right wing spot (Salvio vs Pavon), DM (Biglia vs Masch), CM (Enzo vs Pablo vs Banega) … The other CB (Rojo vs Funes). I personally do not think Fazio is contention since he lacks speed.

    As for the players in competition, i would give the edge to the following ones:

    Banega > Pablo & Enzo & Meza because he has been playing excellent football

    Masch > Biglia because well, he’s a better defender and a way better passer despite his age.

    Salvio vs Pavon is a toss to me. Salvio would give more support as a defender while I think Pavon would create more in the final third. (2 assists in 2 games for the NT)

    Mercado > Bustos because of his consistency when he plays for the NT.

    If Samp goes for the 3-4-2-1 formation, I could see the lineup below being deployed:

    Romero

    Mercado …….Otamandi……. Rojo/Funes (?)

    Pavon…………Banega ……. Masch…………Acuna

    Messi ………DiMaria

    Aguero

    If Samp opts for the traditional 4-4-2 formation, I could see the lineup below being deployed:

    Romero

    Mercado …….Otamandi……. Rojo/Funes……Acuna

    Pavon…………Banega ……. Masch…………DiMaria

    Messi (slight behind)
    Aguero

    I personally want to see what Pablo Perez and Meza have to offer in the up coming friendlies.

    • “f Samp opts for the traditional 4-4-2 formation, I could see the lineup below being deployed:

      Romero

      Mercado …….Otamandi……. Rojo/Funes……Acuna

      Pavon…………Banega ……. Masch…………DiMaria

      Messi (slight behind)
      Aguero”

      i like this line up
      very well balanced

    • i am hoping Bustos , Meza & Pablo Perez get a good run in friendlies & can be useful in final formation. Mercado was real bad in the ManU match & hoping Bustos comes as a good contender.
      I would want Tagalfico in LB & Acuna come in as LM in your 4-4-2. Di Maria can be RM & Pavon can be his sub. While i am a die hard Masche fan , i really doubt he can last 7×90 minutes now. Maybe more of a sub.

      • Well, my line-up was solely based on what I have seen from Samp so far. Yes DiMaria playing on the right might be the best move but he rarely plays there for Argentina and Acuna, when selected, is always featured as our starting LB. Anyhow, I am not as familiar with Pablo and Meza as some of you are. I am curious, dont they play the same position? Or is Pablo more of a CM and Meza is more of an AM? Argentina has a huge dilemma because they always deploy Messi as a distributor rather than a forward hence why there will never be a spot for a pure attacker(i.e Ortega, Aimar) in the starting XI. For once, I want to see Messi playing as an attacker and staying up front, while someone else is puling the string behind him and Aguero. If only Pastore had the desire and the grit, he would be perfect for that role.

        • Exactly my thoughts, Its far better to post fancy lineups with fancy players than think realistically, I thought around 2 years back only 2 Mid fielders who can be capable of controlling our Midfield. Pastore and Banega. Well Pastore ruined himself by staying at PSG, Banega still is in contention for our Midfield. Pastore and Banega both played together in few matches they both playing together should have made our Midfield more creative and would have reduced Messi’s creative burden, Both r not gud defencively by the way. But still.

          • I think the few times both Pastore and Banega started, they did extremely well. I had high hopes for these 2 but definitely not anymore. Pastore, though ultra talented, has regressed. Banega, on the other hand, has been playing well. Hopefully that will translate to the NT. Anyhow, I can’t wait to see how he mixes the midfielders and what combination he goes with.

            These are the possible combinations I see being deployed for the upcoming friendlies in a 3-men midfield:

            Banega…Masch…Pablo
            Banega…Masch….Meza
            Meza….Parades…Pablo
            Banega…Masch…Lanzini
            Banega ..Masch…Lo Celso (player less likely to start now)

  17. Leandro: my friend you said this: ”Completely agree. Banega is great or awful, there is no consistency. He is also not fast nor has stamina and is a liability unless others make up for his lack of running. He has great passing, but he hogs the ball in central positions and leads to dangerous counters. He is a good sub. but a multi game in short time into overtime with a slow defense. noooo way.”

    You’re a Biglia guy, but here is my question, did you even watch Biglia/Ac Milan against Arsenal? He was absolutely awful!!

    Sevilla have played Liverpool twice, United twice, and Arsenal early on in preseason and is yet to lose to any of these English teams. You can’t say Banega is awful, did you even watch Copa America 2016? It’s when Biglia came in for the injured Augusto Fernandez the team became less creative in the final. Banega was one of Argentina best players at Copa 16, but of course, people watch the games with their blinders on.

    People here are blinded with bride, some of the same people here said Argentina need midfielders like Pogba. Really? Pogba the most overrated player in world football.

    You can’t name one single Argentina midfielder other Banega who is currently competing great in the UEFA Champions League. Against Ozil(Germany), Xhaka (Switzerland), and Wilshere (England) in midfield for Arsenal, Biglia look out of place vs these players and was second best for the entire 90 minutes.

    The fact is, this talk about consistency is beyond ludicrous. It’s not like midfield players for Argentina going back 17 years were more consistent than the players we have today.

    What Argentina have lack in consistency is in the coaching department. If you don’t have a consistent coach serving a national team, no single player or two is going to change the effect.

    Class and talent is the two most important aspect of a footballer and Banega has both of these traits.

    I mean, if Banega was Spaniard, French or German playing for Sevilla vs Man United, everyone here would be saying we need a player like this on the national team. But this is the way most of you people think. If you can’t appreciate what’s in front of you, then none of you guys deserve to witness Argentina winning a world cup.

    Ozil is not faster than Banega, Busquet is not faster than Banega and Kroos is not faster than Banega and I could go on. You have a lot of fast Honduran/Latin, Mexican and African players yet these national teams are no closer in winning a world cup. Class and professionalism always win the day for any team aspiring to be champions.

    • If Banega played all the games like yesterday he wouldn’t be playing for Sevilla,he would be playing for a top team.its not like people don’t want him for no reason ,he goes missing at games and the team of course is affected because of that,and slower or not he can be compared to Kroos or Busquets you see them play same way week in week out. Our guy is like a lottery

    • Well Its simple Man, Some don’t like some players no matter how ever the player performs the haters will always find an excuse for hating, As u said above Banega is our only World Class midfielder right now, Paredes, Lo Celso, Lanzini(I like all 3 of them especially Pareds) but they r not up to Banegas level, Its a fact, they may get there in time but not now(But still they should have been tested in Friendlies way back) (Lamela and Pastore r both an enigma). .But as many pointed here We r yet to see the World Class Banega for our NT thats the only concern, Its not about his quality. I think its the system which is the problem, He was great at Copa 16, So i think something similar may workout for him,

      Like Masche-Enzo(in place of Augusto)- Banega may click i think.

      Well as far Biglia he is simple player he does know his limitation & stay in that, I used to like him during his Anderlecht days. He was like deep lying Play maker now he is like a Destroyer a No 5, But Mascherano is definitely better than him as a No 5 Mr. Reliable.

      But its different people different Opinions, We don’t have to agree on all i guess. Everybody wants a Successful WC for us.

  18. I am happy for Lautaro Martinez and Pavon. Usually in each world cup competition except the last one, each top team used to have that kind of young talented players who made the difference: Henry in 98, Ronaldinho in 2002, Ribery in 2006 and Muller in 2010. I don’t know if they can do it but they have that kind of insouciance which can mix well with the experience. Hope that they can be part of the final 23.

    On the list of 27, I am a bit upset by Dybala’s absence. He’s the kind of sub who can score in less than 10-15 minutes. Besides I am also a bit surprised for Meza. Honestly I have never seen him playing but in his position, given the number of wingers who have more experience in high level games, why trying him now? Another unknown player to me is Pablo Perez, he seems to play in similar position as Enzo Perez, is that the main reason why Enzo not being picked up? To me, the 4 players that will be dropped will be Bustos, Meza, Pablo Perez and Funes Mori.

    What really makes me feel comfortable is the number of Argentina player still in the champions league competition:

    – Fazio and Perroti with AS Roma
    – Mercado, Banega with Sevilla
    – Higuain with Juventus
    – Otamendi and Agero with City
    – probably Messi soon

    Usually I think we are not too bad. Only Spain and Germany still have same number of young players.

  19. I am not in the habit of attacking fellow members because we are all on the same side but what really burns my ass is how one day a certain player is the devil incarnate and an angel coming down from the heavens the next…..the high is too high and the low is too low.
    KNOCK IT OFF already.

  20. LOOK AT JOAQUIN CORREA LAST NIGHT VS MANCHESTER UNITED. HOW CAN SUCH A TALENT WINGER CANT ENTER NATIONAL TEAM?

    I INSISTED SO MANY TIMES THAT SEVILLA +MESSI+DI MARIA+AGUERO IS ENOUGH.

    VAZQUEZ+BANEGA+J CORREA DOES WORK WELL!

    JOAQUIN CORREA CAN SCORE VS ARSENAL, LIVERPOOL,ATLETICO MADRID!

    • The fact is ManU played horribly. JCorrea while is immensely talented was very wasteful in the final third. With Acuna, Di Maria , Perotti , Papu Gomez – i don’t think he is ready for WC2018. Our options on left wing / attack is much stronger.
      I liked Vazquez in previous La liga match – but he gave way ball so many times against ManU. ManU just didn’t capitalize Sevilla’s wastefulness.
      Banega was again great & as the deep playmaker is our best option for now. Critical will be who partners him in midfield as his partner should be very combative & grabbing possession for Banega to weave some magic . Really don’t know who that can be with Masche being old & Biglia being timid. Also there is now no time for experimentation.
      IMO Mercado also had a bad match was defending very poorly.

      • Banega played well.mercado and Correa was below average. Man u played a horrible game yesterday. With this performance I am worried how mercado will do against speedy forwards and wingbacks, he was struggling with rashford. Also Correa’s finish was so poor. We need hard hitters who can tear apart opponents.

    • My friend, the NT can count on a least 10 players that are better than Joaquim Correa who are still waiting to be called.

  21. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/13/banega-shows-up-fellaini-as-united-crash-out

    WOW Ever Banega…

    I dont think we can drop Players like Banega & Dybala from our WC 23 who r world class. Especially Banega, We don’t have players in those caliber in Midfield, Saying that he may still not play great for us in the upcoming friendlies but how many players we have who always performs greatly for us in NT, apart from Messi…Biglia??Mascherano??Di Maria??Romero??Higuain??Aguero?? Nobody plays all games perfectly…No body. All r humans so its natural to be inconsistent.

    • ”They did so in limp fashion, outmanoeuvred by a wonderful midfield stylist in Éver Banega, who played United off their own pitch while barely seeming to break a sweat.”

      ”And yet for most of the opening hour it was the visitors who played with guile and drive and who possessed in Banega the most impressive midfield presence on the pitch. Time and again, as United fought and leapt, Banega could be seen tiptoeing through the trees, a genuinely high-calibre ball-player, capped 59 times by Argentina and startlingly calm in the middle of that midfield forest.”

      ”There is a point to this. Banega is also exactly what United do not have, an element beyond the strangulating Mourinho blueprint, trusted to purr about the pitch seeking the right place to deploy his velvet-pawed touch. Banega might not sprint or leap well at set pieces. But here he ran the game by stealth, an ambling brain in bright orange boots, funnelling possession into difficult areas and digging his fingernails into the back of United’s midfield.”

      ”By the end Banega had had more touches than any other player and completed more passes than anyone else. More tellingly, he had given the home crowd a glimpse of the assertive ball-playing control so many of their own best midfielders have been allowed to show down the years, coming on like a late-career Scholes or a more mobile Carrick in those deeper positions.”

      Thank you Guardian. Now I’m a fan of yours and will definitely contribute..

      • Certainly poetic words, Usually reserved for players like Iniesta, Xavi, Riquelme, Great to see those kinds of words used to describe an Argentine Midfielder after long time in a CL match. I think Paredes is one player who may become a Classy Midfielder some on like Veron in time. (U will not agree surely hehe)

  22. I liked how J.Correa played today. He is athletic, quick and has a good technique. Perhaps he should be part of NT for the WC. However, he is competing with Perotti, Acuña, Salvio and Pavon, all of whom Sampaoli seems to prefer.

    • Banega gave 16!!! key passes vs Manchester in the 2 matches, Ben Yedder simply robbed him here in the final minutes after his through ball. I bet this is a Cl-record.

      • I’m done with the Banega discussion. Some people here just doesn’t know what a good footballer is. Banega has been one of the best midfielders in this season UCL and the numbers are there to back up my statement.

        • No one says he is a bad player. He just doesn’t have the level to lead the NT he is too inconsistent and gives the ball away in dangerous position.

          • Lame argument, again this goes to show you’re living in the Upside Down. All those guys Banega compete against today on the Man United team are going to play at the world cup. Oh my, I’m done..Some people here on Mundo is a JOKE. You have this guy talking nonsense about Banega and another guy wishing for players to get injured. Gromoso? You’re a Brazilian Troll.

          • Completely agree. Banega is great or awful, there is no consistency. He is also not fast nor has stamina and is a liability inless others make up for his lack of running. He has great passing, but he hogs the ball in central positions and leads to dangerous counters. He is a good sub.. but a multi game in short time into overtime with a slow defense.. noooo way.

        • Hey kid how about you drop the condescending tone for just one second! We have all said that Banega’s problem is inconsistency, great in one game and totally average in 3.
          Take Altetico for example, in the copa del rey Banega handled himself quite well but then in a la liga game against the exact team he was abysmal. And now take today, he’s very good against united but was nowhere to be found againt Valencia last week.
          In a tournament where you have to be on your game for 7 games straight inconsistency is deadly!

          • La Liga is a league competition which Sevilla like many other La Liga teams throw in the towel before the league even get started because it’s always Barcelona and Real Madrid. If you never notice the UCL, Europa League and Copa Del Rey are all tournaments setup like the world cup unlike La Liga where the games are a point accumulating system. Real Madrid have been inconsistent this season losing to Girona, Betis, Levante, Villarreal, Esponyal and Barcelona yet that didn’t stop them from knocking off PSG. How can you blame defeats against Atletico Madrid and Valencia solely on Banega? You make it seems as if we’re talking about golf or Tennis here. As I said, you’re free to dislike Banega, call him ”inconsistent,”call him the ”worse” player ever, call him a ”bad” player etc. it wont have an affect on Banega or me personally. Sevilla problem is that they don’t score enough goals when they get their chances and this was the case against Valencia and Atletico Madrid in La Liga. fortunately for Sevilla they scored two goals against United in the second leg of the UCL. I’m sure your favorite players are consistent in their own league though. Dude if you like a player to be on the Argentina national team, that is fine, this doesn’t mean you need to be scapegoating others.

          • So let me get this straight, you’re saying it’s ok for a team to languish at fifth place WAY off a CL spot because la liga is a 2 horse race?? That is the dumbest excuse I’ve ever heard
            Kid for the love of god please read my post more carefully, I didn’t ‘scapegoat’ Banega, however he did play badly in theses games so part of the blame does fall on him (as it does on the other 10).
            Like it or not Banega is inconsistent and he has no business going to a tournament where consistency is key.

        • Banega is not a bad player ,but from time to time he sucks,I mean real bad.when he is not on he is the worst player on the pitch which makes him unreliable and that’s an observation from NT games.

        • Like everybody here expressed that he’s good in one game followed by several below par games. He could be a world class footballer 6 years ago if he focused on fitness and quit drinking and partying. Look, in order to reach highest levels of this game, sacrifice needed for not enjoying life to the fullest. You can’t mix having fun in real life and want to be the best footballer, it requires a mental focus and cancel all distractors like parties, girls, long vacations, eating habits, etc. Banega is not that person, and Dybala was so close to go his route but got a wake up call in the right moment.

          Other important points we keep saying: some players are heroes for their clubs but play shitty for the NT, Aguero, Banega, Diva, Lamela, Pastore (or should I say all made glass club), Higuaín, and the list keeps going.
          The bottom line is that even if Bangega assisted and scored 10 goals today, I don’t buy his form for the NT.

          • @Argentina2018: Being that you find those players not worthy of the national team, I need some player suggestions from you, the expert. Please give me a list of players better than the ones you’re chastising?

          • ]]Quote kidulthood:

            {@Argentina2018: Being that you find those players not worthy of the national team, I need some player suggestions from you, the expert. Please give me a list of players better than the ones you’re chastising?}

            I’ll happily do that for you kid

            For the always injured kun and the eternal choker pipita there are dybala, Icardi, Martinez and Alario

            For inconsistent Banega there is Leandro paredes and even Pablo Perez

            For Maria and Lamela, there are Acuna, Perotti, Cervi, A and J correa and even Ocampos.

            Pastore isn’t even worth talking about because he just doesn’t seem to give a s**t anymore.

            Please note I’m not saying that any of these players should be going to the world cup but they all deserve a chance in the upcoming friendlies.

  25. I don’t want to see those three players any more..
    1/Banega
    2/Biglia
    3/Marcado
    Hope those three will be gotten injure at April last weekend or may’s first Weak then it will be great Relife for Because we don’t want this of slow players..

    • it is really a pity that a supporter of argentina is asking for argentine players to be injured.And that too players like biglia who is a world cup finalist,banega considered by many to be one of the world s finest on his day and mercado,who is a pretty decent defender.I can understand that you might not like a player but that doesnt mean you wld hope the players get injured,which is a massive show of disrespect towards these well respected footballers.

    • @Dollon, It’s a shame to hope a player gets injured (even one from your worst rivals let alone one from the team you support). If you are a real Argentina fan plz give an apology to all Mundo members and Argentina fans all over the world.

  26. At left midfield Acuna should be chosen over Di maria as we know Do Maria’s crossing is not good,inconsistent.Acuna has far better crossings than Di maria.Taglafico at LB.It will give defensive stability to the team.

      • In first friendly, for the 1st half Sampaoli can start with his preferred eleven; In the second half he can bring in all the players whom he want to check; Against Spain, he can include the players who performed well in the starting eleven and see how they perform against a good/strong team;

  29. Glad to see Independiente backing to perform as befits for most titled Argentina club on international level. The 2 call ups for Inde players (+ former El Rojo –
    Tagliafico and Smapaoli having under eye also Alan Franco and Juan Sanchez Mino from the club) confirm that well.

    Meza has scored yesterday against Argentinos Juniors.

  30. I think now There is a good balance of experience and youth. I’m not worried about Dybala’s spot. For me, his exclusion is part of giving him time to regain his best form with Juve. Sampaoli gave Higuain the same treatment when he was in poor form but told him at the same time that he will picked if he hits top form. Now he is back because pulled up his socks for Juve.

    As for saying there is no more time to experiment. In fact, there is more than enough time to change a lot. And a lot can change in terms of player fitness conditions and forms between now and the WC. Some new players might force their way into consideration towards the end of the season with strong performances. Look at Meza, no one spoke about him here some weeks ago about making the friendlies. Then there is a 3 week training camp. All that matter is the shape of the team going into the opening game in Russia. Even during the WC, coaches change formations or scrap away with intial tactical plans and adapt to the situation at hand.
    All in all, since the team building still work in progress, it is good that no one knows yet how Argentina will look like in the summer coz the team is in a transformational period.

  31. It is sure Dybla and Augreo will go to Russia with latter is injured and will miss friendlies.4-3-1-2 will be good formation with Lanzini behind the Messi and Augreo.Lanzini is good at central rather than at left side of pitch.Other 3 midfielder should be chosen wisely.Otamendi,Rojo at CB.Acuna,Bustos at LB and RB.

    • Higuain + Dybala

      Di Maria – Mascherano – Paredes – Messi

      Tagliafico – Otamendi – Rojo – Bustos

      Or

      Higuain + Dybala

      Di Maria – Mascherano – Paredes – Lo Celso – Messi

      Funes Mori – Otamendi – Rojo

      I thought Funes Mori was a monster during copa and WC. Hope they regain form quickly

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