Lionel Messi, Cristian Pavon, Gio Simeone, Emi Martinez make Argentina team

By
Roy Nemer
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SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - JULY 06: Paulo Dybala of Argentina celebrates after scoring the second goal of his team 2-0 during the Copa America Brazil 2019 Third Place match between Argentina and Chile at Arena Corinthians on July 06, 2019 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has named his World Cup qualifying squad for next month’s matches against Ecuador and Bolivia.

Lionel Messi, Paulo Dybala and unsurprisingly Emiliano Martinez all made the list but there are some surprises. Cristian Pavon of the LA Galaxy makes it as does Gio Simeone of Cagliari. It’s three goalkeepers, two of which have been capped for the team with the Aston Villa goalkeeper yet to make play.

In the back line, it’s much of what Scaloni had called in the past but with Nehuén Pérez and Facundo Medina both being included.

Here’s the list:

Goalkeepers:
Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa, England)
Juan Musso (Udinese, Italy)
Agustín Marchesín (FC Porto, Portugal)

Defenders:
Juan Foyth (Tottenham Hotspur, England)
Renzo Saravia (Internacional, Brazil)
Germán Pezzella (Fiorentina, Italy)
Leonardo Balerdi (Olympique Marseille, France)
Nicolás Otamendi (Manchester City, England)
Nehuén Pérez (Atletico Madrid, Spain)
Walter Kannemann (Gremio, Brazil)
Nicolás Tagliafico (Ajax, Netherlands)
Marcos Acuña (Sevilla, Spain)
Facundo Medina (Lens, France)

Midfielders:
Leandro Paredes (PSG, France)
Guido Rodríguez (Real Betis, Spain)
Rodrigo de Paul (Udinese, Italy)
Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur, England)
Nicolás Dominguez (Bologna, Italy)
Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton & Hove Albion, England)

Forwards:
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona, Spain)
Paulo Dybala (Juventus, Italy)
Lucas Ocampos (Sevilla, Spain)
Nicolás González (Stuttgart, Germany)
Alejandro Gómez (Atalanta, Italy)
Joaquín Correa (Lazio, Italy)
Lucas Alario (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
Lautaro Martínez (Inter, Italy)
Giovanni Simeone (Cagliari, Italy)
Cristian Pavón (LA Galaxy, United States)

 

 

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99 Comments

  17. Enough players for 2 squads. Excellent. Send half the group to LaPaz immediately.
    Happy to see Papu Gomez in the list. He deserved it more than anyone else.
    Good choice of keepers too.

  19. My Thoughts on the List

    Goalkeepers:
    Overall a great selection as was expected by many. Maybe Benitez and/or Rulli could have been added. But as I see it, Scaloni is slowly adding new/ in-form players as well as keeping his base players like Marchesin. He is not going to throw out any of his base players overnight.

    Defenders:
    Again. Pretty solid list and also a lengthy one. It shows that Scaloni is not convinced with the defense yet, hence a long list. I expected the call of Foyth and Balerdi despite them not having enough game time. This decision goes with my previous theory of base players. Unless Foyth and Balerdi manage to get regular playing time in their clubs, I think their place in the selection is confirmed. Same with Kannemann. Also, he adds experience to the defense. You can’t go all with youth in defense, especially in the WCQ. Notable absences like Romero, Senesi, Licha, etc. are saddening but not worrying. Call up fo Medina is the proof that Scaloni/the coaching staff is following everyone. They will surely get their calls if they continue to impress. Also, Quarta and Montiel will get the call from the local league.

    Midfield:
    Love this part of the team. Also, the relatively short list of midfielders indicates that Scaloni has pretty much made up his mind with the midfielders which is good. But I want him to experiment with the DM position more. Licha can be a bright prospect here. Also, Battaglia is started playing again. We know, Scaloni follows him. So, let’s see what he’ll do in the future. Would have loved to see Buendia. But he has to move to 1st division first. Although, it is not a big deal for Scaloni. He called N. Gonzalez when he was playing in the 2nd division.

    Forward:
    Pretty much expected names. Love the inclusion of Papu. Correa and Simione deserve the call-up. Especially, Correa was an important part of Lazio 1st team last season. Pavon was an unexpected one. He has the speed. But he has to move from MLS if he wants to improve. I liked that Scaloni did not go for Dimaria. Considering his blistering form with PSG and his past contribution to the NT, I never liked his terrible passing and poor decision making aka the headless chicken. The exclusion of Icardi is also very logical. Although he is a great traditional no 9, there is no place for him in modern football. Messi makes up for his lack of running through his other great qualities. Also, based on his current form, he does not deserve the call either. So his exclusion being political is pure bullshit. I would not add any player with zero team play capabilities and with terrible club form either, just because he was “good” in his previous club. Almada will get his chance in the future.

  20. This is a great squad I think. Though some people are crying over Aguero, Dimaria and Icardi…

    Aguero is Injured and he has nothing to prove I am sure he ll come right back into starting XI when fit. He is crucial for Copa but not a long term plan for WC thatsy it is Important to groom young strikers for national team experience.

    Dimaria is in great form but he has nothing to prove I would like to see Dimaria as a back up in Copa America. But I would rather see younger options in WCQ.

    Icardi is a WORLD CLASS Finisher. More like a traditional poacher. One of a kind. But the problem is he does not suit our national team because we cannot have both Messi and Icardi not running back to defend the ball. So dont cry about him, if we have both Messi and Icardi against a strong attacking team we will be exposed. Scaloni is right. All the politics is bullshit its a tactical decision. So I would not waste a spot in Forward in WCQ with Icardi who wont play much. But I would love to see him come off the bench for crucial last 15 minutes in Copa and WC as an Independant poacher role but for that he dont need to play WCQ. He can slot right in when its time if he holds his form in Europe.

  21. 30 players in the squad, but there are still local players to be added, i think Scaloni is smart, he knows that we need 2 teams for these 2 games as the 2nd game we are playing in La paz.

    For those previous coaches, in the same situation, only the ones who used 2 separate teams can win in La paz.

  22. Happy to see the squad list! Generally I think it’s a good one. Some surprises in Kannemann, Pavon and Simeone for example, and good to see Papu Gomez. Pereyra out which is good. And like others have mentioned, some names that probably should be in the list are missing, like Buendia, Licha Martinez, Senesi, Cristian Romero etc. Players in Primera like Quarta and Montiel will be announced separately as expected.

    We have to remember that this list is only for 2 games and we can expect it to look slightly different every 2 games onward. We have 18 WCQ matchdays in total and the process is long, so be patient and I’m sure some of the names we deem obvious will come up 🙂

  25. The list should be…

    Goalkeepers:
    Emiliano Martínez
    Juan Musso
    Agustín Marchesín

    Defenders:
    Juan foyth
    Gonzalo montiel
    Germán Pezzella
    Leonardo Balerdi
    Nicolás Otamendi
    Nehuén Pérez
    Marcos Sensi
    Martinez Quarta
    Nicolás Tagliafico
    Facundo Medina

    Midfielders:
    Leandro Paredes
    Emi Buendia
    Rodrigo de Paul
    Exequiel Palacios
    Giovani Lo Celso
    Nicolás Dominguez
    Alexis Mac Allister

    Forwards:
    Lionel Messi
    Paulo Dybala
    Lucas Ocampos
    Nicolás González
    Angel Di Maria
    Thiago Almada
    Mauro icardi
    Lautaro Martínez
    Exequel Barco
    Cristian Pavón

  26. Armani, Andrada, Quarta, Montiel, Zaracho, Salvio etc are to be called up from local league.
    Fausto Vera and Thiago Almada chance is less…as per lastest rumours.

  27. probably because friends here wonder in the list there is no exist players from RIVER PLATE or Boca juniors because exist obligations for upcoming Copa Libertadores games.

  29. This list of players are presente and the future. I don’t like kannemann at all I really concern likes emi Buendia and C. Romero not getting Call because they can easily choose to play Spain and Italy.

  30. I’m personally excited about the selection of Medina, Perez, papu and simeone. These guys have performed tremendously well in the last season. And also for joaquin and kicha pavon too, both of them were superb and I think correa’s call was coming for some time. The way he performed for lazio over the last two seasons was more than enough to get a call- up, but pavon’s inclusion might be somewhat a final opportunity or stage show for him to prove himself so that he can seal a move to Europe. I think it could be a reason.
    But there were few names like senesi, buendia, Martinez, Marti quarta, Almada and cristian romero who should have made their way to the NT. Especially senesi, buendia, romero and Martinez were all solid last season. They were clinical and should/must have been given a chance in NT. But surprisingly it didn’t happen.

    Looking depthwise it’s all solid in each sector;both the gk and defense group looks solid and competitive. But kanemann’s call up is a bit surprising, it might be that he was active since the start of football in SA after quarantine and that’s what tempted scaloni to call him up.

    It’s a nice squad to start off the campaign with and I hope the NT grows in strength and mentally.

  31. Rodrigo Palacios over Simeone & gonzalo higuain over juan correa 😂.what poor selection in forward. My best forward selection is Leo messi, Lautaro martinez, paulo dybala, lucas ocampos, Nicolas gonzales, Nehuel bustos, Angel correa, Julian alvarez, Agustin urzi

    • every day you don t lose the chance to prove how much idiot you are.
      keep up the good work.

      i wonder if exist anybody in this forum that believe that you are not idiot.

  34. Mundo post about Benitez last year. Statement full of confidence yet Scaloni seems to not acknowledge his existence. Was he ever called up once?

    https://mundoalbiceleste.com/2019/05/07/walter-benitez-of-ogc-nice-i-know-it-i-will-be-the-argentina-goalkeeper/

    Walter BENITEZ of OGC Nice: “I know it, I will be the Argentina goalkeeper”

    After the list was announced for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, BENITEZ posted a message on his Instagram page stating “I work to play with Argentina’s best and to bring another World Cup to the country.”:

    “I AM A PERSON WHO SETS VERY FIRM GOALS FOR MYSELF. AND I’M CONVINCED OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN. I KNOW IT. I WILL BE THE NUMBER 1 GOALKEEPER FOR ARGENTINA. I WOULDN’T HAVE SAID IT IF IT WASN’T MY BIGGEST GOAL. I WORK AND I LIVE FOR THAT. HOPEFULLY I COULD BE GIVEN THE CHANCE. I BELIEVE THAT SCALONI STILL HASN’T DECIDED 100% AND HE HAS TRIED A LOT IN THE LAST YEAR.”

    • Benitez playing in farmer league even as free agent no club from top4 league picked him, when none rates him why Scaloni is going to call up. Marchesin is most underrated GK who won best GK award in Super Liga and highest rated player

  35. Why always paredes? He has no defensive brain. He is really risky player for our big match. Must be added lisandro martinez, Santiago ascersiber, Santiago sosa pr fuasto vera over paredes

  36. Overall a very nice list in my opinion.
    All departmemts, goalkeepers, defence, midfield and attack seem ok to me.

    Moreover, i am excited with three things:
    First of all, as a fellow Argentine supporter said below, seems that Scaloni is trying to build a strong bench as well.
    Secondly, the addition of young blood is being used properly and finally, Scaloni has introduced speed to this team. Ocampos, Nico Gonzalez, Pavon (very happy to see him back), De Paul and Gomez (happy to see him as well, he is a class) have all pace which is needed.

    All the best to our beloved team!

  37. Though looks like good selection but ultimately seems Argentine league players were not selected because of their busy schedule. Why simeone, Alario over Aguero, A D Maria and Icardi do not make sense. Overall good selection but I think He selected these players because Argentina league players are not available. when available he will move to them….

  38. Out of 30 Non-home league players…just 7 midfielders selected..? We seriously lack depth in that area. Yes what we have is exceptional talents.
    I hope Thiago Almada, Zaracho and Fausto Vera will be selected from Argentine league.

    • No . It was announced players coming from Europe to South America will not quarantine and same thing when the qualifiers are over and they go back to Europe

  42. Wow ! I actually love this selection ! I see Scaloni trying to know his cards earlier along with the base set he already had arrived at. Also shows he is willing to include players on form. He is being pragmatic. Papu , Emi Martinez , Pavon and JC have all been in great form lately. This is the best to give them a hand and see what they can do. Super happy with the list. We will always have some of our preferred players missing. But I like his approach.

  43. So since this is supposed to be non local league per media reports so my view based on that knowledge.

    Goalkeeper:
    Not much here but I do have concern over Benitez getting France citizenship so I would like to see him called to prevent that.

    Defense:
    The two left back options have been consistent for a long time. I do not expect change. I am a little surprised to see Balerdi and Foyth being called. Maybe it is move to give them more confidence. Foyth in particular still benefitting from weak RB group as it seems as even though Saravia been getting game time but still has same old tactical discipline problem as before.
    I think Lisandro / Senesi / Romero is missed for Balerdi.
    Kannemann is old school south american defender perfect for CONMEBOL battles. The non sporting physicality that he brings is something the kids don’t have yet so he will be useful. Excited for Perez and Medina.

    Mids:
    Great call ups. I love the continuity here. Buendia is missing and again I would have liked that call up to prevent a Spain call. But play wise this selection is deep enough without him. Again Lisandro situation here or in CB is surprise.

    Forwards:
    Icardi is the big surprise here given it is a long forward list. Normally I am ok with him dropped as I feel him and Messi in same team don’t work – not because of political reasons but because we cannot have two players not involved in off-ball work. But with potentially a second team going to La Paz this is strange.
    If confidence building is part of decision then Gaich exclusion is also a question.

    • Gaich exclusion is not good. May be Scaloni giving him time to settle in new team and earn starting position there.
      As Scaloni himself a defender, I think he knows the defenders better than us. He trust Balerdi better than Romero, and Senesi.

  44. Happy for Papu, Medina, Pavon, Emi..

    Still no Buendia..? It’s a crime. It’s surely a big fault from Scaloni.
    I feel Buendia’s situation is same like Ocampos’s before. Many wanted Ocampos in NT long time before. But he only got selection recently.

  45. Argentina best goalkeeper- Emi Martinez
    Argentina best CB- Otamendi
    Argentina best FB- Tagliafico
    Argentina best defender- Otamendi
    Argentina best Defensive midfielder-Paredes
    Argentina best CAM- Lo celso
    Argentina best midfielder- Paredes
    Argentina best striker- Sergio Aguero
    Argentina best winger-Messi
    Argentina best forward- Messi

    Argentina best back up gk- Musso

    Argentina best back up for CB- Medina
    Argentina best back up for FB- Foyth or Sarvia
    Argentina best back up midfielder- N.Dominiguez
    Argentina best back up winger-Ocampus
    Argentina best back up striker- Alario or Dybla
    It looks like Argentina is very strong in playing 11 as well as in bench.

  46. It’s a good selection. Scaloni has a base set of players. Even though some have been not playing well they r still picked. Because it’s those who Scaloni thinks fits his formation. Players like Palacio is an example. Whoever we likes doesnt matter it’s Scaloni base set of players.

    And it is commendable that he didn’t take Di Maria either at the same time he chose J. Correa and A.Gomez. Di Maria doesn’t add anything any more no matter what he does in his club. The Goal Keeper selection is refreshing, Who is gonna grab the spot now. It’s a great chance for Emiliano and Musso.

    Pavon is a surpring choice, if I m not wrong it’s probably after long time a player who is playing in the US gets a nod for the NT. But never had doubt about Pavon. He is a good player. But he is not in right league.

  47. Argentina best young CB- Medina or N.Perez
    Argentina best young fullback- Foyth
    Argentina best young midfielder- N.Dominiguez
    Argentina best young striker- L.Martinez
    Argentina best young wuinger-N.Gonzalez

  48. SCALONI ! SENESI IS ARGENTIN AND IS THE BEST DEFENDER OF THE COUNTRY !!

    ——————Lautaro
    ——Ocampos————–Messi
    ———–Lo Celso—-De Paul
    Acuna—Otamendi—Pezzella–Montiel
    ——————Martinez (o Musso)

  50. Good selection : Medina , Papu Gómez , Pavón , enu Martinez .

    Bad selection : Walter Kannemann .

    Happy that PEREYRA of watford is not selected , he’s garbage .

    Emi buendia should of been selected , I also think that Lisandro Martinez of Ajax should be called up in November’s qualification , he deserves a shot .

    I also would of wanted to see Martinez quarta instead of Kannemann.

  51. Scaloni should have called up Barco instead of Pavon. Icardi should have in the squad in the absence of Aguero, now Lautaro doesn’t have any competition. Hope Lautaro play good in both matches. Icardi must be included in the squad later as Aguero won’t be reliable for 2022 where Alario/Simeone aren’t upto the mark.

  52. Perfect selction by scolani .only few players are missing . Barco over nico gonzalez and thiago almada over diago simmone . Where is farmer icardi😁😁😁😁😂😂😂😂

  53. Very satidfied with this squad.Happy for Emi Martinez and Papu Gomez.Papu Gomez should play in midfield or in left wing.Yes deserving player always needs to be called.In friendlies Foyth was good in friendlies that is why Foyth is called.Nehuen Perez and Medina are the best young CB pair.Icardi could have been added but Icardi is very lazy player in pitch even PSG are not using him much.Thank Lionel Scaloni our team is going in right direction.Best of luck for qualifiers.

  54. I am very happy for Pavon. He was heavily criticized for his play in the WC and it affected his Boca play. Going to MLS seemed to be a kiss of death to his NT career, but he has persevered.

    • To play in MLS have nothing brilliant… Its a Minor league where even Giovinco was the superstar !
      There are Argentinan Players in Europe who fight every week end against strong players and deserve much more to be there !

      By the way where is Senesi ? He is 10 time stronger than Kanneman ! Where is Lisandro Martinez ? Why Guido Rodriguez is here ? He is shit with betis ? Why Foyth ? He dont play any minute with Tottenham….

      Too much politic not enough football.

      • Icardi exclusion and Alario, Simeone picked ahead of him when Aguero isn’t there totally politic. In any footballing sense Icardi is 100 times better than both Alario/Simeone.

  55. Very good selection. He has taken into account that Argentine league player are not playing for long time and they will face fitness problem. Also, every caoch has their own ideas and they select player according to that plan. Hope Lionel will find his best team before Copa.

  57. Disappointed specially in forward selection, How the hell world class striker like Icardi ignored in the absence of Aguero, now it’s more like personal than professional. Gaich should have called up instead of Gio Simeone for the experience as well as future. Farmer Alario is bench warmer in B grade club in bundesliga yet he called up, I was surprised earlier but not anymore because Alario is one of the Scaloni roommate and Alario excells on scaloni bad which matter to him most and in the absence of paryera scaloni has no choice.

    • Not sure why you are surprised. It’s always been personal. Do not sleep with a teammate’s wife. Especially with Messi being a good friend of his. As soon as Messi leaves, the younger generation wont care.

      I do agree Gaich should have been called up.

      • Messi don’t have any issue with Icardi at all, even his sister claimed it. Both messi and icardi played together in WCQ.

      • Yeah and Messi didnt want Tevez, Higuain, Lo Celso, Dybala etc etc… We already know all that fake Story.

        You really think Messi care about the fucking story of Icardi’s wife when he play football to win a World Cup and improve his legacy ? Stop to trust tabloid ! Yeah Yean Michael Jackson was a Pedophile Alien from Jupiter and Elvis fake his death to live on a secret Island.

        • Settle down. I only deal with facts. The facts are, are that Aguero and Lautaro are the only forwards that are better than Icardi IMO. Everyone else has no business being called up over Icardi. So…why do you think he wasn’t called? Well, it’s not because Wanda talked some shit on a radio show.

          I don’t make the rules so dont get mad at me

    • Why u always use those idiotic words to the coaching staff. If u r a true Argentine supporter then wait to see how team has performed and don’t be bias for any player. All the players who are selected they all play for Argentina not for others. Show respect to them. We all should do constructive criticism.

  59. Overall nice list .
    – Few minor aches like Montiel & Martinez Quarta. Kannemann looks an excess & could have been replaced by Martinez Quarta. Maybe logic was Brazilian league player is more settled in vs River Plate player’s being on a long break .
    – Finally Papu is given a chance – but where will he play is going to be intresting.
    – the best news is to see Emiliano & Musso in . Scaloni anyway seems to have something against Benitez. Guess NT lives with that bias & moves on. Marchesin over Andrada is a surprise. But as long as Emiliano or Musso plays it wont matter.
    – Nice to see Pavon & Medina getting rewarded for good form.
    – Lisandro again misses out . But i am happy for some protection given to Foyth

  62. Goal keeper
    1. Martinez
    2. Musso
    3. Merchsin

    Defence
    4. Nuhen Perez
    5. Cristion Romero
    6. Marco Sensi
    7. Martinez Quarta
    8. Taglafico
    9. Acuna
    10. Saravia
    11. Foyth
    12. Medina
    13. Pezella

    Midfeilde
    14. Paredes
    15. Guido Rodriguez
    16. Lisandaro Martinez
    17. Depaul
    18. Ocampos
    19. Lo celso
    20. Dominguez

    Forwards
    20. Aguero
    21. Gaich
    22. Lautaro
    23. Messi
    24. Dybala

  63. Good news that prayera is not included..but emi buindea deserve the chance..icardi is better than Simeone. Walter kanneman surprised me how he gets chance?rojo is much better over kannemann. I will miss Di marea & Aguero. But overall team is perfect . I am hopefully.

  64. Why is Agustin marchesin called up instead of Walter Benitez who is performing better and on a consistent basis for a better club and a bigger league and why is Walter kannemann playing in a brazilian club selected instead of selecting one of the brightest talents in serie a football Cristian Romero.

    Juan foyth and otamendi’s selection is understandable but they have the issue of lack of regular game time.

    Gonzalo Montiel should have been called up instead of Juan foyth and Martinez quarta over otamendi.

  66. No best striker in the world after Lewandowski, Mauro Icardi? How come?

    Must be because Simeone and Alario excel in Scaloni’s bed (as per FARMER KING logic).

    In all seriousness though, no major complaints about the list. Glad to see Pavon and Papu back, Foyth does not deserve IMO.

  67. Good selection…..good to see some young emerging Stars in the side…..performers have been given prefarance…… goalkeeper selection is spot on as well…….

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