Guido Rodriguez scores winner for Argentina vs. Uruguay at Copa America

By
Roy Nemer
-
117

Guido Rodriguez scored the only goal of the match in Argentina’s 1-0 win vs. Uruguay.

Argentina have broken their run of three consecutive draws with a win against their eternal rivals. This was Uruguay’s first match of the Copa America and are well rested, as opposed to Argentina who played on Monday.

Rodriguez, who was not even supposed to be starting for Argentina, replaced Leandro Paredes in the eleven and showed his worth. A cross into the penalty area by Lionel Messi found Rodriguez who headed the ball onto the post and into the net.

Lionel Scaloni made two changes early in the second half. Joaquin Correa came on for Lautaro Martinez, who once more looked out of form. The second change was Exequiel Palacios for Gio Lo Celso. The team kept their shape and kept Uruguay at bay with Uruguay getting close to scoring once, as a cross was sent into the penalty area but it missed everyone.

Angel Di Maria was brought in for Nicolas Gonzalez who put in a solid effort, making runs and attacking the Uruguayan back line. Lionel Messi had the ball inside the penalty area a few times but his efforts were blocked.

The final change was German Pezzella for Rodrigo De Paul as Argentina held on to the 1-0 win.

It was a solid showing by Lionel Scaloni’s team as Uruguay had zero shots on target and three efforts off target.

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117 Comments

  2. By the time this Copa America is over Messi will be truly wasted. Scaloni needs to sub him off or on and also learn to rotate his squad properly.

    Since he never lets Lo Celso finish the games maybe it’s time to start subbing him on so he can do damage by the time the opposition are worn down.

  3. Tabarez has been Uruguay’s coach since 2006, how many ARG’s coaches have come and gone during that period. Scaloni AKA CHILD vs the Master chess player.

      • I have always had a TON of respect for Uruguay as far as football is concerned, this tiny country sandwiched between two giants, winning Copa more than anybody else (ARG’s fault 2011, giving it away), winning the WC twice, BEATING Brazil on their own soil to win it), Grit galore to say the least.
        Unlike Chile, low lives and not just on the field, off it too.

  4. I think this is the time to give rest to N. Gonzalez and Lo celso they need rest. Either both Correa or Di Maria should play in Left Wing and Paredes should get nod in Lo celso’s position.
    Lautaro Martinez is in bad form so Aguero/Correa/Alavarez should get chance vs Paraguay. Team is looking good. Defence is looking good. Otamendi is looking good.

    • Lo Celso is the only midfielder who have offensive projection. If you putt Paredes Messi will be more isolate than never before !

      De Paul is nice for the balance but he never try to push his offensive.

      Lo Celso is the only socio of Messi

  5. I feel that with this confidence we will easily beat paraguay, messi could be substituted or rested for bolivia game, our ultimate goal is to win the group so we do not see brazil until final. Ae can do it because we have gained a lot of confidence,We have now gone 15 game unbeaten, And we have beaten bolivia at la paz and uruguay with cavani and Suarez in copa.
    Leo is resting his legs in the jacuzzi for the games ahead.

  7. with guido paredes will be more effective like locelso and depaul .. it is unfortunate lautaro is not clicking the moment..

  8. Can Alvarez play the role of Nico Gonzalez ? I don’t know much about playing style of Alvarez.. he is young so I assume he will run like Gonzalez

    • I don’t think he can or anyone else in the team can bcoz most of them are predominantly right wingers/SS. That’s why inspite of he being tired Scaloni is asking him to play. Pappu Gomez is the closest who can play in that position but workrate matters in crucial games.

  9. Emi Martinez looks so confident with ball in the feet.. and reporter not asking about armani is good thing.. they understand emi Martinez currently best for the team

  10. From the 1st day of WC qulifiers. I am Telling the same thing.. who will score goals other than messi… Lautaro need some rest. Work on his finishing. Aguero is great finisher but he can’t press 45 mints. Nico Gonzalez is most important after messi in attack… But he need rest too.. I hope sclaoni find good combination before KO.. maybe 442. When Nico Gonzalez not playing ..

    • We don’t have a goal scoring option right now apart from Messi, Lautaro & Nico out of which Lautaro is horrendous now, Nico i still beleave he will start scoring. Apart from them we can just hope once in a while players like Guido, Paredes, Lo Celso etc score something for us, Or even Otamendi or Romero in corners. Its a tricky situation, if we don’t score we will not win. We cant expect Messi’s free kicks and Solo goals to bail out us in all matches. Against tougher opponents its hard to come by due to his age. May be Papu and Messi if started together can create more, but whom would we drop to accommodate Papu, Papu don’t defend well. That will add another problem too.

  11. Previously I said.
    Paradese is too much static.
    We should use a proper CDM like Guido Rodriguez. If we lead , we can use Parades as double pivot.
    Yesterday against Uruguay , several times, Guido ran into the box. If he is consistent, we will have good control over midfield.
    De Paul had to defend a lot when he played with Parades. Against Uruguay, we have seen gilmps of what de Paul can do.
    Lo celso is a player who is very difficult to replace. Unfortunately, he has always fitness concern. Nico Gonzalez works very hard but he needs to improve his finishing and decision making.
    Regarding Lautaro, he is off form. He runs tirelessly, I am afraid it will not be there if Kun plays. Whether it will compromise our defensive balance will be answered in future!
    Chuti Romero is a beast. He and Emi upgraded our defense.
    Messi giving instructions to others was pleasant to eyes.
    We got the all 3 points. Let’s enjoy.
    Vamos albeceleste.

  12. argentina needs better version of higuen.. higuen was missing the characteristics of good finisher and not so strong in air,, icardi finishing is strong but he won’t adapt in this team.. bcs the team needs good finisher but with fluid chemistry with others and created changes for himself and others.. alario is missing puzzle for lautaro replacement… and i’m thinking how would be it if lautaro replaced by chimy avila…

  13. For me it is all good news:

    First of all the game is extremely similar to the Argentina-Belgium in World Cup 2014. The similarity is uncanny: We led 1-0 in an early goal and we played NOT too defensive but super cautious. As a result a strong Uruguay (and Belgium 7 years ago) did not have a single chance against us.

    For me this is a very Sabella way. Not looking the prettiest but is super effective against big teams. This is how France played. Anytime they lead their opponents, all players are told to defend and rely on the counter attack. The difference is their defending and counter attack has reached almost the level of perfection. We are on the way there…

    Again this system is different from the likes of England who scored 1-0 and then went 10-0-0 formation (or ultra defensive). We did not go ultra defensive against Uruguay, we just made them think twice as if “if u dare to put too much pressure to attack me, I would counter attack u.”

    I am surprised that Scaloni got it because his “mentor” Sampaoli never knew how to do this. Sampaoli did not even know how to protect the lead against France (when it was 2-1) by still playing high defensive line.

    I like Di Maria role as a super sub. Just like the game against Chile, the moment he was introduced, Uruguay stopped becoming a threat because they knew that had they attacked too much, Di Maria and Messi would have been a huge threat in counter attack.

    For me I support this system a lot. As much as we love free flowing football and us to win by big margins, but this system is the closest thing to Sabella’s 2014 team, which is for me the most effective way to play against big teams.

    We are in the progress of learning to play this way, we should be better and better.

    I like all the starters, all of them deserve a praise with the exception of Lautaro. He needs a break. It is a mental thing now. It is not good. The starters should remain the same unless Scaloni want to rest some players like Lautaro.

    The good news is the number 9 role has become less important in this system, back then we relied a lot in the role of number 9.

    Guys this is Uruguay, anytime we can get a victory against them is a huge result considering the opponent did not even have any single chance against us. Let’s give them the credit they deserve.

  14. Finally a game where the team was able to play largely mistake free in the back, while of course there were some moments where it could have been deja vu again. Particularly if de la cruz had been a little more effective with some decision making on the Uruguayan left.

    Just a short write on two partly related items that was interesting to me. Tactically Gonzalez continues to be a difference maker. His ability to either take the play directly to the bye line or to drop and challenge between the lines continues to be the reason for goal generating set pieces. His partnership with locelso growing to an extent where it now seems to Scaloni’s three year search to the left sided riddle might be close to be solved hopefully. Individual questions of consistency and polish remain but offensive balance on both wings, which was a rarity for years is now starting to be visible. The only question for this particular tournament seems to be if either will be fit long enough to seal 90 minute games completely.

    However elsewhere on the frontline Lautaro’s troubles continue. Yet a striker who does what he does seems to not be available on the bench. An example: at the crucial uruguayan penalty call moment between guido and cavani who was there deep in the defensive banks to actually clear the ball? Yes El Toro. And why was the striker back there? Because in the previous play Nico Gonzalez had made a lung bursting run to the opposition bye line yet again (for what should have been a corner) and had not recovered in time to take his place in the two lines of 4. In such crucial transitional moments typically you would expect the second CF to cover the gap, but such is the price that must be paid for carrying the Goat, that for the Argentine national team it is unconventionally the highest most player shape wise that must make the sacrifice. Can Kun’s body handle such a load from the bench (no, Joaquin correa is not a striker)? To pull el toro might mean handcuffing your half mid-wingers instincts (now nico, previously ocampos), to handcuff might mean ruining your offensive balance as described above, and soon we are back on the path of right wing messidependencia. On the other hand maybe Kun is the only one who packed his scoring boots and if he bangs in two every time who needs defense right? It is a fascinating dilemma that Scaloni must continue with in this tournament.

    • If we look like that. Who else can handle that role like Lautaro? Aguero cant because of his age, Joaquin Correa is not a forward, He may can defend but he is not a natural goal scorer, Alario also even if he played also i am not sure he can do that, Icardi definitely not, Papu also is old. Dybala is similar to Messi. one guy who may can do that is Angel Correa he has the stamina and is young too and he is a warrior type player, His issue is he is not a natural Goal Scorer like Lautaro. (he has been tried before but he hardly scores for us)

      In short only Lautaro can do which none of our other forwards can do, but the guy is pathetic in goal scoring now. Which is after all a strikers main job is (forget about scoring his touches itself looks bad), and that is why he has been primarily selected for. Its a dilemma which i think Scaloni should be aware of but there is no alternative solution he have. Only hope is,soon Lautaro get backs his mojo, Its a waiting game.

  15. Scaloni should call up Buendia and Senesi after copa.LMQ or Pezzella any of this 2 players should be dropped. In WC we need another CB pair with Romero.

    Pezzella or LMQ vs Senesi
    Joaquin vs ocampos

  16. We won because of a perfect pass from Messi. But we did not win 4-0 because of Messi. He was uncharacteristically selfish today. He was quite far from that moment in Barcelona where he let Griezman score a penalty when he was on a 3trick. In fact, there were innumerable occasions in 2021 where he showed teammanship. Somehow, today he tried too many solos. Another reason can be lessons learnt from the past few games where his pixel perfect passes were not put to net by his teammates. Anyway, 3 points are always welcome at any cost. Worried to see the ice bandage on Lo Celso’s feet. He is more creative and attacking compared to Palacios. De Paul and Romero played a great game. Lautaro seems to have left behind his best in March this year. His last few games in Seria-A were also below par. Today he missed a very easy chance when Muslera fisted a Messi power shot straight to him. I always feel Acuna makes a difference to the left because of his attitude and not because of any special talent. He deserves his place in this team. Di Maria is a thing of past. We should give chance to someone younger and someone who wants to showcase himself to the world. And why even the subs were looking tired and not running after the opponents were mystery to me. Anyway, the way Brazil is playing (8 straight wins), it seems the cup has decided to stay home.

    • I saw the messi your talking about..but what does it show ..this man is gonna bring this trophy home no matter what..Real harsh to say we didnt score more because of messi mate man was a monster today..

  17. It was a scrappy win but Messi was not good in this game. He was way too selfish. We should have had 3 goals if he passed to DiMaria on the right on one occasion and to Nico/J.Correa on the left in another. Way too much dribbling and he was given a phantom foul outside of the penalty box (should have given an easy through ball on goal). There was a play in the second half where he tried dribbling past three to shoot with his left, but the shot wasn’t there, so he cut back on his right and ended up not taking a shot and passing it (well after there was an opportunity to pass through on goal). In Barcelona, he would have scored with his right if he had to.

    Honestly, Messi looked very tired in this game -particularly in the 2nd half. As a fan, I admire and love the player but I don’t idolize him. He was poor today and should have been subbed 75th minute for rest. Argentina NEVER rests him. We need an energized Messi, not a tired one.

    The master of benching/resting high-profile players in recent years is Zidane. Advising Ronaldo that it is important to rest on club matches before CL matches and/or knock-out stages of the Champions League. Prior to this, Ronaldo was known for not showing up when it mattered. When Zidane came, Real Madrid won the Champions League 4x and Ronaldo would play an integral part throughout the knock-out round and finals (and it pissed me off).

    The same needs to be done with the aging Messi if we want to win Copa & World Cup.
    In conclusion, the win was scrappy even though this is an aging and weaker Uruguay. Should have been 3-0 if Messi was in the creative mood.

    • I think you have wisdom left only in your name. I saw only the second half and that too last 20 mins or so. But, what I have seen an awesome Messi during that period, not the tired Messi what you have seen. Also, if Messi got substituted, the game would have been over for Argentina. He was leading from the front in all sense. I don’t think any other Argentine or any other footballer currently who can hold the ball singlehandedly and create the chances. True, there were goal scoring moments. But, that’s football, differentiating from Basketball. You cannot convert all the chances. His sole aim was to win the match. It is foolish or immature to call that as selfish. Do you remember the first leg of Barcelona’s match against Liverpool, where he passed unselfishly to Dembele a golden opportunity in the injury time and he wasted it, and Barcelona paid a lot for that miss later? He don’t want to feel the same again in fact. More over, he want to to get a win for Argentina. Please use the space given by MundoAlbiceleste website wisely Mr.WisdomofArgentine.

      • You sound like an idolizer of Messi. I’m not. Idolatry is sin. I love the player, but Argentina comes first. His decision-making in the final third, particularly in the last 20 minutes to seal the game was poor. END OF STORY. Even if Messi made the pass and the players missed chances, it would have been the RIGHT PLAY to pass the ball. If it was anyone else that did this, you would have cried, “bench this player”, or “cut him off from the team”.

        Obviously, Messi won’t ever be treated like this because he is the best player in the World. I criticized his performance because I want him to be the undisputed greatest ever!

        “Please use the space given by MundoAlbiceleste website wisely Mr.WisdomofArgentine”???

        The site was created and a forum was open for fans to express their point of view regarding their beloved team. Constructive criticism should always be welcomed. DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE IN A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE CAN’T HAVE THEIR OWN THOUGHTS? Perhaps you should ask yourself, did you use wisdom in understanding my comments? Also, is it wise to say that because Dembele missed a chance, Messi should no longer pass the ball to his teammates in better goal-scoring opportunities?

        This is my opinion and observation and I appreciate this site for allowing ALL OPINIONS. Remember WE ARE ALL FANS. Be blessed friend.

        • Most of the times I see this site with lot of negative comments. I am tired of seeing that. If we lose a match, it is somewhat understandable. But, here, even with a win people are not happy. I think we are perfectionists dreaming of Argentina to play the most attractive football which they played some 20 years back. However, the reality is we are not anymore an admirable team whether in the junior or senior level. I appreciate your desire to see Argentina as world champions. At the same time, I have the opinion that we should not unleash too much negative comments to this site, seeing which doesn’t make anyone happier.

  19. Finally, we hold on to our lead, Congrats, the way second half was played the result is a good one. It has become a pattern for us I think under Scaloni the matches will be tight, even though our defense is not the strongest we are not somehow not conceding goals which is a good thing. Even with Cavani – Suarez combo upfront Uruguay didn’t have a single shot on target and Emiliano was not tested either, which is great (Apart from one cross which flied across our face of goal).

    Saying that at this point we are playing like we don’t have a center forward. Everything Lautaro touches is turning into a dead play (At one stage Acuna send a cross inside the box and Lautaro was no were to be found) Irony is Joaquin Correa didn’t bring anything either which is not a surprise because he is not a Natural Forward. We don’t have any other option than starting Aguero. Is he fully Fit? Or else Papu also can be tried as forward. Had Alario was there we would have been better covered in that spot. Icardi would have done the same or even better than Lautaro at this point. We don’t have Dybala either.

    Di Maria is think is far better suited for a Cameo role, He with his huge lungs and stamina and trickiness can create havoc against the tired opposition legs which should be his role moving forward. Don’t start him, bring him around 65 minutes or something. Palacios didn’t bring anything to the table either, it’s sad that Papu was never even tired. (Lo Celso looks to be injured which will be a massive headache for us). Acuna is a pitbull like breed of player, Tireless a player in the mold of Mascherano. He is small but he has fighting spirit in him. Molina didn’t do that much I think he should be tested more. Otamendi really did good to stop his own team mates free kick, He is again a ticking time bomb the better we defuse him the better for the team.

  21. Kudos to the team . There was nothing more important than the 3 points today . So i am ok with the scrappy play & losing the attacking bent of mind post taking lead.
    Having said , Scaloni’s master strokes seem to have a ‘divine ‘ hand :
    1) Emi Martinez happens bcos Armani has a prolonged covid isolation
    2) Cuti Romero happens bcos Otamendi manages to get himself suspended with 2 yellows in WCQ
    3) Guido Rodriguez happens now bcos Parades pick up a minor rib knock. In last 25+ consecutive matches Parades has always been a starter for Scaloni.

    Now lets see if the divine hand gets an injury for the 4th GK & get us an extra striker who wears his right shooting boots.

    • Well said. That is The reason I’m not sure if Scaloni deserves the credit for those changes to the team. He is open minded but at the same time fear experimentation. Take an example with Lisandro and Buendia. He is the fluorescent bulb that takes some time to heat up and then lit.

      • 😁 fluorescent bulb is the rite analogy rahman. In defense of Scaloni , Nico Gonzalez discovery is his real positive impact for NT. To pick a 2nd division bundesliga player & promote him was a big decision. But here hoping his fitness doesnt become a long term blocker.

    • Well said 100% on all three points you made. The only thing I’m not happy with was Messi being way too selfish. At this point in his career, he needs to elevate others and let them score. He doesn’t always need to take it upon himself. Dimaria was open on one or two occasions on the right, and Nico was open on the left on one or two occasions.

      It was a scrappy win, but the “extra pass” is always a difference-maker.
      Making the right play is the trait of a World Cup-winning team.

      • Why you are vomiting your scrappy thoughts many times in this single post? Your arguments are foolish or immature. Please use wisely the space given by this website.

        • You’re a Brazil fan, aren’t you? Which part did I vomit?

          1. Making the extra pass won’t help win games?
          2.Were there not 3-4 occasions Messi would usually give through balls? Was he not selfish on those occasions?

          I like the win, but we can still improve don’t you think? Do you think Messi is god and has NO ROOM for improvement? He is a man, like all of us. Greatest player in the world, but don’t worship him to the point where you attack others that rightly criticize him at the moment where he should be. Worship ONLY GOD.

          • I think you just need to put a single comment especially if that is a negative comment. However, in this same post I can see you have put 4-5 comments all saying somewhat similar. I am not saying Messi is above all to not get criticized. If something is obvious, anyone can definitely criticize. My only point is we should limit our comments when those are negative, seeing which make no one happier.

  22. Very intense pressing in H1 showed a lot of defensive fire. H2 certainly showed tiredness but the fire was still there. I believe having Parades might actually reduce the intensity of pressing a bit. Bit it also improves the offensive midfield…but we get both from LoCelso. Even if Parades comes back I’ll take LoCelso over Parades for his connection with Messi…it was beautiful… Acuna was on fire…very good defensive contribution also… Lautaro was useless…again..he needs less attention from defense to.sneak past them..he won’t flourish with Messi as Messi tends to.drop back to build up… he needs another attacker.
    He will be best in 4312 with Ocampo or Nico up front.

  23. Finally, people start realizing what was the missing puzzle in our midfield/defensive midfield- Guaido is the answer. I am glad that he scored a goal today, otherwise many would still have overlooked his contributions.

    With him in the middle,

    1) suddenly our defense become compact. I really doubt that with Parades, we would have finished the game with a 1-0 win and not another 1-1 draw, even if somebody else than Guaido scored the goal in the first half.

    3) With the improvement in defense, we were supposed to sacrifice the attaching component with Guaido than Parades. But, did it happen? No. Because, a) Parades lately isn’t contributing much in the attack with his super long passes, b) Parades kept De Paul and Lo Celso at bay to cover up for him, which was no more the case with Guaido.

    3) With Guaido in the middle, Scaloni doesn’t need an error-prone Foyth in RB anymore, (until Foyth develops) and can field an attacking minded RB. Today It was Molina. But, he is yet to convince that he is the one locked for the RB position. Currently, I see little to no improvement from Montiel, unless I jump on the bandwagon with people who thinks the next young player is much better than the existing underperforming one.

    4. The example is J. Correa. People were crying for him as the panacea in last few days, but today he was so so. Now, they will cry for A. Correa or Gomez, as if they will improve the team noticeably. They might, but not necessarily. I will still go for Lauraro given that we did not include icardi or Dybala in the squad and Aguero/Alario aren’t match fit.

    5. Seriously, how many players we included in the squad who aren’t completely fit!! This is where the coaching staff should be held responsible by ignoring fit players for unfit/ less fit players. Buendia also should have been here given that Lo celso, Nico, Palacios are not completely fit.

    6. De Maria is showing how he could still be important for the team, as do Otamendi, no matter how much the allergens they attract. In the second half, especially after the substitutions, Argentina were bottled to their own half and found it difficult to even counter attack until De Maria was introduced. We got back out attaching mode and ventured a number of times in the opposition penalty box. I wish we had more dribblers like De Maria in the team other than just Messi. The reason Messi gets tired is because he is the only person who dribbles the ball from the mood to opposition penalty area. This brings to the usefulness of a player like Buendia in the midfield.

    Today we came out with a victory. If Scaloni benched Parades because of his off form, then he deserves the accolade. If Parades was benched because of his injury, then I will be hesitant to give Scaloni the credit for today’s victory. Cuz, I doubt we would have won without a Guaido, although it’s purely a speculative statement.

  24. With due respect, Molina will be exposed against better wingers. It is not his fault. He is a winger converted to wingback for a 3-5-2 system.

    With Alario injured, we are without options at CF. Aguero must be trusted. He is match fit. Lautaro has been off form since last 10 games of Serie A. I watched his each game. Pairing him with a striker will do nothing.

    Nico Gonzalez does not seem comfortable. He does seem like having some pain. He is an interesting player.

    Same goes for Lo Celso. He needs rest.

    So we have some fitness concern and two suspect position (cf and rb)

  26. A positive display in majority of first half, but in second half, I was a little disappointed. I am happy tho, for showing that grit,energy and high pressing in the first half. We can improve on a lots of factor….

    Emi was great today catching crosses did not get any big save nor did he parry any shot, his first clean sheet in probably the biggest match he’s played in terms of big name matches… 7/10

    Acuna is soo better than Tagliafico, now I get it, why you people kept on insisting “why Acuna isn’t played” 7/10

    Otamendi was better, did not misplace passes, did not commit any risky challenge, his tussles with Suarez were entertaining. 7/10

    Romero comes back and we have a clean sheet he is the best defender for the NT, optimistic that he’ll do incredible things in this tournament and in future. 7.5/10

    Molina has a better body lanuage and confidence that Montiel, he couldn’t show his attacking threat for a defensive approach overall he’s good. 6.5/10

    Guido Rodriguez, He isn’t anywhere as bad as I implied, probably just as good as Paredes. got us the Goal also in defensive solidity he is stellar. 7.5/10

    De Paul looked a little tired even with that stamina, he was good in passes, won some fouls and a 7/10

    Lo Celso has a great connection with Messi, he picks up good passes great vision. looked in a bit of struggle at 2nd half looked like a swollen feet and icepacked. 6.5/10

    Nico Gonzalez is great in making runs and with his speed, needs to have a bit more techncal ability with his crossing, finishing and dribbling, he’s one of my fav. 6.5/10

    Lautaro is the only negative in selection of players, lost balls too often poor finishing, wouldn’t mind seeing Aguero in next match 3/10

    Subs

    Palacios came on, he was okay, nothing more to comment, Lo Celso is better for attacking outlet he is great as the box to box midfielder 6/10

    J.Correa was okay, replacing tired legs, should have scored at some occasions. 5/10

    Di Maria made a great run in 2nd half but we squandered it, he’s still got it but needs to imrove on taking risks in final 3rd. 5.5/10

    Pezzela came on to just kill time 😕 N/A

    Scaloni picked the tactics, sitting deep staying a little conserved I believe we should have tried to attack more defensively we’re really good today but he should have urged players demanding a better lead than 1-0.That first 20-25 minutes pressing was good I say, 6/10.

    Did miss some1? He’s the G.O.A.T and he is beyond any ratings….

    • Yes, you missed someone. Messi was not good in this game. Way too selfish. Should have had 3 goals if he passed to DiMaria on the right on one occasion and to Nico/J.Correa on the left in another. Way too much dribbling and he was given a phantom foul outside of the penalty box (should have given an easy through ball). There was a play in the second half where he tried dribbling past three to shoot with his left, but the shot wasn’t there, so he cut back on his right and ended up not taking a shot and passing it (well after there was an opportunity to pass through on goal). In Barcelona, he would have scored with his right if he had to.

      Honestly, Messi looked very tired in this game. As a fan, we can admire and love the player but don’t idolize him. He was poor today and should have been subbed 75th minute for rest. Argentina NEVER rests him. We need an energized Messi, not a tired one.

      The master of benching/resting high-profile players in recent years is Zidane. Advising Ronaldo that it is important to rest for the knock-out stages of the Champions League. Prior to this, Ronaldo was known to not show up when it mattered. When Zidane came RM won the Champions League 4x and Ronaldo would play an integral part throughout the knock-out round and finals (and it pissed me off).

      The same needs to be done with the aging Messi if we want to win the World Cup.

      • I think you have wisdom left only in your name. I saw only the second half and that too last 20 mins or so. But, what I have seen an awesome Messi during that period, not the tired Messi what you have seen. Also, if Messi got substituted, the game would have been over for Argentina. He was leading from the front in all sense. I don’t think any other Argentine or any other footballer currently who can hold the ball singlehandedly and create the chances. True, there were goal scoring moments. But, that’s football, differentiating from Basketball. You cannot convert all the chances. His sole aim was to win the match. It is foolish or immature to call that as selfish. Do you remember the first leg of Barcelona’s match against Liverpool, where he passed unselfishly to Dembele a golden opportunity in the injury time and he wasted it, and Barcelona paid a lot for that miss later? He don’t want to feel the same again in fact. More over, he want to to get a win for Argentina. Please use the space given by MundoAlbiceleste website wisely Mr.WisdomofArgentine.

  27. I believe the camera crew for this game were having technical difficulties from start to finish of match, not sure if that has any influence on VAR or exactly how that works especially pertaining to this tournament where I believe there is no VAR office of referees. Nonetheless the referee was very sensible not to call the penalties…
    But other than that Greatt futbal!
    Everyone on the starting lineup played their part with lauturo maybe the only exception.
    Our defense was superb. Cavani and Suarez for Gods sake!
    I want to see the same lineup next match.

  28. If Paredes is fit again & Lo Celso couldn’t make it back, (I hope that won’t be the case), trying a RDP,Paredes, Guido midfield will be a decent option it seems.
    Guido can free De Paul, (as we saw today) and even Paredes to a limit. Paredes can be really classy with a good partner like Guido. Thus will solidify our midfield and will be an insurance cover to our Otamendi lead defense

  29. teams needs a lot of salmon and protein, apple,oranges more importantly because most of the player seems to be weak

  30. Important win.
    Was it Ugly, doesn’t matter.
    Good performance from Emi, Acuna, Romero, Gaudio, De Paul, Lo Celso n Messi
    Better performance from Ottamandi, Monila, Di Maria, Palacios n Nico
    Huge improvement required from L.Martinez n Correa

  31. Well, at least we played ugly football well instead of ugly football badly like the other games.

    Now I will give my thoughts on the backline specifically because today was pretty interesting

    Molina: got his first start and I would like to ask you guys what you thought of him because I fear this is controversial territory. In some areas I liked him and a couple of times he defended well but several times he didn’t. It felt that we were a little exposed on that side in particular and susceptible to crosses, which leads me to:

    Otamendi: He did very well aerially and quelled several dangerous attacks from crosses and long balls. Although that free kick block and some easily conceded corners does serve to remind you that this still is Otamendi. I would like to see how Licha can do against Paraguay or Bolivia at least off the bench.

    Romero: What a hero. I feel so secure with him playing and I think his most memorable moment was when he disposed Suarez in front of the box. I really don’t have much to say because you all know it.

    Acuna: He was a lot more comfortable and solid today than against Colombia, both in defense and in attack. I also liked his challenge on (I think Suarez?) at the end of the game by the goal.

    Martinez: I am still waiting for a proper save (his lack of necessity for proper saves speaks well about our defense) but with what he had to do he did perfectly well. He had four high claims.

    I am not much of a fan of going defensive especially considering we are Argentina but let’s appreciate that when we did go defensive we did it really well. As much as a lot of people are complaining we had 6 shots on target and they had a big fat 0! We had 8 corners and they had 3. We even forced 2 less clearances than them (14 as opposed to 16). So please guys read some statistics before complaining. Also I was happy that the referee was pretty fair and neutral. I was expecting the worse especially since we are in Brazil.

    • Exactly brother. I think Molina should be given more chances. Not that he is very good defensively (until he proves otherwise) but he can can contribute a lot in attack. He could give width to our right attacking flank when messi cuts in. Also RDP can cover ground for him and compensate his defensive vulnerability till he adapt to his role. Gonzalo Montiel is very very very pathetic. Atleast by playing Molina we could get something right. That is for sure better than nothing right. That is what I think about Molina. We simply don’t have a better player to play there even if we want to.

      • Yes and who knows maybe with competition with each other both will try to improve on the training ground. It is good that for once Scaloni put his foot down and changed an untouchable starter (technically two)

    • Valid observation on Molina . He is the weakest defensively among our 3 RB options ( him, Foyth & Montiel ) . He also loses possession. Having said i would still want to see him start next 2 matches for the simple reason that i saw an Argentine RB in NT jersey hitting a serious shot at goal after ages.

      • it is better to keep Molina and foyth , as one is good defensively and the other can attack. montiel can do any of these tasks competently.

  33. Talking points for the game
    VAR came to Argentina’s rescue in the first half
    Uruguay could have gotten two penalties easily

    Again there was a huge difference in Argentina’s performance levels for the first half and second half .

    Hope there was no major issue with lo celso’s foot
    Again confused as to why scaloni doesn’t bring in papu Gomez or angel correa especially angel correa . Scaloni needs to improve his substitution changes so far his substitutions are not getting the job done which he expects.

    This is my player ratings
    GK Emi Martinez was solid didn’t have too much difficult shots to save. Although he needs to improve his distribution.

    defenders Romero and otamendi were good during some moments but got lucky in few opportunities for Uruguay largely thanks to VAR and also due to poor service for Suarez and Cavani.

    Honestly I don’t see any difference to what Molina brings to the team than montiel
    both of them offer the same quality .

    Acuna played good today again showed the fighter in him he was decent in attack and good in defence . Although he needs to be more consistent he often puts in a good performance one match and performs average in the next one .

    Guido Rodriguez had a mixed game he did score a vital goal but then nearly conceded a penalty and has VAR to thank for not reversing the referree decision . He offers more solidity for the argentina defence than Paredes and allows de Paul and lo celso to join the attack . Although Paredes on his day would easily be amoung the top midfielders in the world. So it would be interesting to see how scaloni goes with the team selection moving forward.

    De Paul again was full of energy and played decent

    Lo celso had an okay first half

    Nicolas Gonzalez again was the main source of movement in attack offering messi the option to unleash his creativity . His injury prone nature is his weakness if only he improves his physicality he would easily become one of the best wingers in the game.

    Lautaro Martinez is becoming Argentina’s Achilles heel unless he needs to be replaced by either angel correa or Joaquin correa if angel correa is used then Gonzalez should play as the centre forward . If Joaquin correa is played then he should played as a centre forward .

  34. Good gritty win for our beloved ARGENTINA. I said earlier today that I hoped the Brazilian REF. will be fair and impartial just like the ARG’s REF. was last night with the Brazil game…….he was….no BS PK call and a few other none fouls…..he was fair both ways.

    4 points in the bag, building on confidence and lets move forward.

  35. Lautaro is a beast when he has a strike partner. That’s how he scored so many at the start of his Arg career.
    Prove me wrong

    • Sure. We can expect fitness issue will force Scaloni to drop Nico in the next match. Aguero will start.

      Lautaro-Aguero
      Messi

      I can see this lineup coming for the next match.

      • you want to drop Gonzalez who is very interesting at the left side because Lautaro is a joke ? You want to change all the structure of the team because Lautaro isnt a good striker ?

        Well let me give you another option : you drop Lautaro who is shit in every part of his plays, and try Aguero

    • He didnt look fit, thats the problem. He’s usually quick and fast even if not clinical. He looked like he’s hiding some injury since qualifier. Just couldnt get into his second gear.

    • true he needs a striker partner generally, but right now he seems to be in such bad form I would prefer him to take a rest for a while to feel the competition from someone before we implement a strike partnership (maybe for the knockouts when Aguero is ready)

  36. Come on guys. Let us look for some positives. We have been through all negativities for years now. Paredes Out and Guido in gave us some real descipline in midfield although we missed some of his classy passes a bit. Guido gave Otamendi some confidence and the over all defence looked better. Mollina was a kind of OK but without a doubt he should be the player who plays the right side either in RWB or RB. Because Gonzalo Montiel is simply not good at all. Also RDP can compensate to Mollina’s defensive vulnerability till he adapt. Acuna over Tagliafico anyday. I dont need to comment on Romero and EMI. They both could be the saviours of this national team. RDP is a warrior. Lo Celso looked great in link up plays with Messi. But should improve to play 90 minutes. Nico was Good. Messi played like Messi. Lautaro was the worst player today. But if his work rate is what Scaloni needs, then I dont mind him playing over any other strikers we have. Palacios is still not convincing. Nothing actually to comment on Pezzella. Di maria was ok as a substitute as well. Over all it is an improvement. Uruguay is not a bad team. We shut down the striking boots of Cavani and Suarez.

    Still there are room for improvement but now is the time to back our warriors.We were not silky but we played for the colours proudly. Hopefully some key players like Messi and RDP can get some rest in next match. Atleast for 30 or 15 minutes. Then get a full 90 warm up against Bolivia before we take KO opponents. 😀

  37. Locelso doing well. I think bringing A.correa in ADM role near Messi helps Messi to do well..Correa near pen box is a good player . Lautaros foamout is a problem for scaloni. Using Aguro in first 11 is tactically best in coming games…I think Scaloni need to search one more creative and DM player in mid..

  41. Scaloni did it well again. Against chili Arg. created so many chances result is 1point.but today he prepared to take 3point at any cost. Uruguans r more tough than chilins I think.Scaloni knows that instead of attacking he concentrated his tactics to gain lead and defend to earn 3.welldone Scaloni..

    • Romero and Guido made this team more stronger in defense. But fluidity in team play is missing. We know Emi, Romero, Guido, Molina etc are only still getting integrated into this team.
      Attacking and defense were disjointed in second half.

  42. This game should be the confidence booster for us.. We were not loosing but we were struggling to keep our lead in last three games… Hope to see the team to take a leap from this vital win.. Winning is a habbit.. As soon s nico and locelso got tired we struggled to make movements in the attacking zone.. That shows the importance of those two.. Otamendi and Romeo partnership can be very vital for Argentina as Romero is fast and compact and Otamendi very good in air.. We can try lisandro later in tournament when progress is guaranteed.. Rb stiil issues but not much option there.. Acuna should always start.. He looks good in defense and going forward as well.. We lack striker at the moment.. Lautaro is good in hustling opponent but his confidence in goal is lacking.. Maybe aguero next match just to give lautaro some rest time.. Others are good..

  43. Hope scaloni plays guido and brings in parades as a sub instead of palacios….palacios is not a great dribbler or a passer of the ball…he is just ok…not an exciting talent…should have kept buendia for palacios

    • Otamendi will always give you scary moments in the field.. today he also gives impression of his presence..
      scary thing .. any time he can concede a penalty..can take a red card.. etc etc

      • Immediately after Copa we have to call Senesi to the team. In the current form, Romero-Senesi is the best CB pair available. Lisandro/Qurta if we go for 3 CB formation.

      • Yea, one of his bad deflection went into a corner , I thought its gonna be an own goal. On the replay Messi FK probably would have gone in if wasnt him 😀

        Even in aerial battle he usually lose unlike Guido and Romero which looks solid.

  46. Instead of attacking…in the second half Argentine players trying to kill the minutes..? It’s not good for a team like Argentina. Scaloni has to grow up. He should not instruct our players to do that. Instruct to create not to time waste. It may backfire too. Even in the last minute opposition may score and you lose.!

    Still..I can’t see any fluidity especially in the second half. Some players trying..that’s it. Scaloni still need to find right balance/formation.
    Emi ticked
    Romero ticked
    Guido ticked

  47. Good performance but striker issue is really there now ..lautaro in a real bad run of form..Aguero needs to get more game time…and great performance by guido not just for the goal..he may force scaloni to rethink is line up ..possibly finding a way to force him in..
    Di maria is doing great of the bench..real flair

  48. I feel sorry for Messi; there were at least 6-7 chances created but all of them gone to waste because of lack of concentration, silly touches and not being in position.

    I don’t know what to say to lautaro….it’s because of his workrate that he is starting every matches but he’s not contributing much in the final third.

    We need a double striker. With Aguero he can perform well.

    Guido Rodriguez was beast today…. nothing much to say.

    A total no.5

  50. I am one of the first here… point out Paredes is the reason DePaul going defensive mode…! Today it is evident..when a proper DM came.. DePaul was more free to attack than previous games.
    After LoCelso and Lautaro subbed… attacking become worst. They are important together with Nicolas Gonzalez. Even though Lautaro not scoring..hes very important to the team.

    Uruguay had some chances..but none on goal..!
    As I predicted before the match….Guido acted as third CB in many occasions.
    I felt that Messi was tired. He lost ball sometimes..but he was not given space.
    DiMaria and Correa couldn’t do much.
    Guido… surely an upgrade for Paredes. He can do even better.

    • Glad to see I wasn’t the only one that thought that. Di Maria stopped in his tracks gave Messi the look which I guess proves Messi is still human ha ha

  52. Grateful for the win, today I felt guido is much better and more confident then paredes.

    I just don’t understand what the problem is, why do we struggle so much to create a decent play and putting it in the back of the net???
    Lautaro is off, completely off. He struggles and he looks lost and not confident when he has the ball in the area.

  54. Romero mannnn……. Without a doubt the potential superstar of the future. He just pocketed Suarez.

    Impresionante, maravellous…..cumplimente.

    Let’s cheer our boy otamendi too, he got his nuts kneed but still cleared the ball…😂😂😂😂

  55. As usual 1st half performance was good, 2nd half disastrous…
    They look so tired… Just walking around and losing the ball easily….
    Even the subs look tired, that is awful…

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