Argentina will hold a training session on Thursday where coach Lionel Scaloni will test out the players.
Lionel Scaloni will have his Argentina team train on Thursday afternoon and that is set to give an indication as to how the team could line up on Saturday vs. Mexico. According to TyC Sports, the team will train behind closed doors with Julián Álvarez, Lisandro Martínez and Enzo Fernández all having a chance to start.
Scaloni is not expected to repeat the same starting eleven which lost 2-1 vs. Saudi Arabia in their opening game at the World Cup. The team will train on Friday behind closed doors.
If lisandro play next match then i think guido would be best option in place of paredes….unless at time of any set peice movement opponent gets benefit becoz of height..
Scaloni could not read and react to the strategy of the Saudi coach during the match. He could not predict the game plan of the opponent coach too. I hardly doubt if he can predict Tata’s plan too. He does not seem to be a strategically strong coach. What he has been doing well was to keep a healthy dressing room atmosphere. He does not seem to have much plans around two young and spirited guns in Alvarez and Enzo. Whenever they have played, they have been just running around like headless chicken without much chemistry with Messi. All these shortcomings are now getting exposed when we are meeting pressing teams, tactically strong teams and teams with the nothing-to-lose attitude. He approaches matches with one single plan and fails to change mid-way. In the Saudi match around the 30 mins mark, he should have brought Messi on the right like what sometimes Galtier does in PSG. Di Maria could have gone straight into the middle to connect with De Paul and Papu should have been asked to go more left. This could have spread the dense defence of Saudi. Lautaro could have been told to do lot of running from a position which is a few yards before the offside line. After the valid goal got cancelled, the team looked upset, down and out. Did not see the coach and his assistant cheering up the team or, may be, I missed it. Overall fitness issues, a wrong VAR decision and a tactically weak coach let us down. Mexico is a do or die match. Post match reactions clearly showed that the team is tensed, worried and hastled by one single loss like all of us in this forum. Does Scaloni have a plan to make the players feel relaxed and tell them, ‘Chill boys, it was a bad day at office. Next day would be naturally better.’?
What Scaloni needs to do to fix the issues against Mexico?
1. Make sure there is no 40 yards gap between Paredes and the forward line
2. Don’t change too many players
3. Make everyone in the squad believe we are underdogs again and the world is against us lol
Most worrying thing I saw against Saudi:
1. The gap between midfield and forward line
2. RDP’s form
I agree with people here that are against too many changes. Sure, 1/2 changes are needed, but Scaloni must not get carried away with changes. Also, please no Montiel – Molina was fine and will be fine against anything Mexico will offer on their left. I would put Enzo or Alexis with Paredes and make RDP the free man in midfield. Hopefully RDP will find a bit of form because without Lo Celso, he’s our best midfield number 8 who can connect the lines between mid and attack by some dribbling, taking a bit of risk etc. Also, if Enzo plays with Paredes, it would make sense to play Acuna on the left to give him all the room to drive forward and be the winger/wide midfielder in possession.
Just remember,
Mexico was flying back in 2019 under Tata. Scaloni fielded a 451 with Lautaro as the only CF. He scored hattrick and we won 4-0.
It was, 451 with 5 midfielders..! (Messi and DiMaria was not playing).
South Korea really frustrating Uruguay. Only way they can win through setpieces with height advantage. Koreans are short but they are fast just like japan. Seeing the first half it looks like Korea is on the way to the victory.
This is not dependent on Messi, this is has become dependent on Di Maria now. Everyone was trying to find Di Maria he needs to keep his head in the game.
Last 15 matches between Argentina vs Mexico
Argentina won -11
Mexico won -1
Drew – 3
Most people here might forget about that one
The team should have ample time to prepare for MEX which is exactly what the Doc ordered and I’m sure they saw what we saw concerning Lautaro’s 1st goal that should have counted but unjustly didn’t……….why does it matter now? IN BOOSTING confidence that they would have probably won that game comfortably.
El Tri should be very worried and not the other way around, the hyena pack will scatter when the LION shows up
Godin still on the NT??
Everyone starts talking negative when they lose a match. What Lionel Scaloni has done in the last three years is really admirable. Lionel Scaloni is one of the best coaches in this world cup, he has 2018 world cup experience as an assistant. Argentina will play well in the next match, and there is a 95% chance to go to the round of 16. Every coach has his own view. Still Argentina is favorite. It’s just a bad day against KSA.Lionel Scalloni is the best coach of Argentina since 1993. He is no fool. This Argentina will not panic. I have been following Argentina for the past three years. This Argentina is different. They are still favorites. There is still a chance to win the group. Argentina will dominate the remaining two matches.
Until we win the world cup or atleast reach the final sabella will remain the best coach of Argentina after 1993.
No way never.
How many changes Scaloni will make?
1. Copa America 2019 Argentina-Colombia 0-2 loss:
(4-3-3)
Armani; Saravia, Otamendi, Pezzella, Tagliafico; Paredes, Guido, Lo Celso; Di Maria, Messi, Aguero (Double DM tactic)
(4-4-2)
Second game Argentina Paraguay 1-1: Armani; Casco, Otamendi, Pezzella, Tagliafico; Paredes, Lo Celso, De Paul, Perreyra; Messi, Lautaro
4 changes:
Casco-Saravia
De Paul-Guido
Perreyra-Di Maria
Lautaro-Aguero
2. Argentina-Chile Copa America 2021 Result 1-1
(4-3-3)
Emi Martinez; Montiel, Otamendi, LM Quarta, Tagliafico; Paredes, Lo Celso, De Paul; Messi, Nico Gonzales, Lautaro
Note: Cuti was injured that’s why he was not starting.
Argentina-Uruguay Copa America 2021 Result 1-0
(4-3-3)
Emi Martinez; Molina, Otamendi, Cuti, Acuna; Guido, Lo Celso, De Paul; Messi, Nico Gonzales, Lautaro
Note: Paredes injured, that’s why Guido playing.
4 changes
Molina-Montiel
Acuna-Tagliafico
Cuti-LM Quarta
Guido-Paredes
Note: Had Cuti and Paredes never got injured, Scaloni would have made only 2 changes coming into the second game as both would have played instead of LM Quarta and Guido.
How many changes will he make this time?
I am not expecting him to make 5-6 changes. Min 3 to maximum 4. Acuna for Tagliafico and Enzo/Macallister for Papu is 99% sure. Especially with Acuna starting we need a third midfielder to offset his not so fast pace to return back to defend. Cuti and Paredes starting will depend on the fitness.It seems like Paredes has no issues so I don’t see him being dropped. But if Cuti is still struggling with fitness issue Scaloni will start Licha and give Cuti last 15-20mins to get into form and match fitness. I also don’t see Alvarez starting over Dimaria like some have speculated. He is most likely being used as sub in the training session. Dimaria’s presence alone will keep the opposition’s flank on their toes and at least free some space for Messi. Alvarez will most likely replace Lautaro and hopefully Dybala or Correa will sub Dimaria. Dybala has to be used this match one way or another otherwise it would be a complete waste to bring him over to the tournament.
Scaloni tends to have slow start and pickup as we go further in the tournament and hopefully it will be the same this time around too!!
This team lost one game but overall they played well. It was just an unlucky day when var turned everything upside down, and the opponent had only two chances to finish, scoring twice. While we are concerned about the risks ahead, I trust Scaloni and the team. We have a good coach and quality players. They know how they will play. I only slightly doubt their respect for each opponent. I know how you feel but you don’t have to act like it’s the end of the world. Just fall to get up stronger. I believe the team will win Mexico, each next match to win the championship. So please stop the negative, trashy comments.
U r right… 💕
Totally agree and well said. I think reality hit them.
Let’s hope they play every match here on out like the final, bc in theory it could be the last game they play if they lose.
100%
Scaloni’s inexperience showed last match. Players came out afraid to make runs (VAR’s fault unfortunuately). Trying to change the style of play did not work so obviously I would not start now. Also since Nico is gone we should have put Correa in on the right and alvarez as a direct sub for lautaro imo. Knowing Lautaro’s goal was onside makes me confident that this team can hold a result if they believe in themselves but that was the issue. The team could not react to being scored on and continue to play their game. THIS is what needs to be addressed. Also not taking a proper, pacey left winger was a mistake, but the issue with this Argentina team this first match was the unwillingness to take risks. From the unwillingness of other players not named Messi or Di Maria to dribble to the coach unwilling to take out core players after the first goal or put someone in to break the high line. We had one sub we didnt use we should have put in an attacker and that sums up the problems. If the team goes past group stage which they are 100% capable of, if an adjustment in the risk making mentality is not made, we will lose early, if we do not make an adjustment in the risks making mentality we will lose on saturday.
The more I think about it, the more I realize how much we missed Lo Ceslo and Nico Gonzalez vs Saudi Arabia. We missed Lo Celso’s creativity, an ability to find a pass in tight spaces, his running and hustling off the ball, his link-up with Messi.
We also missed Nico’s intensity, his work rate, his physicality and probably more than anything his ability to make sudden diagonal runs into the box. Against their high line at least a couple of his runs could have made a difference. I feel like we could have really benefited from his profile against this Saudi team. At the very least he would have relished a physical battle with them.
Anyhow, I think going forward we really need to tighten up the midfield, it has to be priority. 3 midfielders at least is a must, anything less than that is another disaster waiting to happen.
yes agree ,at first before the tournament I had said several times ,this team is left side paralyzed, unbalanced but no one realized.
Actually this team is unbalanced even with lo celso but it can be offset by team work .look at the following lineup
#Lautaro
####messi##dimaria
###locelso#depaul
######paredes
Acuna#otamendi#romero#molina
433 without proper left winger,originally it is unbalanced .But the two engines (lo celso,messi) with Acuna take up the job of left winger ,sometimes messi go to left .
But now we are missing one engine and a powerful left winger Gonzalez .The whole team completely paralyzed on the left especially without acuna .that’s why vs saudi ,our left side are suffering from stroke.
The above formation is the best ,is the one win us Copa America shouldn’t changed .Then you need to find out the possible replacement for lo celso .
This player need to strike a balance between attack and defense ,can score ,dribble ,cooperate ,defense,giving kill pass . I would say only Alvarez and acorrea can try . actually none of them can 100% take up the job .
Guys ,spend some time on second half vs saudi .Scaloni had tested Alvarez, DE paul ,Enzo combination plus acuna . The result is acceptable both attack and defense improved .
That means without lo celso ,J correa ,Gonzalez, all left side players we can only rely on acuna ,Alvarez. Both Enzo and mcallister are no.5 they can’t take up the job of lo celso .otherwise it will be left side stroke .
IMO Alvarez is versatile can be a decent LCM ,second half vs saudi showed he can cooperate with acuna both in defense and attack . so definitely deserves a try . Enzo replace Paredes seems to be OK, not too bad from second half vs saudi .
So ,I am sure scaloni know what are the problems .mostly left side stroke and stick with 433 throughout the tournament. find out the proper replacement for lo celso then everything is solved .
Alvarez and A correa can do that . As to licha martinez though I am not convinced he is better than Romero but he is definitely fit and Mexican isn’t strong tall player as a result ,no matter using Romero or Licha wouldn’t be a big issue .
Last but not least ,Acuna plus Alvarez seems to be decent but doesn’t mean tagliafico plus Alvarez is decent too . Gomez and tagliafico should remove that is the main point .The whole right side should remain the same .Hopefully Alvarez can take up the job of lo celso ,he isn’t a proper winger ,he must connect with acuna and messi .
let’s see what happen during the match ,if needed di Maria should move to left side messi on the right . we have no choice at all .at first ,this team is unbalanced without lo celso ,N Gonzalez.
from what we saw from those recent matches, some points the coaching team need to bear in mind
1, Don’t change formation ,stick with 433.you have no choice at all.
2, Papu ,Mcallsiter, Enzo all failed in LCM (lo celso)
3,Enzo ,Mcallister are No.5
4, Acuna is definitely better than tagliafico in all aspects. there is no point keeping tagliafico.
5, remain two choices for replacement of lo celso ( Alvarez / A correa)
6, Don’t touch right side unless you are leading a wide margin .
Spain is playing the beautiful game Argentina should have been playing but anyways it’s a lost art for us now. Argentina 2006 team set the trend, now others play that but we play some kick the ball game … All I want now is the world cup trophy, play some rubbish will you but win the trophy, that’s what matters in the end.
spain have versatile CM and wingers .They have tall strong striker and short fast players too . Pretty all-round team .GAVI is a super lo celso who we are missing . They have enough back up but we are crying out for suitable back up .That is the difference .
Gavi, Pedri, Fati all are under 19 player. If they are Argentine, not even in dream they would have played in World Cup at the age of 18/19 years.
Assume you are Garnacho.
Will you join a vibrant squad with many youngsters or join a struggling team that starts a bunch of just recovered players in search of the chemistry from 18 months ago?
Team list should be unknown for everyone until it is published just before the game. Every journalist should help Argentina…by keeping the secrecy.. let’s go… Argentina…
I had faith(still have) in Scaloni since he was interim coach.
The loss against Saudi Arabia was probably his fault.
playing 4-2-4 or even 4-2-3-1 with Messi behind the striker has never worked for us.
if these changes a true then we will again play 4-2-4.
it’s alarming.
What made the Copa winning team special was Messi was the only one who had privileges.
The team had shape and all the other players ran, defended and attacked as a unit.
In the first game we also lacked mentality. We were overconfident and those disallowed offside goals made us angry and we lost the plot.
But now I fear we will play scared.
overconfidence is not good but no confidence is also not good.
I think we should do the things we know work.
No 4-2-4.
Well, our formation was definitely not 4-2-3-1, it was clearly meant to be 4-4-2 but became something like a weird 4-2-4 where Papu never behaved like a midfielder. As a result, a big hole was created in the middle where oftentime Paredes was the only man and everyone above him was WAY too far.
However, if you put someone like Alexis on Paredes’s left, he wouldn’t try to be a winger so that would help. Then again, I’m seeing indications that Enzo might start there (with Paredes), which will make them at the same line. Enzo and Paredes’s starting position in midfield is very similar.
Well put. Among other issues we certainly Lacked intensity and unity, not enough effective pressing. The fragility and disconnect of a 2 man mid is painful to watch, especially when we don’t have to right profile mids for it
Sampaoli (the 2nd) needs to take out Messi at the 60-70 min mark if he is not running because this is all about Argentina NT and not Messi NT. Why does Messi have to take all the kicks – corner kick (seriously!!), Free kick, penalty kicks. Give it to the best in business in that.
.
Sampaoli needs to use all 5 substitutions… Why don’t you use it, when you are given such an opportunity to bring in fresh legs. Always bring in the first substitution when the game resumes after the break. Then keep bringing in the others and the 5th substitution for the final 10mins.
.
Sampaoli needs to have guts to try the players who are fit and raring to go rather than just holding onto the ‘gang’. What a curse is this. Just like there is an Argentina coach curse to leave the good players at home, there is a Messi curse that his gang gets their chances ahead of others (maybe not his fault but coaches do that …. But that shows that coaches don’t have confidence on their own abilities but want to please Messi to do something special each game). Had enough of this rubbish.
.
I will be sad when Messi retires but slowly I’m starting to realize that he has to go for the betterment of Argentina NT.
.
Have a feeling mentally our players are drowned … It’s now an uphill task after the first game loss … We need motivational speakers like Nick Vucic to awaken them from their copa and finalissima slumber.
.
Still feeling so upset at what happened. Just venting out my frustrations because I’m waiting for a world cup since 1986 having watched it the first time.
Scaloni should go with.
………………………… Emi Martinez……………………………
Molina……. romero…….. Otamendi………. Acuna
Di Maria……. De Paul……….. Paredes…………….. Enzo
…………. Messi……….. Lautaro……………..
Currently this team lacks Proper Left forward that Scaloni uses in recent games with Nico and Joaquin. .These players are like alrounders thy can do interceptions crossing trakback scoring ability to dribble and reach inside of penalty box easily. Currently who can do that job in this 26. .I think none. . Scaloni used couple of occasions Acuna in midfleld and he done not badly. I think scaloni can use him in Nico’s place
Bcz team need a player in LW with ability to tackle and win ball back and cross . Acuno can do that job..
People are talking too much about fitness and injury.
In Copa final, Romero played with injury, with pain relieving injection. Paredes missed most of the Copa due to injury, Guido played. But in final Paredes started. Messi was injured whole tournament. In final half time, messi needed to take care of his injury.
So what are you guys talking about? What match fitness? Against Saudi, we lacked mentality and a good plan. Blame goes to players and Scaloni. It was a bad day.
Copa was much brutal than world cup. Paraguay and Ecuador players were kicking left and right. Referee did not care. The fitness and injury issues are non-sense.
agree bro it’s not only health and injury issues that many people talk about but also height. remember the time of coppa america .. colombia is superior physically and tall but can be overcome … the current problem is because before the tournament this team was too favored to be a champion .. so the players feel great and take Saudi lightly .. finally the reality on the field different .. they got resistance so mentally fell
100% agree. Spot on.
It is stupid to remove key players just because of “fitness”. Cuti is one of the untouchable. The whole teammates from Messi, De Paul to Scaloni think that he is the best defender in the world. Now he is moved to rotation player??
At least his condition is already better than his Copa final condition where he won the Copa America team of the tournament. I am not saying this because I am a fan of Cuti. I just think it is stupid to remove him because of his bad game. I wish Van Gaal would think the same, so anytime Van Dijk plays a bad game, just remove him.
Paredes did not have his best game LIKE everyone else but I am against changing him as well, not because Paredes is that good but we can’t afford changing 2 out of 3 starting midfielders in Paredes and Lo Celso in a must win game. That’s insane and too risky.
IF he has to be changed then the only one who can fit that role is Guido, someone whose Scaloni and the whole team know well.
The only one if midfield who can be rotated is Lo Celso’s spot. Let the other 2 midfielders be the starters that Scaloni already know.
So, keep playing with unfit players..!
SA should have not scored the first goal .if Cuti was 100%. If you think otherwise, you don’t know the level of Cuti.
Pray for being the all the 26 players fit before the MX game. Otherwise,we may lose again if we play with unfit players.
I used to wonder why Scaloni didn’t call Batistuta and Riquelme. They are my favorite players.
what a stupid comment, absolute fucking moron. this is why so called couch coaches(people who haven’t ever played on a team themselves) should stay quiet. fitness is the entire game. feeling even one sore muscle can shorten your game time. even if you are drugged you with painkillers your muscles will literally not extend and compress as much as they normally would.
this team has a number of injuries coming to Qatar mostly because idiotic FIFA decided it was a good idea to have a World Cup in December in the middle of the season. Players got no rest.
In a tournament like the World Cup fitness is of the utmost importance. Prime Messi with a flailing calf would get his shit rocked any day, fitness is 100%.
Look we defeated a team like Paraguay with this same 11 in copa. Papu easily beat the offside trap and scored a goal and it was a wonderful assist from di Maria. Paraguay won’t give that much space behind then also we found a way to overcome. But this still is unbelievable? A forward line which has good vision and chemistry has fallen to the offside trap means it’s just Argentina lacks luck. That’s all.
No fitness no cup mate. You are entitled to your opinion but fitness is a major major requirement to proceed further in this or rather any tournament.
.
Hope you remember Roberto Baggio (1994 final), Ronaldo in 1998 final. Team collapses when your star is playing with an injury and unable to function as a normal self
Another thing I noticed, yesterday Argentina had morning practice at 11 am. Here in summer 11am-2 pm government control the outside activity because of high humidity. Now, it’s turning winter but still 30 degree at 11am. Please don’t practice at this time.
We normally do here between 6am-9am and maximum before 10am. Here night starts at 5 pm..!
Hopefully Coaching staff will consider that.
They are practicing in open ground. Surely there is a chance this will make our players exhausted if they practice between this time (11-2).
If it was up to me, my change is Enzo for Papu and Acuna for Tagliafico. 2 changes.
If Romero is physically fit, he should start 100%. He must gain the rythm. For that, he needs to play. If he is not fit, licha should play. No more change.
Di Maria and Paredes will gain rythm as tournament progresses. Same goes for other players who came back from injury.
You can’t get match rythm with just 6 days of practice. I am sure Paredes and Di Maria will improve in next match.
De Paul needs a hard slap to wake up. He became a star after Copa and it messed up his head. He is the one I am concerned about.
We lost Saudi game because we were too careless and relaxed. Not because we lack quality. Do you think Saudi team is better than Uruguay, Ecuador or Brazil? Or Italy?
We have the quality. We have to be calm and be serious in the field. Fans should behave accordingly.
Our next opponent is Mexico, not Spain.
100% with u too. If I was Scaloni also, I would change 2 only as well. Enzo for Papu and Acuna for Tagli. That’s it. It is the safest way. That way Scaloni will go with 10 players he knows well plus one “new comer” only in Enzo. Every other new players should be introduced slowly as the tournament progress.
Remember in Copa we had 2 amazing breakthrough new comers in Cuti and Emi. This time we don’t have new Cuti or Emi who is good enough to jump into the starting line up and be key players right away. The closest to that is Enzo, that’s all. Licha is good but it us hard to think that Cuti has to be removed because of him.
we should try licha on left since tag and acuna are either unfit or simply not playing. Licha has the pace, passing and crossing. well we could try him, believe you will play better than acuna n tag
If we try Licha as left back, we will need an offensive player who will play left midfielder playing there such as Julian Alvarez, Papu, A Correa, or Almada.
Yes and it will give Molina I full freedom to advance without having to worry about defending since it will be 3ATB with licha-ota-Romero. It’s interesting and fun to think about but we haven’t practiced much so not enough experience to deploy
—————toro
——Messi – Di María
Correa – Enzo – De Paul – Molina
——-licha-ota-Romero
Can’t think about Argentina losing against MX…!
I’m very worried about Lozano. The guy is bloody fast and if Tagli starts he will get to run all along the right side. To counter i hope Lisandro will start over Otamendi I really don’t trust him to keep up with Lozano.
bullshit scoloni going to sampoli version 2
No need change much…just put a pure midfielder palacios/enzo/alaster/almada on papu postiion and if romereo not fit then martinez.. No new formation plz…just play our regular system.. Before the match he said he will not change system but he done..what are you doing? mad scoloni, stop bulshit experiment
Need to get Messi in the middle or tell him not to track back. He screwed up the team play and left Lautaro alone last game.
Expected changes as scaloni always does..
Molina – montiel.
Guido – parades. Proper no 5.
Taglafico- acuna.
Papu – palacious if guido is playing. Else enzo/mac allister.
Messi lautaro dimaria … Up front
Playing guido means you will more protection infront of goal…
Scaloni has turned into Sampoli 2.0 in this World Cup. He kept overthinking.
Depual parades palacious in mid field…. Cant see parades and enzo play together. Try early goal in 1st half… Put alvarez and dybala subs for di maria and lautaro….
I still think they will play 433..
Alvarez in the left wing is not going to work. He will be same as like Acuna. Can burst forward but not good at 1vs 1. We can see the difference in it when Foden and Alvarez playing in those flanks for city. Or otherwise Alvarez should outrun their fullbacks on counter. Average crossing accuracy. I think even Harry kane can play better than Alvarez as a winger. My 11 will be
Emi
Molina- otamendi-lisandro- Acuna
Paredes
De Paul. Enzo
Messi A correa
Lautaro.
Enzo should play in LoCelso place. It really is this simple
Coaching staff lost head when they reached at Qatar. I suspect Sampaoli there at Qatar with Argentina NT.
Its either enzo or mac allister.. They already made mistake by not selecting buendia. He was perfect lo cleso replacement.. Can defend can Press can play as LW.
Pure madness if Alvarez playing at left wing. I am totally against this idea. If you want LWF use Correa. If you are not satisfied with Correa then why did you pick him when we lost 2 LWF in Nico and J.Correa? Why you didn’t pick Garnacho? The only real LWF available there…!
Alvarez should only replace Lautaro. Else with Lautaro in 442. Then where will Messi play..? 4312? And DiMaria as one of the 3 midfielder? Somebody in coaching staff smoking highly at Qatar..!
Alvarez in Scaloni’s role…yes this is the best time to experiment..!
*LoCelso’ role…*
Agree.
And, who he selected as the next reserve pool?
Roberto Pereira!!
I think the team is considering their left side problem and CB
1, Alvarez replace Gomez, it seems Alvarez, DE paul ,Enzo/Mcallister/Paredes will become 3CM in midfield . since Alvarez isn’t a winger , if needed can be a CM since he played as a winger or CM in U20 national team .defensively he is better than Gomez and A correa .But technically he isn’t up to dybala or A correa ‘s standard but will be better than mcallister and Enzo . Using Alvarez as Lo celso it seems to be a reasonable decision but I still think A correa is the one we need.
2, Enzo/Mcallister replace Paredes ,They are similar player but Paredes is better in ball possession weaker in speed . Enzo is better in ball distribution ,Mcallister is rather average. But I think we need Guido a pure no.5 rather .
3,licha replace Romero, I don’t think is a good idea . Height problem ,the whole team is very short it will be dangerous if montiel replace Molina.
All in All ,the line up looks like
####Lautaro
####Messi##Dimaria
##Alvarez #Depaul
#####Enzo
Acuna#licha#Otamendi#molina
Very interesting, we are using world cup as a friendly to test our CM . Indeed it isn’t a proper time to do so .It is a betting really
I think Alvarez will play as the second forward (#7) and Di Maria will not start. One of Enzo/Alexis/Palacios will start in place of Papu. It will be diamond 4-3-1-2
My prediction:
Dibu
Molina – Licha – Otamendi – Acune
Paredes
DePaul – Palacios
Messi
Alvarez-Toro
according to TYC ,Alvarez replace Gomez .That’s why dimaria will be untouchable .I would say don’t touch our right side ,completely no problem at all . The main problem is formation and left side neither good at defense nor attack .Romero is not a problem at all.
I would say don’t touch our right side ,completely no problem at all . The main problem is formation and left side neither good at defense nor attack .Romero is not a problem at all.
-I agree our right is completely fine. The left needs a tweak or 2.
missing Lo celso cost us a lot .we don’t have proper back up to this engine. Now they try to test alverez plus acuna . Hopefully they are correct ,it is reasonable when papu ,mcallister ,Enzo all failed in that position.
Most of the right was ok. Molina could def make more runs often leaving ADM isolated, RDP’s passing was horrendous and lacked intensity, and Messi could have taken that opportunity at the end and timed his runs better. Everyone seemed a bit off, reacting a second too late. Most of these issues can be written off as a bad day so expect to turn around Sat. Sadly, a major issue is Romero, he looked unfit and out of form a bit. That’s why TYC and pundits are calling for Licha + Ota combo. Licha also might better combo with Tag to nullify speedster lozano.
I don’t mind if Palacios starts the game if he is fit he is a very good player. we have to start with three midfielders since we now know how weak parades and DePaul are. I will keep the front three of Messi Lautaro and Dimaria. even though the result was shocking I am still very confident. I remember a couple of years ago when we won against Mexico how excellent Palacios was. I will start Enzo Depaul and Alexis in the middle I don’t mind if Palacios starts in place of anyone. play Enzo in the middle and Alexis/Palacios in the right and Depaul on the left side I think this is a good midfield trio
The whole team shouldn’t amend too hugely because a new combination in world cup is risky and betting.
My opinion
1,Right side definitely no need to change anything.
2,Gomez and tagliafico must remove
3, Formation should be 433 not 4231 or others
4, 3CM is must
5, Paredes and Romero are not big problem at all ,it was 4231 and tactics made them played badly last time .Not fitness issue.
So the only one problem is who replace lo celso ?
it seems they are considering Alvarez. it is acceptable . we just need 2 changes tagliafico and Gomez that is OK.
Formation was wrong last match. It was 4-2-3-1, in some case 4-2-4. This gave me 2019 opening colombia match vibe. We had two units, attack and defense, no midfield.
Paredes can’t work in 2 man midfield. 3 man midfield is a must for if Paredes starts.
TyC reported Julian for Papu and Enzo for Paredes. So it would be same formation as Saudi game. I am not in favor of it. Too flat, no triangle.
We need an extra midfielder. It should be enzo for Papu. Paredes should stay if he is fit. We can’t remove all key players.
I am not sure why all this confusion regarding formation and system. Scaloni said he won’t change the system but he did exactly in the first match.
Core 8 players should start against Mexico. We can change 2-3 players at most.
I agree, changes should be limited to 2 players only and keep the rest.
We played hard in second half but it was unorganised than first half. We could not score, same time SA didn’t try after second goal. So, the sub didn’t change killer changes.yea it looked like we are trying…but we were very unorganised…If SA was trying to attack, we would have been in trouble with this unbalanced team.
First team was better but they were lacking fitness.. If Cuti, Paredes were fit ..the goals would not have happened..!
Same time, offside killed our offensive threat …!
Papu was not at his level as well.
All in all, our team divided in two two units Attack 4 (or 5) and defensive 6(or 5).
Changing to 4231 was first mistake..!
I agree. 2-3 changes is the best. Scaloni is not like those European coaches who rotate his players a lot. Sampaoli has his starting 11. Some of them have to be untouchable, only make minor tweaks. I also don’t like that idea of what our team looked like in the second half after the substitution was made. Very flat. All the chances were pretty much from Messi and Alvarez weak headers only which were very easy to save.
It takes time to implement new players into the winning squad. Introduce them slowly to the team, NOT make them the new cores replacing the old ones. Scaloni thinks Enzo, Alvarez, and Licha are the most in form ones. I agree but they are pretty much new when it comes to the minutes playing in the past. Introduce them slowly not all 3 together at the same time. It will ruin the team chemistry.
It is the same as club futbol, you buy new 3 good players in the transfer windows, but they have quite limited time to practice. A good coach would not play all 3 new players altogether in a decisive Champions League match for example. That is too risky. In a friendly yes, but not in CL matches where they badly need 3 points.
Alvarez replace Gomez may not be a winger , Scaloni trys to use Alvarez as lo celso as a CM . I am sure they are still finding lo celso replacement not a left winger . This time is Alvarez
vs UAE .they tried mcallister first half but failed. second half Enzo still not convincing .
Exactly.
This is not an experimental phase. Do not change the formation from 4-3-3.
The new player who got the maximum minutes under Scaloni is McAllister. What is his role now? Are we missing him?
Scaloni is just a human. He has limitations and is prone to mistakes. He made mistakes.
No time for any more mistakes
Until now am really annoyed with selection of Thiago Almada. What is his role? A flower girl? spectator? Garnacho was available but Scaloni failed to ignore petty politics and now we are in complete mess. I would rather have gone for Simeone instead of Almada. This decision just reminded me of Erickson England coach 2006 squad, where he picked 16 years old Theo Walcott.
A good winning team usually just used 17-19 players out of 23 players in every tournament. Now we have 26. It is normal if some of them will eventually be unused at all or at most be used only in garbage minutes. I like Garnacho, would love him to be called up, but not for Almada.
Scaloni is challenged now because his “17 starters/heroes of the Copa and finalissima” mostly are not match fit, not in good form. But the new comers mostly are in better form. It is a challenge for him because if he tweaks too much, it is kind of experimenting in the worst possible time. If he doesn’t tweak at all also not good. It has to be balanced.
A good coach doesn’t make major tweaks in general such as Pep, Klopp, Conte, Tite etc. Only a panic coach does that like Sampaoli.
“It is a challenge for him because if he tweaks too much, it is kind of experimenting in the worst possible time. If he doesn’t tweak at all also not good.”
He has chosen the wrong player and wasted valuable time trying to integrate McAllister. What for? What is his use today? We are not missing options what McAllister can offer. We almost forgot about Palacios. Big mistake by Scaloni.
I would have rather put my effort trying to integrate Enzo more and introducing Garnaco.
@Asaph: Almada is saved for our crucial games in the semi or final. His talent is enshrined until the time arrives, the world will be shocked. MLS players rule the world cup.
According to TYC
Julian is for Papu
Licha is for Cuti
Enzo is for Paredes
There is also a possibility of MacAllister for Papu instead. So Guido has lost his main back up of Paredes spot? It is still too early but these 3 changes are quite likely. Maybe Acuna too instead of Tagli eventually unless they really put Alvarez in Papu place then we need Tagli who is more defensive minded.
It is too early to say though. There should be another mind game from Scaloni too.
According to Edul latest twitter, Enzo is competing with MacAllister.
This was the lineup at the end of the Saudi match and seemed a broken team.
Yeah the new players need more time to gel with the team after all the subs in the second half played, Argentina stopped creating golden chances.. Argentina of first half was much more threatening.
It should not be final, there must be more tweaks. I don’t think Paredes is dropped.
But different position..Enzo for Paredes… MacAllister for Papu (or Alvarez.)
And palacios for de paul
Scaloni’s lineup always keeps changing util last minutes. Let’s wait until the game starts
Friends I am a thiest. And I believe that nobody is complete. Here I am mentioning Messi. He achieved all individually and got the trophy for Argentina in the form of copa. But Messi lacks is the typical incompleteness of a human and may be for him is his nervousness in the most important time with the NT. Maradona easily lacks that individual achievements what Messi had achieved. For both Ronaldo and Ronaldinho they won wc but they couldn’t achieve what Messi achieved at individual level. Portuguese rono also short of Messi. So may be I am not rooting the luck for Argentina. Yes we may reach the final but not winning wc. Let’s face it. No one is complete.
You are talking about reaching the final whereas progressing past group stages will be an uphill task 😂😂😂
Bro I made this statement on the perspective of messi.
If I don’t see Argentina team from supporters perspective its clearly visible that Argentina lacks squad depth and so many below average players are playing in the team like Acuna, Tagliafico, Pezzella, Montiel, Foyth, Almada. It is next to impossible to win a world cup with this kind of defense. But if you see everything from supporters perspective everything is possible. But I never saw any team winning world cup or even qualified as runners with this kind of below average defence. Practically are playing world with any quality full back and that’s strange.
Enzo is my favorite player in the first game.
I know he is new to the existing system, but Macallister is new too. If only one of them get the chance to build chemistry in real matches, I would take Enzo any day.
One question I have is who will be DiMaria’s backup? He played 90 mins in the first time even though his efficiency went down in 2nd half. Can Dybala or Correa be sent in?
> Dybala or Correa
you’re probably right.
Subbing in either of those guys for Di Maria might actually work really well! I hope it happens.
I think Acuna in place of Nico will solve problems in LW. If Acuna plays in LW it will helps to decrease presr on wingbacks.So they can play easily.Acuna is an alround player can field anywhr. Against Saudi when Papu playing in LW wingbacks are under presr not getting enough helps.Similarly without any creative player in middle Messi tooks that burden. it will affect in frontlineWhen Messi playing in little deep that will affect deaul and Paredes so they seems clueless .D Maria must be a sub player..overuse of dmaria affecs this team well.Using dybla in 20 or 30 minutes helps lot. Bcz dybla is in good touch and he is in great foam comparing others.Using Guido in first 11 is not a risk.
I do not understand what Alvarez has done to deserve this confidence. Scored a few tapins and very straight forward passes in Man City? He can’t really dribble past defenders, he is not a good playmaker, can’t cross at all, can’t score difficult goals. How can he be preferred to Dybala, who has mostly single handedly carried Roma’s attack this season. You don’t want a pleb as a left forward. You want Messi lite.
You didnt see him in River, he was the Messi of the team, worse with the ball ofc but better off the ball. Good passing, playmaking, lot of assists, difficult goals. Argentina and City use him as pure CF with limited tasks. He is much more than this. Constantly scored stunners, imo a better CF /SS than Gabriel Jesus, who is wasteful finisher. Lot of similarities between the two players: defending, pressing, off the ball movements, passing. Alvarez is a better finisher for sure.
I will take your word for it. But is he anywhere close to Dybala though? Whatever I have seen in his River highlight reels, and his games for Man City and The Albiceleste, has made me think no to that question. Who would you rather see play for Argentina?
Dybala is not a close friend of Messi. When will people get it?
Dybala mostly disappeared in NT, 3 goals in 34 matches says all. Another bad off the ball player without defending skills like Messi is overkill. Wont work in attack neither, occupy the same areas as Griezmann and Messi did in Barcelona.
> Dybala is not a close friend of Messi. When will people get it?
@wc2022
Why would people get something so idiotic and false?
On ESPN they said the 2nd half of the game was pure Sampoali like plan for its chaotic style and random substitutions.
I am not a big admirer of Nico. He played many matches in qualifiers and in copa. But I didn’t see any match that made for his style of play. He won’t be effective against deep lying defensive- teams or elite teams. I mean the last KSA match was tailor- made for him. A low opponent with highline. He could have scored or assisted 2 or3. Or otherwise if Saudi changed the plan means Argentina would have crushed them. What a real curse for us. Oh god!. A real sub player more than dybala or foyth. May be Argentina got lot of happiness and victory more than they deserved during those 90s. I mean 86 champs 90 runners up and 2 copa winners. And on that way we defeated Brazil 3 times I think. And we suffered for that started from Maradona scandal till before copa. And again after 28 years of long wait we got a copa victory and a 36 matches without loss. And again we are going that same path. I mean our players attitude in that first game forced me to think like that. Look at Brazil during 90s, they are not that good during qualifiers in 2002 but they made it count on the biggest stage. Spain utilised their tactics to the top. And what we have achieved? Lots of pressure and injury curse.
Absolutely Nico in that match would be the antidote to Saudi’s runs. He would battle them out and cut their passes. He always does the dirty work and not afraid of injuries. After Mascherano, I didn’t see any other player does similar work other than Nicolas Gonzales.
Does anybody wonder here we probably need Palacios in the next game? Our midfield was awesome in the first match and we need someone to move the ball forward for goodness sake……Palacios is not a great player but he can do the job
Palacios is a great player that doesn’t get the opportunity sadly. They love him in Leverkusen and look at his last game stats there. A fluid passer that reads the game very well.
The best lineup is this I think
DiMaria Messi Lautaro
Palacios Enzo DePaul
Acuna Licha Cuti Molina
Alvarez and Dybala if we need to score more goals for DiMaria and Enzo
Guido and Tagliafico to protect a lead for DiMaria and Palacios
This line up of yours if used, we would easily reach the final, but alas it needs a bright, bias free coach to get this executed.
You are correct ! Macallister or Enzo would be good … if Enzo then paredes plays higher up … with macallister, paredes plays back and macallister more advanced
This line up makes lot of sense .👍
Wish u were one of coaching staff of our team 😁👍
Go attack from the 1st minute. Don’t give time to Mexico to settle. They are fast and fit. We are all still recovering both physically and mentally. Even we can play defend and counter like wise in 2019 against Mexico. But the stars in our team won’t give that play possible. Better go for typical Argentine game with good possession and control in mid field.
If Julian is playing that means Fideo is on the bench. So, it will be Julian and Lautaro playing as the two forwards, Messi behind them, with Enzo, Alexis and De Paul in the midfield.
Tata plays possession futbal that means we need 3 man midfield to offset the threat of midfield being overrun. Also, we need to use Dybala and replace Dimaria with him in the second half. Dimaria looked out of gas around 70 min mark.Alvarez for Lautato as Toro also looked mentally and physically exhausted after we conceded 2nd goal. Our third midfielder can be either MacAllister to provide extra protection to defense especially to Acuña when he ventures forward or Enzo a more balanced LCM. Acuña for Tagliafico is a must and Licha as our LCB who is very good ball playing CB and his speed can cover for Acuña when he venture forward along with MacAllister or Enzo. The most important thing is to keep it extremely tight in the back. We can’t concede in any circumstance especially an early goal which can easily destroy our confidence. If we concede no goals then 99.99% we will atleast score one and win. Also I really want Saudi to beat or atleast draw with Poland and if Denmark manages to beat France then we could end up in the other bracket which will be relatively easy. But its too early to think about that. Hopefully Scaloni and Co are working on igniting that fire and Viking mentality which won us the COPA. This match will test our character and if we come out victorious then it will sky rocket our confidence.
I still prefer us to top the group and stay in the bracket with Netherlands, Spain and Brazil.
France and England are too physical for us to play back to back in KO stage. Our weakness will be fully exploited by their wingers.
amen to that… if we win against mexico…we will be going all the way….let us just win
I love kun. hilarious. Check out this twitch clip…he was spot on with his tactical advice against Saudi Arabia.
reddit.com/r/MCFC/comments/z2n41z/kun_aguero_warned_argentina_about_saudi_arabia_on/
1 – High Press
2 – Control the offside / High backline
3 – Mark the #10!!! The mofo that turned into prime messi for 2nd goal
As we have mentioned multiple times, not only Scaloni was outclassed and outwitted , his contagious arrogance and overconfidence spread to the players too. Hopefully everyone has learned their lesson and with the other two team drawing especially Lewandowski missing crucial penalty we have got a lifeline that is our faith is in our hands.
Thankful for the lifeline. I’m sure the needed SLAP IN FACE woke them up.
This is what we are telling…use most inform and fit players… Lisandro, Enzo, Alvarez. Now MacAllister remaining. Anyway all the 4 can’t play. Max 3 of them.
Here our pundits say, “Romero was fine and not at fault in goals”. “Papu was fine”, “Paredes was super fine..!” “People criticizing Papu because they want their stars, Enzo or MacAllister to be included in the team”. This is the level and response of pundits here..!
Then how did we lose..?
My only problem is how we are going to play? Again a 4231? Messi, DiMaria, Lautaro and Alvarez together..? Another game with two units of attackers and defenders? Same mistake like SA game. Scaloni going mad? Don’t underestimate MX…as we done against SA.
To qualify to the second round, Our first preference and strategy should be Dont Lose…! Don’t forget that.
Winning is only second preference. If you lose, you are out, no chance to qualify…but with a draw you still have chance.
Score early goals and defend deep, is this the strategy Scaloni thinking..? No problem but we will have a chance of risking the game..!
I don’t understand.
Is Alvarez playing in mid in place of Papu?
Or are we punishing Lauturo for having one bad 45 minutes of play!…. And countless matches of excellence?…, not to mention he has been on fire with Inter!
Not to rant, but I got excited thinking that we may go very aggressive with Alvarez stretching left wing and tracking back, as a replacement to Locelsos position. I know that sounds crazy. But I’m a big maradona fan. 😂
Alvarez starting inclusion is in place of Toro tho isn’t it ?
I think Alvarez on the left is a possible idea, Lautaro did nothing wrong to be benched. Now, Alvarez stretching and tracking back? He can track back but he is not a winger nor left-footed to really provide width. I think we need an extra midfielder instead.
Strange that Acuna is not being mentioned…
Alvarez at wings will be High risky..!
If you want winger, use Correa. Alvarez should be playing as CF or in 442, please not as winger.
I don’t believe this is the line up…these will be just testing..for emergency..!
Hell that’s right, I forgot about A. Correa, how come we never used him in the first game. He’s fit and experienced. Are you sure Scaloni wasn’t playing against us?
Tata Martino is the head coach of Mexico. Good news or bad news?
Why would it be bad? ARG TRASHED them in a friendly and that when Mex was undefeated and flying HIGH shortly after Tata took over and they haven’t been the same since.
Neither. All depends on how we play and the mindset we approach the game with.
Who will be front 3…
Messi lautaro dimaria
Di maria messi alvarez
Messi lautaro alvarez…
I am not against trying out Alvarez. Give chance to the youngster.
Also give chance to Almada.
But what about Dybala? Considering that he is part Polish, it was better to try him against Mexico than against Poland.
I think a good player like Dybala is being wasted too much on the bench.
Trying out Almada will cement the last nail in the coffin.
I take it there are no injuries to report and that is great news.
Romero is not fully back, obviously and Martinez AKA his future partner in crime should start but needs to watch his aggressive tackles.
Messi is Messi and if IN FACT he is injury-free then he’ll show up no doubt and my guess is he was taking it easy until it was too late to kick in gear.
Messi is angry and I’m sure we all saw the video of the KSA player patting him on the back and then saying something to him, My guess is he was telling him that we’re not chopped liver as you might have thought La Pulga and then Messi proceeded to smile.
The Mexicans are talking shit AS THEY ALWAYS DO, I know it you know it WE ALL KNOW IT, they HATE ARGENTINA and will come with dirty tackles and stupid fouls and they should be ready….. no taking it easy, no slowing down, going full speed….
I loved our mid field trio lo celso de Paul Paredes/guido even more than Messi. But every body is giving consideration to Messi and even dybala for injury coz they have great club stats. And this won’t apply to our core mid fielders. Yes I mean Paredes. Enzo is talented but I don’t think he can make a wonder from the word go. Our midfield 3 were the backbone of this team along with
Messi. Many also criticized otamendi. Coz now he is playing for Benfica. And any one bad or avg game means out of the team😂
Consideration dybala? The guy hasn’t even played a single minute 🤣
Played or not dybala will going to have more and more fans with his club performance just like Aguero Higuain or even Messi. And he is on his way to become another mini Aguero for Argentina. Look at our curse. All round players such as lo celso and Nico goes out and one way traffic players such as dybala foyth comes in. Luck wise also it is disaster.
Dybala can score from a distance unlike the tapper Lautaro.
> Messi and even dybala for injury coz they have great club stats
no. absurd hot take. hard to believe you watch any games or know anything of the NT.
i swear, people just rattle off pure nonsense.
@Choripan Ok I don’t want to prove to anyone that I am a hard core Argentina fan like some in here. I believe that I am the best supporter of Argentina. No one has the right to take it from me.
> No one has the right to take it from me.
Yes, no need to prove and no one can take it from you. Especially some random fool on the internet like me.
It’s just that when you sum up Messi’s importance and inclusion to the NT as “great club stats” i just can’t take that seriously.
I just lost the temper when all criticised otamendi coz of 1 poor match and Paredes,who is vital for us and recovering from injury.
We need a midfielder who can connect defense and attack. Papu did not play badly, some of his passes were good but defensively it did not work out, Paredes and De Paul needed help in midfield defensively, I think we need an extra midfielder, Palacios or Mac Allister. I would not mind Enzo instead of Paredes or better yet Guido as a DM. If Alvarez starts instead of Papu we might risk our midfield getting overrun again.
He was struggling to cut in due to lack of proper attacking play in midfield. Also he is a getting out paced for ball chases.
I think it’s worth trying out Alvarez. Papu can be used as a super sub if needed as he is explosive.
If Alvarez plays we only have two players in midfield, that’s dangerous with a player like Paredes who is not known to be particularly dynamic even in the best of times. If we had prime Mascherano and Simeone, then yeah.
Man, I miss Lo Celso….
Right, the idea for a while has been that to cover for Paredes’s weaknesses we have two midfielders on either side that can hustle, defend, progress. Now we lose Lo Celso and while I like Papu he didn’t seem to cover that. It’s either replace Paredes or Papu, I’m a bit doubtful about replacing both because it might be risky to go with a totally new midfield. I’ll trust Scaloni on that one
Yes. Rather than having Alvarez play on the left wing, I think we need an extra midfielder to try to replicate what Lo Celso did for us in centre-left position.
It’s alarming that Scaloni is seeking alternative to to our star 3 man mid and highlights that he hasn’t found a suitable replacement yet.
> Right, the idea for a while has been that to cover for Paredes’s weaknesses we have two midfielders on either side that can hustle, defend, progress.
yep..maybe replace weakness with Enzo, he’s more dynamic anyway. Palacios – Enzo – RDP seems like the closest replacement. No word on Palacios yet and too drastic like you say.
Carrying partially fit players always a burden for team. In previous tournments arg. suffered lot when carrying these unfit players. Players who proved 100% fitness deserves call from NT.Currently Scaloni carrying couple of unfit players.its going to be a burden surely. It’s unbelievable Our NT fitness team giving green signal for those kind of players and including them in which criteria..
Di Maria injury in 2014 really blocked our final success as he was in his best form ever that season after winning UCL with Real Madrid.
If the three are for Papu, Paredes, and Cuti that’s good. Sounds like Cuti is suffering from some problems obviously unless Ota is out.
Comments are closed.