La Scaloneta – ready to defend or too late to evolve?

Commentary by Mundo Albiceleste subscriber Dipta Majumder

Only less than 50 days remain till the World Cup 2026 takes over everything around us — from billboards to newsrooms, from papers to home feeds, from the tops of buildings in Bangladesh to the streets of Buenos Aires. Whether you like it or not, everything will be consumed by it. Yet, as a lifelong Albiceleste devotee, there is a strange mishmash of feelings inside.

Let me get this off my chest — this is the first time I will be seeing my team kicking the ball on dazzling green grass in a hot summer as the defending world champions! Nothing beats that. But old habits die hard. Like many, I will be watching the games nervously as if we had not won it the last time around. I will keep looking for the latest updates from Mundo Albiceleste and others on the internet, and I will be watching and rewatching the highlights like a teenager.

With a childlike enthusiasm and an adult, suspicious-of-everything kind of mind, I will watch the games. For some time, I have had this nagging question — is La Scaloneta really ready to defend the coveted title, or is it too late for us to evolve? Here, I let my adult mind jot down what it has to say, but come June, only the kid will watch.

The Messi Question

The captain has not yet clarified whether he will be joining the team this summer in the U.S.A. There is an air of uncertainty around this topic every time Scaloni faces the press. He diverts the question with his usual politeness. It is far from ideal when you are not sure if the Greatest of All Time will be on the pitch for you.

The media reckons it could be a marketing move to announce it with a slick ad across social media, but it certainly has a psychological effect on the fans and the team. As Scaloni says, and I agree, Messi has earned the right to decide for himself whether he wants to keep going or say goodbye. But this cannot be the main discussion with only a few days to go before the World Cup campaign starts. The truth is that if Messi plays, the game plan will be very different than if he does not.

With everything Messi has given to the game, to Argentine football, and to countless fans like me, I would not dare question him. But I would have loved not to include this topic here — that’s all.

The Left-Back and the Right-Back

Tagliafico, Acuña, Molina, and Montiel — our trusted World Cup-winning full-backs — are unfortunately becoming a point of weakness for the team. All of them are still playing, of course, but almost all of them do not have the same legs anymore. Against speedy wingers, Argentina is bound to suffer unless they are tactically neutralized, which can impact other areas of the pitch or force the team to play more defensively.

Molina has only recently started to get more playing time under Simeone, while Montiel and Acuña returned to River Plate. The immensely underrated Tagliafico is probably the best of this group. Sadly, Argentina has not found strong alternatives in the last four years.

Scaloni has tried Nico González there, which is not a bad idea per se, but it clearly looks like a stop-gap solution. Valentín Barco has transitioned into a midfielder at RC Strasbourg, and his effectiveness on the wing is also limited. Argentina will go into the World Cup with this issue and the hope that Scaloni finds a solution nobody saw coming — or that the usual names step up once again.

The De Paul Situation

Rodrigo De Paul was a key piece in Argentina’s World Cup and back-to-back Copa América-winning team. Notice how I wrote “was”? His position in the starting eleven no longer feels guaranteed.

De Paul now plays for Inter Miami in MLS — a less competitive league than Europe’s top leagues. On top of that, he has not been particularly impressive with the Herons alongside Messi and Suárez. At the same time, players like Almada, Paz, and Paredes are performing at a high level and competing for midfield spots.

Enzo Fernández and Mac Allister, if fit, will likely start — so who joins them? Paredes’ resurgence could see him take the defensive midfield role. Other options include Palacios and Lo Celso, who may be more suited as squad players rather than starters.

In short, despite having a strong midfield, Scaloni has many decisions to make — and it will be interesting to see what he does with De Paul.

Build-Up to the Big Summer

A bigger concern for fans is the lackluster preparation leading up to the World Cup. After the cancellation of the Finalissima, the AFA failed to arrange friendlies against top opposition, which has drawn criticism.

The last time Argentina played a European team was the 2022 World Cup final against France. That is not ideal. The underwhelming performances at home against Mauritania and Zambia were also far from convincing.

The general feeling is that Argentina may be lagging behind other contenders in terms of preparation — something that was not the case in 2022.

The Silver Lining

Yes, there are questions around the team, but we cannot say this is an average squad. Argentina still has one of the best starting elevens in the world, with world-class talent in almost every position.

Julián Álvarez is back in excellent form, Nico Paz has exploded at Como, and Almada has been reliable for the national team. Enzo Fernández continues to drive the team forward, while Dibu Martínez remains among the best goalkeepers in the world, with Musso as strong backup.

At the back, the partnership of Lisandro Martínez and Romero — if fit — is as solid as it gets. Young talents like Nico Paz, Giuliano Simeone, and Barco could also surprise many at the World Cup.

No matter the situation, this team has a fighting spirit — and I believe it will be on full display in the U.S.A.

After the triumph in Qatar, I thought I might never feel that same nervous excitement again. But deep down, I know that when June arrives, the butterflies will return.