Thiago Almada spoke about the Argentina national team before the training on Monday.
Almada started Argentina’s 3-2 win against Cabo Verde but was substituted out. Speaking to Doble Amarilla before Argentina’s training on Monday, here is what he had to say:
“One tries to do and give their best for the team. Sometimes, we might need something else on the team and that’s why we get substituted.
“Cabo Verde is a very tough opponent who, besides being very physical, had very good players. We took all the positives and corrected the mistakes so it doesn’t happen again.”
Since England beat Mexico, they’ve started their usual “we’re going to the World Cup” talk, even saying they’ll beat Argentina 😆 i hope norway beat them
I believe a lot of people online were overreacting because of how the game ended against Cape Verde, like how could a team like Cape Verde with a population of 500K plus people go toe to toe with the defending World Cup champions Argentina? Well, this was no surprise if you actually followed them during the group stage.
Cape Verde was undefeated against two former World Cup winning national teams in the group stage yet some people were acting surprised that they could actually play and put up a strong performance against the best national team at the 2026 World Cup (Argentina), like why were you surprised? Uruguay would have been an easier team to play against compared to Cape Verde (even though there are no easy games at the World Cup) in the Round of 32.
Let’s look at some facts about Cape Verde, they were undefeated during the group stage which included teams like Spain and Uruguay. At the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations Cape Verde topped their group which included Ghana and Egypt. Cape Verde went on to secure a 1 nil victory against Ghana and a 2-2 draw against Egypt in a group they topped with 7 points.
So why is everyone pretending as if Cape Verde was some weak undeserving team who had no business at the World Cup? Cape Verde actually made the 2026 World Cup better, they left a lasting impact imo ( and I didn’t even celebrate any of the goals scored against them), this is what the World Cup should always be about, we get to see new teams emerging ( like Croatia, Japan etc. in 1998), new players emerging from out of nowhere. Argentina won the game, why can’t people just accept the fact that Argentina played against a worthy opponent, a team that belongs, and one that qualified for the 2026 World Cup on their own merit and wasn’t there because of nepotism.
There was nothing unusual about the game against Cape Verde, we have a history of these types of games at the World Cup. At the 1998 World Cup, Laurent Blanc’s goal in the 114th minute gave France the win vs Paraguay in the Round of 16 . Italy defeated Australia 1-0 in the Round of 16 at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The match was decided in the 95th minute when Francesco Totti scored a stoppage-time penalty. Germany defeated Algeria 2-1 after extra time in the Round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The game against Algeria was an unexpected outcome, a nail-biting thriller where a resilient Algeria team repeatedly exposed the German defensive line. The Round of 16 ( now R32) game succeeding the group stages is always difficult for the eventual World Cup winners.
Another hint, when a CB/defender scores goals in the knockout stages it’s kind of predictive of the eventual winners. Laurent Blanc was a CB, he scored against Paraguay. Thuram in the same tournament scored against Croatia in the semis. Marco Materazzi scored against France during the 2006 WC final. Puyol scored against Germany at the 2010 WC. Hummels scored against France at the 2014 WC. Samuel Umtiti scored against Belgium at the 2018 World Cup. And also Raphaël Varane’s goal against Uruguay at the 2018 WC. So seeing Licha Martinez scoring and especially Cuti Romero scoring a difficult game winning header against Cape Verde in the knockout rounds gave me a lot of optimism.
In the previous group stage games for Argentina, the players were too nonchalant. The game against Cape Verde was the best thing to happen to Argentina, this will definitely ignite a spark throughout the team. The team needed this boost, and I believe this type of outcome will eventually propel them towards the World Cup title. What we witnessed against Algeria, Austria and Jordan during the group stages is a team in Argentina who thought they were just going to cruise along with an indifferent, and laid-back approach. Scaloni should keep this in mind, Argentina is the World Champions, every team Argentina plays against is going to leave everything on the pitch, they will likely play their best game against Argentina, goalkeepers becoming prime Buffon and the attackers switching into R9 mode.
Our take away from the Cape Verde game should be this, Argentina cannot afford to have any lapse of concentration during future encounters, take everything seriously, the casual cute passes that can sometimes lead to turnovers and unforced errors will eventually put pressure on the defense and goalkeeper.
Scaloni has to work on tactical adjustments to rectify both wings in the starting XI. This is the team’s Achilles heel right now if you ask me. Everything is too centered around the Messi zone right at the top of the opponent’s 18 yard box. The opponents are going through the tapes right now and will throw a lot of bodies in that zone to low block Argentina, shutting off all the ball distributions aimed at Messi as often as they can. Also, losing the ball in this area can sometimes lead to counter attack by the opposing team.
I like Molina but I can’t comprehend why the guy is so afraid to take on defenders and wingers. A RB and LB should be able to dribble past the opposing defenders at least a few times in a game (give them and their coaching staff something to think about). What is so hard in this? Molina was a winger in Italy, why is he so afraid to dribble inside the opponent’s 18 yard box? Kick the ball into space, chase after it, in quick time you’re in the opponent’s 18 yard box or dribble past a defender/winger for once. This opens up the opportunity for a penalty foul or an assist pass across the face of the opposing team goal. Acuna was able to dribble that’s why he was able to win a penalty call against the Netherlands at the 2022 WC where he was fouled by Dumfries inside his own penalty box.
Molina is too predictable, whenever he receives the ball on the right side, the first thing that comes across his mind is to pass the ball infield or back to the defenders, and this sequence becomes a loop, predictable. So the opponent already know this player is not going to hurt them offensively even before a ball is being kick. If Molina was comfortable getting into the Cape Verde 18 yard box he would have easily controlled the pass from Messi, but his first instinct is to always pass the ball back so it was inevitable he fumbled a great pass. What happened to the 2022 WC Molina from the knockout stages? Why is Argentina lacking when it comes to dribblers on both flanks? And it’s not like the talent isn’t there.
Tagliafico does the same for the majority of games, he always passes the ball infield or back to the defenders, and like Molina, this sequence becomes a loop throughout the game. I want to see cutting edge passes, dribbles and runs inside the opponent’s 18 yard box from both Tagliafico and Molina whenever they are given the chance. We can’t all wait for Messi to pull a rabbit out of the hat every time we need a big moment. The other players should be brave and step into their roles as World Cup winners and defending champions.
I believe competition is a good thing, it can bring out the best attributes in a player, so this is why I would like for Nico Paz, Barco, Simeone and Lopez to get some serious minutes on the field. This will push the other guys to be better.
The very obvious impression from watching this Argentine team is that it has no width in attack. None whatsoever – zilch! And I include Almada’s contribution within that comment.
Garnacho may be unreliable, however he played regularly this season for one of the richest clubs in the world – and he is capable of taking on and beating a fullback.
It seems insane to me not to have him available as an option from the bench.
Totally agree, Garnacho should have been included in the roster along with Buendia, Soule, and Parrone. Mediocre or out of form players like Almada, Medina, and Montiel shouldn’t be near the team.
Almada should give himself some time and should not start again in this world cup. He has been the weakest link so far.