Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni spoke at a press conference on Thursday before the team’s Round of 32 match against Cabo Verde at the World Cup.
Lionel Scaloni held a press conference on Thursday where he spoke about the team’s match against Cabo Verde in Miami, Florida. Speaking to the media, here is what he had to say:
“We are excited like everyone else but we have an opponent to respect.
“The one who loses goes home and we have to take that into account. Very close matches are being played, it’s not going to be easy.
“Cabo Verde is a team that hasn’t lost and against Saudi Arabia they even deserved to win. They block passes well and know how to break on the counter. They are a good team.
“Maybe it would have been better to play it at night because of the heat but the temperature is the same for both. We don’t complain about that.”
Scaloni also spoke about Lionel Messi:
“The team creates many chances. Leo is not only a great player but also one of the team’s forwards. We try to get everyone to score but the important thing is what we have been creating.”
As stated by many people here, we will need creativity to break open a tight defence with many players in and around the box. Without wingers that can dribble past defenders and strikers that aren’t in the best form, someone suggested we should use Nico Gonzalez and Simeone to provide width. I agree to a certain extent. They can create space for those in the middle, but gambling on crosses would be a mistake. Statistics show that crossing from open play is hugely inefficient, only 1 open cross out of 91 leads to a goal on average (the research can be found on the internet). Let’s therefore hope Scaloni fields our 2 most creative players, Messi and Paz together upfront. Once the deadlock has been broken, Alvarez and/or Lautaro can come on because Cabo Verde will have to come forward and more space will appear.
Enjoy the game today!
Paz / Lo celso should start instead of Almada.