Argentina coach Lionel SCALONI has confirmed the starting eleven against Iraq.
Sergio ROMERO will start as the goalkeeper and while no Mauro ICARDI in the line-up, Paulo DYBALA of Juventus gets the start. Here’s the confirmed team.
ROMERO; BUSTOS, PEZZELLA, FUNES MORI, ACUNA; MEZA, VAZQUEZ, DYBALA; Lautaro, DE PAUL.
This would be the first cap for Rodrigo DE PAUL of Udinese.
Nicolas BURDISSO has retired as a professional footballer after 19 years.
Former Argentina international and Inter player Nicolas BURDISSO has announced his retirement at the age of 37, through a post on social media. He played for five clubs throughout his career, one in Argentina and the other four in Italy.
🇦🇷⚽️Gracias a Todos ⚽️
🇮🇹⚽️Grazie a Tutti@⚽️ pic.twitter.com/vBg4gYFUbk— Nicolas Burdisso (@NicoBurdisso_8) October 10, 2018
He started off with Boca Juniors and played for the senior team from 1999-2004 before joining Inter. He stayed five years with Inter and joined rivals AS Roma until 2014 before joining Genoa for three years. He finished his career with Torino, spending one season.
With the Argentina national team, BURDISSO was capped a total of 49 times between 2003-2011 where he scored two goals. A member of two World Cup squads, he was there for Germany 2006 and was part of the 2010 World Cup tam. He won the 2001 FIFA U20 World Cup as well as olympic gold at the 2004 summer games.
Juan FOYTH has joined the Argentina national team for the first time, after having to be left out of last month’s squad due to injury.
The former Estudiantes de la Plata man is finding it difficult to get minutes at his current club Tottenham, but Argentina coach Lionel SCALONI doesn’t appear to have a problem having him in the team. Following a training session in Saudi Arabia, FOYTH spoke to the media about the team’s upcoming matches against Iraq and Brazil. Here’s what he had to say:
About the match against Iraq:
“We know that Iraq is a strong team and wearing this shirt, you can’t ever relax because when you relax, the worst thing happens.”
FOYTH also commented on the match against Brazil:
“It’s not a friendly. It’s one of the most important matches in the world and we will do our best to make the national team look good.”
Argentina coach Lionel SCALONI has tried out two different formations in training with a possibility that we see both in this week’s friendly matches.
With SCALONI having most of the players available, he tried out two formations while training in Saudi Arabia. The first one, per Ole, is rumored to start against Brazil.
ROMERO; SARAVIA, FOYTH, KANNEMANN, TAGLIAFICO; ASCACIBAR, PAREDES; MEZA, LO CELSO, CERVI; ICARDI
Ole does note that Manchester City’s Nicolas OTAMENDI is not yet with the team and he might feature in that eleven. The second formation, which could start against Iraq is the following:
RULLI; SALVIO, PEZZELLA, FUNES MORI, ACUNA; PEREYRA, BATTAGLIA, VAZQUEZ; DYBALA; SIMEONE, Lautaro MARTINEZ.
It is being rumored that SCALONI would use two different sets of players for the two matches.
Former Argentina coach Jorge SAMPAOLI spoke about managing the team, coaching Lionel MESSI, the World Cup, the AFA and much more.
In an interview with Marca, the Jorge SAMPAOLI had nothing but good things to say about current AFA president Claudio TAPIA. He also commented on his future. Here’s what he had to say about it all:
“I took some time to analyze my time with the national team, to analyze it after the World Cup. I needed that analyzing to make things clear to myself about my future and that’s why I moved away from the media life. But I didn’t stop going to the movies or having a coffee and to my face, no one criticized me.
“The load that this group had to carry was too heavy. We were all pushed into an obligated path which was too difficult to get the best out of the talent and we suffered in every match.”
Jorge SAMPAOLI’s thoughts on Argentina during the World Cup and while players were left out of the team:
“We were with an immediate need of winning and there were other players (coming) from Brazil (2014 World Cup), with a final behind them. And short term, I had bet on them. We had a map of 100 players for the short term, medium term and long term. But they cut us off after Russia.
“The World Cup was very premature for us. We qualified and very quickly came Russia. We didn’t have much time for anything, including the option to integrate new players for the future.”
In regards to coaching Lionel MESSI, here’s what SAMPAOLI said:
“Being able to coach MESSI was incredible, especially to see him so committed. He suffered a lot when we didn’t win. The best player in history was very committed. Leo suffered like no one else the impossibility of being (world champion). Having him forces you to have no margin of error when it comes to winning.”
On if Lionel MESSI can win the 2022 World Cup:
“Of course he can be champion. But this needs a process, especially after everything which has happened. It’s to say, if the Copa America isn’t won, you have to keep the process going, don’t break it. Enough of this crazyness of if you don’t win, you’re a loser. And it’s not like that. If you believe it, you could win even if it’s late. But you have to believe.”
In regards to Javier MASCHERANO and others making decisions:
“I took it as an honest decision in order for Argentina to prosper as a group. I looked for every way possible to involve the group, to try and get the players to get the weight of not winning off their shoulders. That anxiety that prevented them from developing individually and collectively. One thing were the training sessions, which were at a very high level and the other were the matches, where we couldn’t maintain our level of play.
“I believe everyone that was there was honest in their contribution. And myself as well. I put a lot of heart into it but it didn’t happen. In terms of adversity, I learned a lot for the future.”
Jorge SAMPAOLI spoke about AFA president Claudio TAPIA and he does not blame him for what happened.
“I am thankful to him for giving me the chance. The president of the AFA, Claudio TAPIA, also lives in a world of obligations, of necessity in which I was also in. What could I possibly claim from Chiqui (TAPIA) if in a way he is also a victim of the Argentine society which exists?”
He also spoke about his future:
“I am basically waiting for a project that would make me enjoy once more my job as a coach. That is to say that I could, from the bench, make changes to a team, colelctively and individually, like I did every where I have went: Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Sevilla… I want to go back to that. Furthermore, I watch a lot of football.
“I would like to go back to coaching and be close to the players, but a national team with the chance of making changes to things, like I did in Chile, is something which also seduces me. I want to analyze well where I go. I had no contacts with anyone from Mexico or Colombia.
Support the site, win prizes, and be part of the Albiceleste family!
