Lionel Scaloni offered his usual press conference this afternoon at the Lionel Messi Premises in Ezeiza prior to this Thursday’s duel against Paraguay for the 11th day of the South American Qualifiers and, although he did not confirm the starting eleven, he noted that it will be “very similar” to the one that came from beating Bolivia 6-0 on the previous date.
“I have almost decided on the team, it will be quite similar to the last game, but I did not confirm it to the players. I have some doubts,” said the coach and added: “It will be a very difficult match, Against an opponent who is doing well, the half of the field is important. They are a difficult rival and they are in a good moment. Normally, the midfield is always essential. “I don’t think it’s different from other games.”
Lionel Scaloni, this Wednesday at a press conference in Ezeiza
It must be remembered that with respect to the duel against Bolivia in Buenos Aires, the goalkeeper returns Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martínez after the double sanction date by FIFA and the only doubt would be the inclusion of Leandro Paredes in midfield or add JUlian Alvarez on offense with Lautaro Martinez and Lionel Messi.
When asked about the comparison he used Gustavo AlfaroArgentine coach Paraguay who said that the ‘Albiceleste’ was like “humidity”, the coach said: “Beyond the metaphor, I understand that it means that we can hurt them at any moment of the game. Of Paraguay I think that, in addition to being a team that has historically been difficult for us, it also has good players. It is not a team with unknown players. Most play for important teams. The teams of Gustavo “They are organized, they know what they are playing and that makes it difficult.”
Scaloni He also referred to the controversial inclusion of the streamer ‘Spreen’ in last Monday’s match between Deportivo Riestra and Vélez Sarsfield for the Argentine tournament: “You have to be as sincere as possible. I imagine that everyone thinks the same as me. I have saved my debut in the First Division as one of the best moments of my life and that, everyone said the same , what it costs to get there.”
Messi, training with Argentina
The selector of Argentina He added: “That said, I think the Ethics Committee is going to work on this, I imagine it will be exemplary and please: let it not happen again. For the good of football, those of us who love this sport, without disrespecting anyone, I think it doesn’t have to happen again, I think it has to stay there, I hope that’s the case from where I stand.”
Regarding the lack of minutes as a starter that he has been having Leandro Paredes in the Rome He emphasized: “We are not talking about his present. This was a date… We just started training yesterday and today was the most important training we had. We are more focused on preparing for the game. In any case, we never get involved in each player’s football decisions to change clubs or stay. “We value the present.”
And it continued Scaloni about Walls: “It is true that he is not enjoying the minutes that he would like and it is true that they have been very close matches in the Qualifiers. We opted for him to come and be with us so that he can contribute to us. Obviously, everyone knows that from here to Next date it is important to have continuity regardless of where they play. We need everyone to have continuity.”
In relation to the early elimination of Inter Miami in the MLS playoffs and how it can affect Lionel Messi He expressed: “I don’t know when the MLS would have ended in the final stages, but we are talking about two weeks of difference, which doesn’t mean that much. It doesn’t affect the National Team because we play now and we don’t return until March. I have the feeling that they could have reached the finals, but absolutely nothing changes at half-time.”
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And in relation to the prohibition on wearing Messi’s jerseys by the Paraguayan authorities at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium this Thursday, he reflected: “Logically, the footballer and the Paraguayan football fan would all like to wear their team’s shirt, but I think that Leo He is stronger than all that and he is going to see t-shirts of the Argentina. That does not mean that they do not swell Paraguay. It’s good that football people recognize what he is and you’re not going to be a fan of him just because you have his shirt, it’s just in honor of him. There is no need to mix.”
“It’s not the teams’ fault”
For his part, in reference to the number of matches in the annual football calendar, the native of I bid He stated: “It is evident that the fault does not lie with the national teams. Sometimes, the teams pay the consequences, as do the clubs, but they are not after a national team match. If there is no Copa América or World Cup, the teams play few games. Already with the Europa League, the Conference, the Champions… Almost all the players have games every three days. And that influences, it is logical.”
Scaloni He stated: “We as coaches cannot do much. It is evident that we will have to sit down at some point and see what solutions are given. In particular, we come from playing September, October and November, we come from playing the Copa América, they have not had rest, they have traveled everywhere and what is happening (the injuries) is normal. These six months were very difficult on a physical level. The national team matches should not be so close together, especially for those in South America.”
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Finally Scaloni provided references regarding two specific cases: first the summons of Enzo Barrenechea: “He is a midfielder who can play as a central midfielder, as a double contender, as an 8. He has an important physique. It will be good for him to be with us and join games in the Valencia. His call is part of the search for players who can be with us in the future. Today, he is training and we will continue to see him. Even though we know him, it is important that he relates to his teammates and he is doing it well. We’ll see if he will be part of both games. “He is with us and, for now, he is getting to know his teammates.”
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And then he told the summons Facundo Medinawhich was summoned at the last minute due to the casualties of Germán Pezzella and Lisandro Martínez: “I want to emphasize that Facundo He got the ticket just because he wanted to… They laugh, but it is something valuable in these moments we live in. For us it is something great. He was not part of the pre-list and he did everything himself: he went to talk to his coach, got the ticket and arrived this morning. It is a message above all to his colleagues.”
