Despite having been in the National Team’s concentration in the United States, Angel Correa, Valentín Barco and Leonardo Balerdi were this Saturday out of the final roster for the Copa América by decision of coach Lionel Scaloni.
The absence of the Atlético Madrid forward was the most surprising, while the inclusion of Valentín Carboni, 19 years old and with an outstanding performance in the friendly against Guatemala, It is the great novelty.
In addition, Paulo Dybala, Thiago Almada, Juan Foyth and Alejandro “Papu” Gómez, other world champions in Qatar 2022, will not be there either. to defend the title in the United States.
“I am very happy, very grateful to the coaching staff, to my teammates,” he declared excitedly. Carboniwho in his second game with the Scaloneta He made his debut as a starter in the friendly against Guatemala and earned a place on the team thanks to his talent and projection. His left-handedness was one of the decisive factors for his call-up.
Pampering Carboni
The young footballer, who He had an outstanding season at Monza in Italy, he made the most of the opportunityas he showed skill and danger on the right wing, generating several scoring opportunities.
They even committed a penalty scored by Lautaro Martínez, who said about Carboni: “I know him from Inter, he has trained with us for two years. A fixed year and He has shown all the quality of the player that he is. He has to keep learning, but “It has more than enough conditions.”
Own Lionel Messi praised Carboni: “He is a different player, much more trained and with barbaric quality. He is present and future; you have to take advantage of itas well as many boys who come with a lot of strength,” declared the Argentine star.
Besides, The absences of “Colo” Barco and Balerdi were more predictable, because their stay depended on the recoveries of Marcos Acuña and Germán Pezzella.
Correa’s case is different, since his exclusion was completely unexpectedconsidering that he had played a few minutes in the 1-0 victory in the other friendly with Ecuador.
“The list is always thinking about what is best for the team,” said Scaloni, and assured that “Decisions were made based on performances in matches and training”; He also mentioned the complications faced during preparation and how these influenced the choice of those summoned. Regarding Carboni he said: “He can contribute a lot to us.”
More world champions outside
Dybala’s is another absence that resonatedgiven that the forward of Romawho played a crucial role in scoring one of the penalties in the final against France, He was not called up for strictly football reasonsdespite being physically fit.
Since the World Cup in Qatar, the Cordoban suffered several injuries that kept him out of the squad in six games.
The case of Almadafrom Atlanta United of the MLS, He is particular, since he is the captain of Javier Mascherano’s U-23 and it is in full preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Gameswhere he will wear the iconic number 10 shirt.
Foyth, from Villarreal, was also left out due to his limited participation in the National Team after the World Cup. The defender dealt with a chronic right shoulder injury who required surgery at the end of last year and that complicated his recovery. He was only called up for the friendlies against Curacao and Panama last March.
Finally, “Papu” Gómez completed the group of excluded. The midfielder was suspended for a doping case that came to light months after the World Cup. The two-year sanction was due to a positive test for a prohibited substance, which according to Gómez, came from a syrup he took without consulting the club’s doctors. This situation marginalized him from professional competition.
