Smiles, good vibes and luxuries: postcards from Argentina’s first training session in Atlanta :: Olé

Installed, ready, now. The Argentine National Team has already tested the playing fields of Atlantacapital city of the state of Georgia where he will take his first step in search of the two-time American championship.

A rehearsal in which smiles abounded and that allowed Lionel Scaloni to finish fine-tuning the footballers who came with less training as a result of various physical problems. Imponderables that led the department to wait until the last day to announce the list of 26.

For the coaching staff, physical leveling is important since they have players who had a fairly heterogeneous load in the last year. Not only because of the physical problems but also due to the heterogeneity of realities of the clubs in which they participate.

Therefore, while some need to moderate their efforts, others must intensify. One of the specific cases is that of Enzo Fernández: After his first 105 minutes of action post surgery for an inguinal hernia, the midfielder will finish fine-tuning ahead of next Thursday night’s premiere at the Mercedes Benz Stadium, against Canada.

In a similar vein is German Pezzella: OK with his microfracture in one of the toes of his right foot, the defender now must gain the brunt he did not have in the friendlies as a preventive measure.

Lisandro Martínez, for his part, took advantage of the previous tour to string together two consecutive starts after a season with little action due to his injuries and also needs to continue intensifying its tuning: it is undoubtedly a variant to be added to the last line in case the drawing eventually has to be modified.

And Messi? Leo is in great shape, he completed a semester in which he understood that he had to dose efforts to prioritize the Copa América in the long term and he seems active and plugged in.

The same as Ángel Di Maríawho starred in different managerial sequences in Georgia, had a direct influence on the attack both against Ecuador – great goal – and against Guatemala – assist – and wants to take advantage of the practices to try to get among the 11.

But the path has begun. There are only hours left to officially start a tournament that became the great ambition of 2024 for a team that wants to continue getting into history. In Atlanta he aspires to begin that dream takeoff.