From uncertainty to tranquility. The day after the classification of the Argentine National Team for the quarterfinals of the America Cup thanks to the agonizing triumph over Chili fans were in suspense for the health of Lionel Messi. The world champion captain suffered a strong contracture in the right adductor, but the studies carried out in the very locker room of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey showed that there is no muscle injury.
Just because he is healthy does not mean that the coach Lionel Scaloni and the entire medical staff think about giving him rest against Peru next Saturday in Miami, a city that received the Scaloneta this Wednesday afternoon, under a gray overcast sky and a permanent storm threat, even with visible electrical activity. Be careful, the threatening weather did not prevent directly from the airport, the players will train at Barry University, about 30 minutes from the concentration hotel.
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The captain of the National Team spoke in a mixed zone and was far from calm.
But let’s go in parts. The first peace of mind had been given by Messi himself, before the microphone of Clarion, in the mixed zone of the city of New Jersey. “Now I’m going to see. I think so. It bothers me a little, but I was able to finish playing so I hope it’s nothing serious,” he responded when asked about the ailment that caused him to suffer, as he confessed, in the first game. peak of the night against the trans-Andeans.
“I finished well, although a little sore. I wasn’t completely loose. It bothered me a little. Tomorrow I’ll see how we continue. It was difficult for me to move freely. And then your head starts to play because you start to think about the puncture. But let’s see,” he concluded.
There was another statement that caught Messi’s attention, because he doesn’t usually reveal these details, but he considered it appropriate to find the origin of the discomfort. “It came out of nowhere, I’ve had a sore throat for a couple of days, a fever and maybe that took its toll on me. It’s not something old or something I had, it’s a contracture, we’ll see,” he confessed.
The time of the ‘Europibes’?
Now Messi would have a whole week of rest, because the quarterfinals will be on the 4th in Houston (if he wins group A) or the 5th in Arlington (if he is second). “That’s why it’s good that we qualified. There are several games, we’re making long trips, many days in hotels, resting badly…” he explained.
The concrete thing is that Scaloni can afford to give his captain a rest at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The coach already warned: “Now we can make other kids who deserve it play.”
There is another detail, which is the players who were booked. Lisandro Martínez (vs. Chile), Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso (both vs. Canada) were booked, so they have to be careful not to miss the quarter-finals.
There is 18 of the 26 players summoned who already had at least one minute on the court. Only six accumulate one hundred percent of the time (Dibu Martínez, Cuti Romero, Licha Martínez, De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Messi).
All this, then, would open the door for the ‘Europibes’ to debut in the Copa América. It is that so much Valentin Carboni -which continues its good performances in each practice since this process began almost a month ago- as Alejandro Garnacho could have action. One would go from the starter and the other as a replacement.
What would that eleven be like? Draw Martínez; Gonzalo Montiel, Germán Pezzella or Lucas Martínez Quarta, Nicolás Otamendi, Tagliafico or Acuña; Exequiel Palacios, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández; Valentín Carboni, Lautaro Martínez and Ángel Di María.
