How has the Argentine National Team fared in the last five games without Messi? :: Olé

As a result of the discomfort in the adductor suffered against Chile and, taking into account that Argentina is already in the quarterfinals of the Copa América, it is known that Lionel Messi will not play against Peru, next Saturday in Miami, to close the group stage. On the 10th he will rest. While doing kinesiology work, hoping to evolve favorably for the next instance meeting, in Ole We are going to review the last five absences of today’s Inter Miami man from the National Team. What did Scaloni do and how did it go for Argentina?

Let’s go from the most recent to the oldest. Messi could not be present on the National Team’s tour of the United States last March, when he had been out of the fields for almost 24 days due to a muscle problem (hamstring) in his right leg. Argentina did not have any major problems, as it faced rivals of lesser hierarchy such as Guatemala (3-0) and Costa Rica (3-1). ?How did Scaloni replace him?

For the first match they had the following formation: Draw Martínez; Nehuén Pérez, Cuti Romero, Tagliafico, Nico González; De Paul, E. Fernández, Paredes, Lo Celso; Di María and L. Martínez. 4-4-2 for that friendly.

For his part, for the second match, the native of Pujato used: W. Benítez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Lo Celso, Mac Allister, E. Fernández; Di María, Álvarez and GarnachoIn this case, 4-3-3.

In 2023, Messi was absent on two occasions. One due to injury, the other was released by the coach himself so he could start his holidays in the middle of the year. He was not part of the 2-0 against Indonesia on a tour of Asia (he had been in the 2-0 vs. Australia). The eleven on that occasion: Martínez; Molina, Romero, Pezzella, Medina; Palacios, Paredes, Lo Celso; Buonanotte, Álvarez, N. González. Another 4-3-3.

Then, in September, did not sign the roster against Bolivia in the Qualifiers: 3-0 in La Paz. The number 10 had been injured against Ecuador in the debut and was not considered for the match at altitude. He accompanied the team and even watched from the bench, but he did not enter. Superb collective performance. The formation? Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul, Mac Allister, Fernandez; Di Maria, Alvarez and N. Gonzalez. Again, 4-3-3.

Finally, the absence in 2022 was double. After 22 consecutive games within the team, already champion of America, Messi, who was at PSG at the time, was dropped by Scaloni as he was not 100% recovered from Covid. Thus, the coach had to intervene in the matches against Chile and Colombia in the qualifiers, with two victories: 2-1 and 1-0. What did the LS do in each one? With an established team and no pressure to win a title, he opted for a 4-3-3 formation with optimal results. Di María and Toro Martínez as fixtures in attack, changing to the left wing (Ocampos and N. González).

2-1 vs. Chile: Martinez; Molina, Otamendi, L. Martinez, Tagliafico; De Paul, Paredes, Gomez; Di Maria, L. Martinez and N. Gonzalez.

1-0 vs. Colombia: Montiel, L. Martinez; Pezzella, Acuna; Di Maria, L. Martinez and Ocampos.

It is known, he already said it in a conference, Scaloni will put in an alternative eleven to take care of players thinking about the quarterfinals. Nor will he be the best of all. How will Argentina line up against the Incas?