Hear
A few hours before the game against Guatemala, the last test for the United States Copa América which will start next Thursday, the coach of the Argentine national team, Lionel Scaloniconfirmed Lionel Messi among the starters for this Friday’s match, which will be played at FedEx Field in Maryland.
“Leo is going to start. We already spoke with him, and based on how he is, we will see the number of minutes. If he can play the entire game, the better,” the Argentina coach made clear in the press conference he gave in Washington. Messi entered the second half in last Sunday’s 1-0 victory against Ecuador, in the friendly that was played in Chicago. “What do we expect from him? The usual thing, that he plays football, that he associates with his teammates, and that he is comfortable on the field, that he is comfortable with the team,” Scaloni added about the captain’s participation.
Scaloni, who on Saturday must announce the final squad for the Copa América, also referred to the situation of Guido Rodriguez and of German Pezzellasince both had physical problems so they were in doubt. “They responded well.”. It is evident that they are guys who have given us a lot. The important thing is that they are well. Tomorrow (Friday) we will see it. We will try to give them minutes and see how they respond, because training is one thing and the game itself is another. And we will see the minutes that the guys we want to see are on the court, not just them, see how they respond. In principle, if they are fine, they would be, yes,” he explained.
The coach’s words reduce the unknowns to a minimum for the list of 26 players who will compete in the Copa América, since Rodríguez and Pezzella were among the six in doubt, but after being practically confirmed by the driver, there would only be one place left to resolve. and only one of these four players will enter: Leonardo Balerdi, Valentín Barco, Ángel Correa and Valentín Carboni, and very possibly it will be one of the last two mentioned.
“This match is going to be the last test to finish defining the list. We have it quite clear, seeing how this week’s training went. They have responded quite well. We took this game because logically anything can happen, and if the boys are available, we will make the decision later,” Scaloni added. The coach has not yet announced it to the group: “We will look for the moment. I don’t know when I’m going to say it. It is important to know how the players end up, if a player ends up with discomfort and maybe the doctor will tell you ‘Look, let’s see how he gets up tomorrow’. Or maybe not. Maybe after the game everything is calm. When we have made the decision, and if everything is fine, I will communicate it upfront as we have always done, and always with deep pain, because whoever is there and whoever is left out surely deserves to be there, but they only go 26″.
Of course: Scaloni did not hide his annoyance when asked about it by Angel Di Maria, who will say goodbye to the Argentine team in the Copa América. “We are not going to talk about what is going to happen, he has to enjoy being here. We are thinking about when he is not there and he is playing, there are games ahead, the important thing is that Ángel is happy here,” he said bluntly when asked about the Benfica winger.
Other phrases from Scaloni:
THE NATION
