After a couple of games in the Copa América, Lionel Messi and Argentina are far from the version of the team that was crowned world champion in 2022.
In defending their continental title, Lionel Scaloni’s side have shown a lack of finesse in their playmaking. They also have a deficit in terms of depth on their full-backs. And there is some concern about the condition of Messi’s right adductor muscle.
With qualification to the quarterfinals assured in advance, the Albiceleste has room to continue getting in shape to face the decisive battles in the United States event.
The immediate mission is to secure top spot in Group A, something that could be confirmed on Saturday when they face Peru in Miami, Messi’s adopted home after signing last year for the city’s MLS club.
Peru is coming off a 1-0 loss to Canada to sink to the bottom of the table, losing defender Miguel Araujo to a red card and has captain Luis Advíncula in doubt due to an Achilles tendon injury.
To sum it up, Argentina has a favorable situation at hand to do two things at the Hard Rock Stadium: preserve Messi and other starters, as well as test variants that could be useful in the direct elimination phase.
If he does not play on Saturday, the Argentine captain and number 10 could accumulate eight days of rest before facing his quarter-final opponent. That match will be on July 4 — Independence Day in the United States — in Houston and Ecuador and Mexico loom on the horizon as opponents.
The Argentine team in southern Florida is awaiting the results of the tests that Messi underwent to determine whether his discomfort is a contracture or if he suffers from something more serious.
The Inter Miami striker hinted at the possibility of taking a break from the cup after the agonizing 1-0 victory over Chile last Tuesday in New Jersey. It was when he also revealed that he had suffered from a sore throat and fever in recent days.
“We have to see how these days go, how I’m recovering,” he said. “We took an important step to be calm, classified, there are many games in a row, many trips, we will begin to think about what is coming.”
In his seventh Copa América, Messi is waiting to open his scoring account. He has had bad luck with shots that have gone off the post or slightly wide, but he has participated in every action that led to the three goals scored by Argentina, two by Lautaro Martínez and one by Julián Álvarez.
“He is very active and very dangerous… He is doing very well,” said Ricardo Gareca, the Argentine coach of Chile.
The Albiceleste have struggled to break down the tight blocks that Canada — winning 2-0 in the opening match — and Chile put in place to defend themselves.
In midfield, Enzo Fernández was out of place when he replaced Leandro Paredes against Chile. Although he provided the assist for the first goal against Canada, Alexis Mac Allister has been disconnected from the attacking area.
More alarmingly, the full-backs Nahuel Molina, Marcos Acuña, Nicolás Tagliafico and Gonzalo Montiel do not provide depth.
So far, the strong points have been provided by the responses of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez when he has been challenged and the reliability of centre-backs Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez.
Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul pointed out the difficulty they have had in finding space.
“We try to analyze the rival, but we see that they change against us,” said De Paul. “They close a lot, we need more touches, we can’t play at the pace we want. “I wasn’t fit to give something to the team.”
Scaloni, who brought forward a rotation of players, highlighted the attitude to get results.
“Argentina, whenever the game gets tough, doesn’t back down,” he said. “We have that guaranteed, because we have to believe in our football and keep playing. The team has that built in, it keeps trying.”
