Maximiliano Uria
06/10/2021 7:01 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 06/10/2021 7:01 AM
In the double round of the South American Qualifiers, against Chile and Colombia, the Argentine National Team stayed halfway: it did not finish playing well or badly and scored fewer points than it deserved. There are positive issues and others to adjust, of course. But a sensation is beginning to appear and it can be dangerous:
the team, as an idea and defined headlines, fails to take hold
and the time of massive tests continues, when it is presumed that it should be a matter of the past. In this context, the Copa América that begins on Sunday can function as the final consolidation tournament of the work of Lionel Scaloni and his coaching staff.
Scaloni is no longer a rookie coach looking for an idea and a roster. 942 days (and 27 games) have passed since Claudio Tapia announced that the one born in Pujato would take over the National Team, on August 2, 2018. From the interim, it was passed to ratification and the long-awaited renewal was achieved with constant tests.
The next step is the one that is costing the DT the most.
The impression is that the team cannot overcome the stage of multiple trials and
the Qatar 2022 World Cup
is increasingly on the horizon.
In the last interviews he gave, Scaloni affirmed that the squad he formed is better suited to the idea of possession football.
However, in the duel
against Chile in Santiago del Estero he opted for a 4-4-2
with two vertical players on the wings, such as Di María and Ocampos.
Something else: he did not try to connect the full-backs (Foyth and Tagliafico) to the middle of the court to achieve superiorities that help the circulation of the ball.
On the other hand,
against Colombia in Barranquilla, a more patient team was observed
with the incorporation of Lo Celso as inside, plus two full-backs (Montiel and Acuña) with a marked offensive vocation.
Messi is the leader of the National Team.
(AP)
Modifications of tactical drawings are not presented as a negative issue as long as the idea is clear and firm.
That's where DT needs to dig deeper so as not to get confused.
It is perceived that Scaloni is a coach who likes to change according to the rival.
That may be one of the foundation stones of his philosophy.
But it is insisted: what should not be in doubt is the North.
There is no basis for the team, beyond the fact that the 3 years of work will soon be completed.
Or more precisely: the base exists in the middle.
And it is that Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martínez make up the central axis of
the midfield and the attack.
The rest is a great puzzle.
Those who are in the day-to-day running of the National Team point out that Franco Armani is Scaloni's starting goalkeeper.
The River player continues to test positive in the swabs and that is why he did not save.
Emiliano Martínez broke in, having a great year in England, and had a good performance against Colombia.
Nobody knows what will happen immediately.
The coach has declared on more than one occasion that his goalkeeper is Armani
and that he has not done anything wrong to lose the title.
Martínez, Romero, Paredes and Nico González seem like numbers placed in the National Team.
(AFP)
Most of the doubts are presented on the defensive line.
Nicolás Otamendi
is the most titular of all, despite the fact that his present is not ideal. Of
Lucas Martinez Quarta
was a celebrated appearance, but went from starter against Chile (left at halftime) to be out of the bank in Colombia. Now the one who dazzled everyone is
Cristian Romero
. On the sides the fight is centered between
Montiel and Foyth
, on the right, and
Acuña and Tagliafico
, on the left. But what Scaloni must define before is what kind of wingers he wants for his idea.
A
Lucas Ocampos
happened something like that Martinez Quarta: a holder was sidelined.
Angel Di María
, meanwhile, ceased to be deleted from the starter.
Lo Celso
does not finish confirming how much he promises and
Palacios
is haunted by injuries. What remains unchanged is the
Paredes-De Paul
tandem
. The duo may like more or less, but there is an idea there and the coach supports it.
And among the various positive issues that the Scaloni cycle has been giving away,
Lionel Messi
is the most remarkable.
The DT managed to get the Rosario to commit to a new group and managed to naturally assume his role as leader.
La Pulga
is perceived as happy
.
It remains that he plays closer to the goal, that he ceases to be a permanent hitch to alternate with the lethal scorer outfit.
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