Mascherano and the job of keeping everyone happy: 'Many times, the one who is outside is more important than the starter'

Little by little, the climate of the World Cup begins to take over San Juan. The calm of the extra long weekend ended on Monday when a group of 200 fans approached the hotel where the National Team concentrates to encourage and ask for a photo or an autograph. As always, Javier Mascherano, Luka Romero and Valentín Barco, in that order, were the most applauded.

Also the coach is changing chip trying to leave behind the joy for the large area of groups that the team made and to start focusing on Nigeria, the tough opponent of the second round at the Bicentennial stadium. Masche knows that, first of all, it will be a physical and long-term duel. That's why try different variants.

What the coach seems to have defined is the tactical scheme: he will lean towards the 4-2-2-2 with which he played the first two games instead of the 4-3-3 with which he started against New Zealand. But there are guys struggling to get into the headlines, including Luka Romero, Gino Infantino and Federico Redondo.

"In a competition like the World Cup, you have to change according to the opponent. So, welcome be the good level of the boys. The higher the individual performance, the more the level of the team will rise," Mascherano explained on San Juan soil. He added: "It's a guarantee to know that, if a problem arises during the game, you have variants on hand in the bank. Changes are always made for the better and that's what I try to make the boys understand. I know that for a player it is not nice not to start in the starting eleven, but many times it is more important who is outside than the one who starts.

Luka Romero and Valentin Barco have fun in Argentine practice. photo Emmanuel Fernández

The doubt will be cleared on Wednesday, minutes before 18. Only then will we know what will happen to Romero, the sensation boy. In principle, the left-hander of Lazio would start on the bench of substitutes because Mascherano is very satisfied with the World Cup that Matías Soulé has been doing, the hooker of Juventus. Both fight for a position because they always played in the same sector: hooking lying on the left wing. The driver on the opposite side is Valentín Carboni, who takes a small advantage from Gino Infantino, the Rosario Central midfielder who had a great performance against New Zealand.

The difference between what Soulé and Romero can give is very subtle. The Juve player is more passer and positional, while Luka is more vertical and steps with greater weight the rival area (he scored 2 goals in 132 minutes in this World Cup). It happens that, by strategy, Mascherano prefers to give space to run to Valentín Barco, so the presence of Soulé becomes more necessary. Another alternative is that Soulé and Romero share the court and Carboni is the one who leaves the team, although neither of them has played on the right in this tournament, as if he has, for example, Infantino.

Federico Redondo's chances of getting into midfield are more remote. For the coaching staff, the permanence of Mateo Tanlongo is vital for a physical and characteristic issue: against the Nigerians a brand midfielder will be needed. The runs of the Africans can be dangerous, hence the need to have a 5 who knows how to occupy the spaces well in defense. Redondo, it is known, is a creative midfielder. Máximo Perrone will keep his place.

And above there is no doubt: Alejo Véliz and Brian Aguirre, the strikers of Rosario Central and Newell's, are the starters.

San Juan. Special Envoy