Scaloni and a practice for making decisions that can mark the route of the national team to the World Cup

The hours pass here, in Doha, and the conviction is very clear that what happened at the outset was a lesson that left clear messages and signals that must be collected and taken into consideration for Saturday. Indoors, the Selection Argentina has lived moments in which it chewed struggles, swallowed poison, reflected and analyzed.

But this Thursday, in training at 18:00 in Qatar (00:00 in Argentina), the time has come for Lionel Scaloni to make decisions. The changes are coming in a team that has shown obvious shortcomings, especially from midfield to defence. Who goes out and who comes in?

For the first match it was clear that the Albiceleste coach played for the traditional formation, including the usual names, those that come out of memory if it is necessary to say what is eleven o’clock staggeredbeyond the fact that the DT repeatedly remarks that nobody is untouchable except Lionel Messi.

What we saw confirmed it many have not reached one hundred percent from the physique. It’s not that some took the field injured, no. But he had a noticeable lack of pace due to coming in with no laps as he was recovering from his injuries. There have been more remarkable cases than others, such as those of Cristian Romero and Leandro Paredes.

Both had suffered muscle strains at their respective clubs (Tottenham and Juventus) in October and have boarded the plane with no activity for the past three weeks. It is the evil that many players suffer in this atypical World Cup. Either that or risk a serious injury that could have sidelined them.

Neither man had a strong showing in the 1-2 draw with Saudi Arabia, although it is clear they were not solely responsible for the unexpected crash at Lusail Stadium. There was also low performance in players with travel.

Here because, Scaloni has revised everything. And she plans to move the bank because another loss would mean going home. He knows. He has already proven that his wrist doesn’t quiver when he chooses whether to put together a roster or a lineup. And as far as he could find out clarionthis will not be the exception.

Cuti Romero could be one of those men who make way for the entry of Lisandro Martínez. That was one of the changes made after the two Arab goals on Tuesday. He also sent Enzo Fernández and Julián Alvarez onto the field. The one from Benfica left a very good impression and could make the headlines.

Instead of whom? It would be surprising if at the first opportunity he gave up on a name that is a bulwark of this cycle like Paredes. But if you put in the balance that the situation is all or nothing, it adds to the story of Scaloni to make strong decisionsshould not be excluded.

Another option is to be Alejandro Gomez which leaves its place on the grass. The scheme would thus pass from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, with Enzo as an internal midfielder completing the central trident with Paredes and Rodrigo De Paul.

Other locations under the magnifying glass are the sides. Gonzalo Montiel is an alternative for Nahuel Molina on the right. Another story is that of the left sector, without a fixed owner. Nicolás Tagliafico didn’t finish a bad performance (in a weak general context), but Marcos Acuña would have given him more projection.

These are decisive hours for Argentina. The coach will start defining the team that will play the first step to put the classification on track. It can’t fail.

Doha, Qatar. Special delivery.