Happiness went hand in hand with tiredness. The Argentinian players ended up very exhausted after the victory against Australia and now there will be five days without football to regain strength and prepare for the quarter-final match against the Netherlands. But, apart from the tiredness, Saturday’s tough crossing left a broken starter. Alejandro Gómez has sprained his left ankle slightly and will have to wait for the swelling to subside. The good news is that, barring problems, Lionel Scaloni could recover Angel Di María.
Four minutes into the second half, Papu was forced out (Lisandro Martínez came on to put together a row of five defenders). “I twisted my ankle, too bad because I couldn’t continue. I preferred that someone enter who could obey. It’s a sprain, I hope it can be fixed these days” Gómez said after the match.
He was the one chosen by the Argentine coach to replace Di María, who was not available in the round of 16 due to a quadriceps overload suffered against Poland. Indeed, Fideo hasn’t even put on his boots at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan city. Nor did he warm up, despite him being on the bench.
Apart from being seated with the rest of the substitutes, Rosario was not there to enter. He lived it as one more to share it with others and not have to see it from the back of the bank.
Hopefully, Di María will be able to return to the bench on Friday at Losail Stadium, the same scenario in which the national team played against Saudi Arabia and Mexico. A quick reading, appealing to the logic of role by role, would indicate that Scaloni would put him for Papu Gómez. However, we will have to see what the DT born in Pujato has in mind to counter those led by Louis Van Gaal.
Scaloni is demonstrating that it is necessary to play the formation from one game to the next, depending on how he sees his coaches and also on the characteristics of his current rival. Could there be further changes? There are high points to which it would be strange not to give continuity, beyond Lionel Messi. Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, are names that have earned their place in this World Cup and continue to perform.
But it will be a week of four training sessions (after Sunday rest) in which we will certainly see various tests. The last word will be Scaloni.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.