Lionel Scaloni sharpens his pen: which world champions could be excluded from the Copa América?

The level of the rivals is not at the level of the world champion team, but at attention Lionel Scaloni he refines the performance of all his players in equal measure in every training session and in friendly matches against El Salvador and Costa Rica of this US tour coming to an end. There’s no more time. Soon you will have to get out your pencil and paper again to write and submit the final list for the America’s Cup which will begin on June 20th in Atlanta with the opening match between Argentina and Canada.

It will be no more and no less than the defense of the first of the three crowns of the Scaloneta. And this is the last FIFA window in which the technical director of the Albiceleste can make his observations, draw conclusions and finish polishing his chosen ones.

“We don’t lack players for the Copa América, in fact we have many. “It’s a big problem putting together the squad list.”said Scaloni during these days of work on North American soil in which, an absolute novelty, he was able to see up close and at length some young talents who seem to be the future replacement of the Major.

He good problem, as Pujato’s original coach defines it, has to do with the fact that he will inevitably have to commit injustices by leaving out names that he knows deserve to be there. There are 23 players who will make up the final list, three fewer than the 26 who achieved glory in Qatar on 18 December 2022.

The first question that Scaloni asked himself internally was how much will change from one list to another, i.e. from the World Cup to the Copa América? The answer is implicit precisely in this last quote in which a very high percentage continues to correspond to the World Cup players. And so it will also be in this new continental competition for national teams.

There won’t be much turnover. Most world champions, with Lionel Messi at the helm, have their places secured. Attention, therefore, begins to be placed on specific cases.

There are two players who were unable to be on Arab soil due to injury, but who are a staple in the Argentine team: Giovanni Lo Celso and Nicolás González. Both are in the United States now, and if there are no setbacks, they will be in the middle of the year.

Always taking the World Cup list as a reference, they will take the place of Alejandro Gómez, disqualified for a doping case, and Thiago Almada, who is one of the faces of Javier Mascherano’s Under 23 team that will play the Olympic Games. in France from 24 July.

In the arc, Emiliano Martinez and Franco Armani They are calm. The issue is with the third goalkeeper. Gerónimo Rulli has lost ground after surgery for a dislocated right shoulder in August last year. From that moment to today, Rulli has saved two matches: a pre-season friendly with Ajax in January and one with Ajax B in February. If he managed to return to the ring in the next two months he would be chosen by Scaloni. Otherwise, Walter Benítez adds beans to Juan Musso.

Among the players on the pitch, the coach and his collaborators are preparing the gap to cut to three with respect to Qatar 2022. If the idea of ​​taking two men per role was followed, there are cases that would not pass the filter. One is that of John Foythwithout adding minutes this year after right shoulder surgery in December.

Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico and Germán Pezzella They have a guaranteed place. It is assumed that Marcos Acunareturning from a myofascial injury to the rectus femoris of the left thigh, he will be present if he returns without physical problems.

Cases similar to Huevo are those of Gonzalo Montiel, author of the decisive penalty in the final against France, and of Lisandro Martínez, who asked to participate in the first part of the tour despite being struggling with the last stretch of recovery from the injury in medial collateral ligament of the knee. Just in case, Scaloni tried Nehuén Pérez at right back against El Salvador. And Marcos Senesi (mentioned and then sent off for a tear) is one of those targeted by the coach just in case at central defence.

Guido Rodriguezlast minute addition to this tour due to the loss of Exequiel Palacios, He is the one who would be left out of the June meeting. The physiognomy of the Argentine midfield has changed since the World Cup. Now Scaloni has Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister, as well as Leandro Paredes, in the central midfield role. All three can also perform other intermediate tasks. If Palacios was well he would be called up, otherwise Rodríguez would take him. Rodrigo De Paul is untouchable, obviously.

Above the question seems very clear: Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Julián Alvarez and Angel Di María are starters. Paulo Dybala is one of the figures that Scaloni has cited since he took office. Injuries (he has five in the season) do not allow him to have continuity in the national team and for this reason he was disillusioned with this double day of friendlies. However, if he is well, he will go to the Copa América.

If he were to be absent again due to force majeure, the door would open for one of the new faces, given that Angel Correa (who arrived in Qatar due to the loss of Joaquín Correa) seems on the run today. Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Buonanotte are the guys who most seduce the coaching staff and put pressure on them to be taken into consideration.

If they ultimately fail to make it, they could be part of the Olympic delegation, as long as their clubs allow them. Valentín Barco and Valentín Carboni are in the same situation.

The names are on the table. There are many, as the Argentine coach said. There will only be room for 23.