Argentina Looks for New Blood Infusion Ahead of March Qualifiers
Argentina has enjoyed one of the most dominant runs in world soccer history. The core of the team is strong, but the need for youth injection has been something that Lionel Scaloni has been contemplating for some time. Lionel Messi may or may not play in the 2026 World Cup. Angel Di Maria is retired. In addition, some untimely injuries have caused Argentina's management to be concerned about depth, with two major March qualifiers coming up in Uruguay and home against Brazil. “We play too frequently,” Scaloni explained, “They, the players, have not had a break.” The Argentine national team players have been quite busy playing a hectic schedule over the past half year from the 2024 Copa America, World Cup qualifiers, as well as European league and tournaments.
Scaloni made it clear recently that the team has an opportunity to test some of their younger talents that he sees as a need to reinforce Argentina’s nucleus. No team repeats by standing pat, and Scaloni understands this. The schedule as we approach the final three months of qualifiers up to November is where most of the world's teams play more often. Scaloni sees this as the time to find answers to questions that have been hidden by team success. “As coaches of the national teams, we cannot do too much, “ Scaloni proclaimed, “But it is clear that, at some point, we will need to sit down and see what solutions can be found.”
The answers can only be found by seeing what Argentina has out there for their present and immediate future. The injury to Lisandro Martinez in England has thinned out their defense, along with Christian Romero’s hamstring issues. The offensive weapons that Uruguay and Brazil bring will be a threat against a weak back four. Argentina has to bring in some new blood to the squad if they have any serious ideas about winning a second straight World Cup. “If we want to think about the World Cup, now is the time to give opportunities to young players who haven’t been part of the team yet,” Scaloni admitted, “The core of the team is there, but…why not consider a young player who could contribute.” To bolster the back, where is one to look?
However, where to look? The U20 and U23 Nationals team is a good place to start to find the next generation. Scaloni can consider Valentin Gomez, a 21-year-old Centre-back of 2024 Argentine Primera Division Champion Velez Sarsfield. In addition, you have Alan Varela, who, at 23, plays defensive midfield for Marseille in France and is known for his transitional switches from defense to offense. To reinforce the attacking front, we can look at the U23 team that recently made it to the Semifinals of the Paris Olympics.
Two that stood out are number 10 winger and captain of U23’s Thiago Almada along with midfielder Claudio Echeverri, who together have impressed in international tournaments and have been a lethal duo in the tradition of Messi-Di Maria. They have a knack for scoring big-time goals and impacting games with their creative teamwork. Almada, playing for Lyon, can strike from midfield or the wing. He tends to feed 19-year-old Echeverri from Manchester United, who also attacks from midfield or forward and often returns the favor. At the recent U20 South American Championship, Claudio recently scored three times with two assists in five matches.
Argentina, at their best, usually have a playmaker to link their tough defenses and talented forwards. Messi for now is not certain that he will play in the upcoming World Cup, so this may open the door to two unique talents that may emerge as the new core in 20-year-old Nicolas Paz, the left-footed midfielder who plays for Como in Serie A. Paz has impressed with his speed of foot, vision, and use of space. Paz, born in Spain, won La Liga with Real Madrid, but his loan to Como has allowed him the playing time to explore his talents. In addition, Marseille midfielder Valentin Carboni, on loan from Inter Milan, is a ball-control magician who can thread the needle with his passes or attack from wing or center. In closing, you have the brilliant attacking prowess of Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, who is rumored to be going to Chelsea or elsewhere. At 20 years of age, he has already played on the main team but has not received the playing time to see what he can truly bring. These are the type of hybrid talents that Scaloni, the cerebral manager of the Albiceleste, is looking to explore further in 2025 as he looks to infuse a transfusion of talent to add to the current squad and, at the same time, build the future to come.
