“For the good of football, this will never happen again”

Lionel Scaloni offered his usual press conference this afternoon at the Lionel Messi Premises in Ezeiza before this Thursday’s match against Paraguay for the 11th day of the South American Qualifiers and, although he did not confirm the starting eleven, he noted that it will be “similar” to the one that came from beating Bolivia 6-0 on the previous date.

“I have almost decided on the team, it will be quite similar to the last game, but I have not confirmed it with the players. I have some doubts,” said the coach and added: “It will be a very tough match, Against an opponent who is doing well, that half of the field is important. They are tough rivals and they are in a good moment. Basically, the midfield is always important. “I don’t think it’s any different from other games.”

It should be remembered that in connection with the rivalry against Bolivia in Buenos Aires, the goalkeeper returned. Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez after FIFA’s double sanction date and the only doubt is the inclusion of Leandro Paredes in midfield or add JUlian Alvarez in offense to Lautaro Martinez and Lionel Messi.

When asked about the comparison he used Gustavo Alfarocoach of Argentina Paraguay who said that the ‘Albiceleste’ is like “humidity”, the coach said: “More than a metaphor, I understand that it means that we can hurt them at any moment of the game. Of Paraguay I think in addition to being a team that has historically been difficult for us, it also has great players. This is not a team with unknown players. Most play for important teams. The teams of Gustavo “They are organized, they know what they are playing and that makes it difficult.”

Scaloni He also referred to the controversial inclusion of streamer ‘Spreen’ in last Monday’s match at halftime Deportivo Riestra and Vélez Sarsfield for the Argentina tournament: “You have to be as sincere as possible. I think that everyone is the same. I saved my debut in the First Division as one of the best moments of my life and that, everything is said the same, how much does it cost to get there.”

The choice of Argentina He added: “That said, I think the Ethics Committee will do something about it, I think it will be exemplary and please: don’t let it happen again. For the good of football, for those of us who love this sport, with no disrespect to anybody, I don’t think it needs to happen again, I think it needs to stay there, I hope that’s the case from where I’m standing.”

About the lack of minutes as a starter that he has Leandro Paredes in Rome He emphasized: “We are not talking about his present. This was a date… We just started training yesterday and today is our most important training. We are more focused on preparing for the game. In any case, we never get involved in the decisions of every football player to switch clubs or stay. “We value the present.”

And it continued Scaloni about Walls: “It’s true that he’s not enjoying the minutes he wants and it’s true that there was a very close match in the Qualifiers. We opted for him to come and be with us so that he can contribute to us. Obviously, the everything from here to Next date is important to have continuity no matter where they play.

In relation to the early elimination of Inter Miami in the MLS ‘playoffs’ and how it will affect Lionel Messi He stated: “I don’t know when MLS will end in the final stages, but we are talking about a two-week difference, which does not mean much. The National Team is not affected because we are playing now and we are not coming back until March. I have a feeling they could reach the finals, but nothing really changes at half-time.

And in relation to the ban on wearing Messi’s jerseys by the Paraguayan authorities at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium this Thursday, he thought: “Logically, the footballer and the Paraguayan football fan want to wear their team’s shirt, but I think Leo He is stronger than all that and he will see t-shirts of Argentina. That doesn’t mean they aren’t swollen Paraguay. It’s good that football people recognize him for what he is and you don’t become a fan of him just because you have his shirt, it’s just for him. No need to mix.”

“It’s not the teams fault”

For his part, in reference to the number of matches in the annual football calendar, the native of I bargained He said: “It is clear that the fault does not lie with the national teams. Sometimes, the teams pay the consequences, as well as the clubs, but they are not after a match with the national team. If there is no Copa América or World Cup, the teams play some games. It’s in the Europa League, the Champions… Almost every player has a game every three days. And that’s logical.”

Scaloni He stated: “We as coaches cannot do much. It is evident that we will have to sit down at some point and see what solutions are given. In particular, we come from playing September, October and November, we come from playing the Copa América, they have no rest, they have traveled everywhere and what is happening (the injuries) is very difficult on a physical level National team matches should not be close, especially for those in South America.”

Finally Scaloni gave references about two specific cases: first the summoning of Enzo Barrenechea: “He is a midfielder who can play as a central midfielder, as a double contender, as an 8. He has an important physique. It will be good for him to be with us and join the games in Valencia. His appeal is part of the search for players who will be with us in the future. Now, he is training and we will continue to see him. Even though we know him, it is important that he relates to his teammates and he does it well. Let’s see if he will be a part of the two games. “He is with us and, at the moment, he is getting to know his teammates.”

And then he said the call Facundo Medinawhich was summoned at the last minute due to the casualties of Germán Pezzella and Lisandro Martínez: “I want to emphasize that Facundo He got the ticket just because he wanted to… They laughed, but it’s something important in these moments we live in. For us this is a great thing. He was not part of the pre-list and he did everything himself: he went to talk to his coach, got a ticket and arrived this morning. This is a message above all to his colleagues.”