Argentine NT: News, Stats & Players [R]

[AHORA] "¡Está buenísima!": el "Chiqui" Tapia compró una mesa personalizada con la Copa del Mundo. 🏆 https://t.co/K4Ujupg223 pic.twitter.com/NRfepnNLcm

— ElCanciller.com (@elcancillercom) November 3, 2025

 

I didn't watch it. Waste of time.


Same usual Scaloni favourites picked. The same stupid experiment with Gonsalez at LB which if he stupidly tries at the WC will get badly exposed.

Still plodding on with Otamendi, Lo Celso & de Paul when there are better younger options. You know because it's the old boys club.

We won't be able to defend the title next year because of it. Because of the managers stupidity & stubbornness. I'd have given Paz the whole game given game time to those who have not had it. We all know what Lautaro can do give the game to Lopez or Panichelli or play them with him.

Senesi ignored. He definitely is losing the plot Scaloni. Maybe it will take a big defeat by Spain just before the WC to wake him up.

As soul pointed out Valentin Gomez has been doing well at LB for Betis. Not a peep. Tag played CB at Independiente & then migrated to LBDo they really use the stat databases ? Give the kids their head like Paz. Let him control a game and see how he does.

Waste of time in all respects. Dragging Licha over when the best thing for him is to keep rehabbing in Manchester as well. The management set up is becoming a clown show like it was under Basile's second stint when the old pals brigade stood firm and pibes like Pastore could not get a look in.

Not to mention playing Angola. The fatty in charge is really an odious slimy creature. Angola is riven by corruption. Most of it's population live in poverty while a small rich elite & I mean very rich elite suck the blood of everyone else & get all the money from the natural resources they flog off particularly to China.

But it's a huge amount of money for the fat slob. No thought as to how best prepare the seleccion for the Mundial by getting the right opponents lined up. Not a murmur from Scaloni either.

And where will the money go ? It should be spent on improving youth facilities, womens football. a fund for helping older footballers who never earned much and many of whom are struggling with health issues caused by playing the game, development centres, funding youth coaches and so on.

I don't hold out much hope of retaining the title because like many former teams that have won the Mundial they have decided to go with the same core thinking the magic will repeat. It doesn't work like that. You need to always pick the best squad based on form and fitness not names and past glories.

 

What an odious slug. Whose money bought the table ?

And the old chums table. de Paul could be playing non league football and they would still bring him along. In the slugs mind he is the one responsible for all the glory. Yuck. All the old bad habits that plagued the seleccion and AFA are coming back. The bad habits that mean the side only has three World Cups instead of six or seven.

 

And he still hasn't learnt. Which is incredibly worrying. There's being laconic and then there is being stupid. Most of the time he is verging on the point of being stupid.

 

And those two donkeys probably already have a gold plated ticket to the World Cup so that they can laugh & joke with Messi and have a cup of mate every morning. de Paul is a caricature.

He, lo Celso & Otamendi should have already left the squad a year ago but they are still here sticking around like a bad smell. Meanwhile a real legend like Angelito did the honourable thing and hung up his boots and has pushed Rosario Central almost to a title. That's a great player.

de Paul. Cannot run, press or pass anymore. In the MLS retirement home.
Otamendi. Consistent at one thing making huge errors in positioning and is panned by Benfica fans but still makes it into the Argentina line up regardless.
lo Celso. Weak as water. Scores about 1 goal in every 15 shots. Cannot defend either.

 

You would have been lucky my friend to see them getting five minutes between them. It looks like we will have to wait for Scaloni to leave and a new coach to come in and make the changes needed and close the curtains on the Messi friends era.

 

And it exposes frauds like de Paul, lo Celso & Otamendi who should be nowhere near this side plus this stupid moronic idea that Nico Gonsalez is a left back.

 

This is why England have never played Argentina. Slug has always been asking for too much money & the FA here have played hardball. Fat slob has robbed me the chance of seeing Messi playing here again. Probably needs a gold plated lavatory to sit his massive backside on.

 

True, it seems that the CA 2024 victorious campaign could became a double edge sword. Yes RDP assisted the goal in semi, Paredes & Lo Celso helped to setup the winner in the final. The problem is, Lo Celso suddenly became a starter again literally because of that winning assist.

Its baffling how Scaloni actually rates players based of few moment of brilliance instead of consistency . We dont even ask for an overhaul, but at least put those few veterans on the bench where hopefully their experience could help us when coming from the bench.

At this point, players like Nico Paz & Soule should have been in starting 11. I dont mind Giu, he has been great this season and showed improvement, but Nico G is a deadweight much like Otamendi.

 

The only way the likes of De Paul, Otamendi, and Gio are out of the World Cup is that they have to be injured. Tucu Correa and Nico G would have been at Qatar had they not gotten hurt right before it. The likes of Dybala and Angel Correa would have stayed home.

Most of us see that De Paul and Otamendi are not worthy of playing but it is evident Scaloni thinks having the "boys" together outweighs talent. He thinks a fighting sprit will carry us home. It's kinda like a former great boxing champion fights too long and then gets demolished v a younger and hungrier fighter.

Scaloni, we will all be thankful for what you have achieved but him going on like this will absolutely be a stain on his legacy. Similar to Masche going on for too long. Plus, I think the likes of De Paul and Paredes are going to be goons on the TV over the next decade criticizing the seleccion talking about they do not play with enough heart and grit.

De Paul cannot be a starter nor can Otamendi. It is utter suicide.

 

I'm so frustrated. What's the point of calling up young players if Scaloni won't play or test them?

RDP played the entire match I think, but I have no idea what he contributes. He just vibes, argues with players and referees and constantly complains. Our midfield looks lifeless. Mac Allister has been poor too. I never thought I'd say this, but our best midfielders right now are Paredes and Enzo. We need energy, youth, and hunger in the squad. We’re set to flop in 2026 if this continues. Our midfield is so easy to overrun.

As much as I hate to say this, I hope we lose badly against Spain, it might be the only way to force Scaloni to rethink his approach.

 

I don't understand how there can EVER be an air of inevitability about ANY team winning ANY tournament. At best, you can be favorites, and the odds can be in your favor, unless we go into the realm of religious belief, where if you want it bad enough, it must happen.
But taking into account the long and crippling prior history, that seems even more odd. Then again, there's no legislating how someone feels, is there?

 

It's by following the team day by day, logic, vibes and gut feeling really.

All the evidence for those posts are in this forum.

 

I'm seeing posts that if we start the likes of Gio Lo Celso, RDP and Otamendi, we will flop hard in the WC. Except for Gio who I think has kept the same level since 2021, RDP and Otamendi have not dropped their level that drastically to the point where we will crash out hard - RDP and Otamendi had their best European season in 24/25 which is very recent. It's a ridiculous thing to say that we will flop in the WC and an overreaction.

Are there players who I think should start over them? Yes. I also think they all have a place in the squad. Even if they do start, I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

Scaloni even started Lisandro ahead of Otamendi in the Copa 24. Even if there are decisions that I disagree with Scaloni and he's definitely not perfect, I think Scaloni, of all people, deserve our trust - he definitely has mine.

 

That is a stone-cold fact. RDP may be coasting it in the MLS right now and preserving himself, but this idea that there will be a precipitous/catastrophic drop from him that would cost the World Cup is absurd. And I still doubt that Otamendi will be a starter, but I, for one, won't be shaking in my boots if he is called upon to deputize. He is the team's best threat in the air, a squad leader, and I trust him not to lose his nerves in a penalty situation. He is and should be untouchable.

 

Gotta remove logic from that list though, because there can never be a sure thing in such propositions, logically.

 

The one thing that we have going for us are that most of our players who won in 2022 should still be in their prime. Alexis, Enzo, Romero, Dibu, Licha, Julian, and even Lautaro etc are all relatively young - so we’re not going to go in with a past-it bunch of players like other previous champions.

Add to the mix Almada, who really steps up for us, with others coming through like Paz, who I think will get his chance if we are down in a game (unfortunately it might take that), my feeling says we should win again.

I thought Perrone was really good the other day in his cameo as well.

The one thing I’ve learnt is that more often than not, the most technically skilled team does not win the World Cup. There of course needs to be a really high technical level, but mental toughness and team chemistry are two intangibles that are just as important.

I do believe that that is key for us - we have a team that as tough as nails mentally, after a period of 30 years where we produced some of the finest silky performances, but folded as soon as things didn’t go our way.

Maybe France and Spain have more technical attacking players than us, but their defenses can be had - and mentally I believe we are the strongest side in world football right now.

 

The issue is that anytime I watch our side play, we are just not even trying. The lack of effort is appalling. The midfield looks very average, the backline gets stretched and our attack becomes very stagnant. Last time around, I felt that we had a mission and everybody played with some type of character.

 

You are absolutely correct. I just hope that’s a function of winning everything where for the players it’s just kind of going through the motions for the qualifiers and these atrocious meaningless friendlies rather than actual decline.

We will find out at the WC, but I hope they can all be locked in and ready when that time comes.

 

Its no coincidence the last time we looked motivated was when we beat Uruguay & Brazil. We qualified after that round so its natural the guys simply just going through the motion in the remaining spare games.

There's few who always looks motivated such as Cuti , Lautaro , Julian and Paz (when he does plays) but the rest of them particularly the midfielders are are just too lazy to make some runs.

Its no coincidence aswell we had lackluster last game in qualifier 2002, 2006, 2014 because we already qualified. In qualifier 2010 we needed to win the last two games, hence they looked motivated & desperate. 2018 was the same, the stack was high and the odd was againts us, yet we beat Ecuador convincingly.

 

This is my main gripe on some of the cynical fans. They acted as if majority of the squad are 35-38 year olds. Apart from Messi and Otamendi , the rest of the squad are still relatively young. RDP and Paredes would be in their early 30s, hardly an ancient age. Lo Celso isnt even 30 . I dont get this obession of continuously looking for a new guys as if the entire squad needs an overhaul.

My only issue with Scaloni is that he refuse to give extended minutes to the young players he picked for the remaining qualifier games and all recent friendlies. He did gives extended minutes for Paz and Mastantuono like... once I think? if you do bring young or new players, then why not starts them or at least play them for 45 minutes? like Paz sitting on the bench the whole game against Angola while RDP playing full minutes? that's just dumb decision. You could see Paz looking frustrated as he didnt give any reaction when Lautaro scored.

 

In 2022 qualifier we finished with 39 points, scored 27 goals. In 2026 qualifier we finished with 38 points and scored 31 goals. I dont know why some people thinks we're much worse than in 2022 cycle... Imagine finishing 9 points ahead of the second place but thinking we're in big trouble and will crash out early at WC... what a great mindset lol

Nevertheless, Finalissima should be a good barometer to test our true level.

 

This is my issue with Scaloni as well. Although he did play a few pibes/new players during the June, Sept., Oct and Nov. window, I expected a lot more experimentation during that period and more testing of players in positions that we lack (coming to my mind are the LB and RB positions).

Plus selecting the wrong player or selecting too many players that have similar profiles imo. I like Mastantuono, but we have a bunch of his profile in the squad, and the team is lacking a dribbler like Soule in the squad.

Scaloni probably has his own reasons for doing the things that he does, but whatever they are, it's hard to justify them from where I am seeing. I'm hoping that whatever he decides, it goes well and for a guy like Scaloni, I am definitely going to give him that trust.

 

I did some digging because I saw a canceled match between ourselves and Australia was scheduled for the 17th but it was scrapped.

So, now it is rumored after the Finalissima we could play a friendly in India. Initially, we were supposed to play Australia on the 17th of Nov in Kerala but the field or whatever did meet the requirements.

Australia is not a bad game but to fly from Qatar to India after a cup match to play a friendly is foolish. Why not just play both games in the Gulf States?

 

And Nico G as an LB will never work. In fact I dont think he actually offers anything at this point and is simply there due to Scaloni's prioritizing camaraderie. Giu Simeone has been way better than Nico G this season and as you said, we dont too need too many players with similar profile. I'd easily take Giu & Soule & eliminates Nico G.