Washington (dpa)
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has confirmed that he is not concerned with the results of his team’s previous matches against Ecuador, ahead of their upcoming match in the Copa America 2024, stressing that his team will work to harm its competitor.
The Argentine national team, the title holder, will meet its Ecuadorian counterpart in the quarter-finals of the tournament, which is currently being held in the United States, in the city of Houston.
“We look for a way to hurt our opponent, that’s always our way,” Scaloni said during the pre-match press conference on Friday morning.
“The matches are not the same, we have to look for different ways to hurt our opponents, I don’t know if it would be good or not to face Ecuador again,” Scaloni added.
The coach who won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina in Qatar stressed: “I don’t believe in statistics. Ecuador is a team that works very well, has very good players and a good coach.”
Argentina, who are aiming to reach the semi-finals for the fifth consecutive time in the Copa America, have never lost to Ecuador in their previous 16 matches in the tournament, with the “Tango Dancers” winning 11 and drawing 5.
Argentina’s last victory over Ecuador in the competition dates back to the previous edition, when the companions of the Argentine magician Lionel Messi won 3-0, before making their way to winning the title for the 15th time in their history.
Scaloni highlighted his team’s winning cards, saying: “There are a lot of players who play in different areas of the pitch. Alexis Mac Allister can play in two or three different positions. He has a tactical approach and a goal, which is why he sometimes plays forward or back. He is an intelligent player and we like that.”
He added: “Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez are in good shape, both were able to transform, I hope they continue like this, we are very satisfied with the contribution of both of them.”
Manchester City star Alvarez opened Argentina’s scoring in the 2024 Copa America against Canada, before Lautaro Martinez scored the remaining five goals scored by the Argentine national team in the competition so far.
Lautaro Martinez leads the scorers list in the current edition of the tournament with 4 goals, as the Inter Milan star is two goals ahead of his closest pursuer.
Scaloni also spoke about the success of Argentine coaches with South American teams, including Marcelo Bielsa, Fernando Batista and Nestor Lorenzo, who led Uruguay, Venezuela and Colombia respectively to the knockout stages in the empty Copa America.
The Argentine coach said: “South American teams pay great attention to Argentine coaches and this is a good thing. I know them and they are good people, and I am happy that they are doing a good job.”
Argentina qualified for the knockout stage of the competition, which it shares the record for the number of times it has won with Uruguay, with 15 titles, after topping Group A with 9 points, achieving a perfect score.
Argentina beat Canada 2-0 in the tournament’s opening match, before beating Chile 1-0 in the second round, and then Peru 2-0 in the group stage finale.
#Scaloni #threatens #Ecuador #harm
