Argentina is first in the qualifying round 2026 World Cup with 18 points and this Tuesday will have a tough match against Colombia at the Roberto Melendez Stadium in Barranquilla.
According to the criteria of
Lionel Scalonithe Argentine coach, has been able to put together a strong, solid group that has won the World Cup in Qatar and the last Copa Americas. Here are the key points of the group.
1. Solidarity team
Lionel Scaloni joined the Argentine National Team in 2019. His hiring generated doubts and journalists attacked him with everything as soon as he was appointed. He managed to build a solid team, strong in defense, that took advantage of the talent of Lionel Messi, but that did not depend on the star to shine. On Thursday they beat Chili, in their first game without Leo and Di Maria since 2006.
Lionel Scaloni
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2. The ‘Dibu’, more than a ‘show’
Beyond his controversial gestures and provocations, Emiliano ‘Draw’ Martinez He has proven to be a great goalkeeper, making up for a deficit Argentina had in previous years. He has only conceded two goals in the entire qualifying round; both in the 0-2 home defeat against Uruguay. He is brilliant at closing in and knows how to play with his feet. He is a complete goalkeeper.
Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” MartÃnez was another who complained about the poor condition of the pitch.
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3. Solid foundation, there is renewal
Scaloni has more than defined the base with which he works in the current qualifying round. Argentina is the team that has used the fewest players in the current qualifiers: 26 players have played at least one minute (Colombia, for example, has 31). And little by little he has been finding replacements, with players like Alejandro Garnacho.
4. The midfield presses and creates
Argentina has midfielders who know how to play and score, with Alexis MacAllister as a key figure: they are players who know how to play out the field, they feed the attack and when they have to score, they do well. They are an aggressive team, with 55.4 balls recovered per game so far in the current qualifiers.
Alexis MacAllister
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5. Strong attack, has replacement
Now without Di
MarÃa, who retired from the national team at the end of the Copa América, and with Messi temporarily out due to the injury he suffered on July 14 in the match against Colombia, Scaloni has two very strong attackers, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, who also know how to perform defensive functions to put pressure on opposing defenders.
Julian Alvarez
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