Scaloni prepares a “mixed” list for the Qualifiers

The idea of scaloni is to “give a hand” to mascherano Given the severe commitment that the U-23 team will have to face in January next year in Venezuela, which will host a Pre-Olympic soccer competition for the first time in which only the first two of the 10 will qualify for the Paris 2024 Games South American participants.

But since the Pre-Olympics and the Olympic Games themselves are not competitions that are under the orbit of FIFA, then the clubs do not have the obligation to give up their players, and it is at this point that the alternative path devised by the world champion technical director begins to carve.

For the clubs to have the obligation to hand over their under-23 footballers, they are not summoned to train in a selection of that category, since impediments could arise for them to hand them over, but instead they are summoned for the largest on date FIFAthe institutions cannot refuse.

That is why this “alternative path” that was already taken in March of last year when Argentina participated in France in the traditional Esperanzas de Toulón tournament (now called Maurice Revello) will now be taken again, but not only for this September window, but for the two subsequent ones this year by Qualifiers, which will take place in October and November.

Thus, while the usual World Cup squads (with some additions and/or withdrawals as well), train with scaloni, these sub-23s will do it with mascherano, looking for themselves in those spaces of time that they can also play a friendly game.

Argentina will start the South American Qualifiers on September 7 against Ecuador at the River Plate stadium starting at 9:00 p.m., while on the 12th they will visit Bolivia, starting at 4:00 p.m., at the Hernando Siles stadium, in La Paz, at 3,650 meters above sea level. the sea level.

The total list of summoned will come out in principle after the first date of the Professional League Cup that will start tomorrow, and the objective is to achieve a friendly for those led by mascherano against the Ecuadorian sub-23.

As for the world champions, in principle there will be most of those who were champions in Qatar, with obvious exceptions such as the goalkeeper Geronimo Rulliwho underwent surgery on his right shoulder today and will not be available until next year, and someone else who was left out of the group nucleus during that contest such as Alejandro “Papu” Gomez.

While others will arrive strengthened by their new presents, especially those who grew up in the most important league in the world, the English one, such as Alexis MacAllisterwho went to Liverpool; Enzo Fernandezalready entrenched in Chelsea, or even his own Marcos Acunawho in the next few hours will sign his contract as a new Aston Villa player, where he will be a teammate Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez and Emiliano Buendía.

The man from Mar del Plata is also recovering from a serious ligament injury and therefore cannot be considered by scaloni until next year.

The sub-23s that, on the other hand, are in the particular orbit of Mascherano and general of Scaloni and that may be in this call are Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolás Paz (Real Madrid), Tiago Geralnik (Villarreal), Luka Romero (Milan), Matías Soulé (Juventus), Franco Carboni and Valentín Carboni (both at Monza, from Italy), who were already in the aforementioned summons of March 2022.

And to them may be added others of great present such as Lucas Beltran (the former River Plate today in Fiorentina, from Italy), Valentine Boat (from Boca juniors, intended by none other than Manchester City), Federico Redondo (Argentine Juniors), Augustine Giay (San Lorenzo), Juan Gauto (Hurricane), Brian Aguirre (Newell’s), Benjamin Dominguez (Gymnastics La Plata) and Tomás Aviles (former Racing Club today at Inter Miami).

They are also on the lookout Bruno Zapelli (, ex Belgrano, from Córdoba now in the Brazilian Athlético Paranaense), the Boquenses Ezequiel Zeballos and Christian Medina and the hurricane santiago hezzetogether with the former Rosario Central, Alejo Veliz (at Tottenham Hotspur) and Facundo Buonanote (from Brighton and Hove).

It is “a priori” simple for the senior team to qualify for the massive World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada 2026, since 48 teams will participate and South America will have six places, with the option of one more for playoffs.

But on the other hand, it is difficult for the sub-23 to go to the Olympic Games in Paris next year, since the two places available out of 10 contenders, are added to the negative history that the sub-20 teams of mascherano in the past South American and World tournaments, of which several of those mentioned above took part.