Well time to revive this thread. Twenty five years without a trophy. It is criminal. The country continues to produce top end talent. Well maybe aside from goalkeepers although Portau of Estudiantes is a bright hope and Axel Werner is getting plenty of football now at Huesca.
What is most upsetting is that the young players who should have been in Russia this summer are now being picked by interim manager Lionel Scaloni (because Gareca had enough of waiting for the AFA who have not got the proverbial pot to pass water in).
Lo Celso and Asascibar are two bright hopes the former who played zero minutes at the World Cup while Die Maschine was overlooked for those two midfield engines of Biglia and Mascherano.
Nicolas Tagliafico and German Pezzella are the captaincy candidates and both wonderful people off the pitch. So much youth coming through. Added to which Dybala and Icardi have a chance to claim their spots now. Ezequiel Palacios is another candidate for the midfield but he along with several other youngsters need to make the right career choices in terms of their development.
Far too many kids jump to Europe early. They don't play enough first team football at a crucial time for their development and often enough end up wasting their potential. Tagliafico is one who managed to resurrect his career after leaving Banfield moving to Murcia where he was hardly use before resurrecting himself at Independiente.
Underlying this is still the AFA and its President Claudio Tapia. It is still not fit for purpose. Tapia himself is a non descript fool who never ran anything more than a small local club in Argentina. The organization needs total reform with people who understand football development and football as a business (especially with this upcoming 2030 World Cup bid with Uruguay and Paraguay) and honest gentlemen like Zanetti, Batigol and company running it. Not shady individuals whose own interests are deemed more important than that of the Albiceleste.
I also think it's time for Messi the GOAT to hang up his boots for Argentina. For next years Copa just Kun and Otamendi should return from the older guard along with the superb Armani in goal.
Will be missed but never forgotten. Gracias Leo.
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