National team agenda: staff monitor players hit by Europe’s schedule | OneFootball

With other national teams already having presented their official squads, Scaloni’s coaching staff is taking a bit more time and evaluating some players, not only because of injuries, but also because of the high level of form shown by some who are putting pressure on for a place.

What worries the coach most, and what is leading him to take more time than usual, is the injured players. He has already come to terms with the idea that several starters will arrive at the World Cup physically on the limit, some of them even barely fit. The grueling European schedule has taken its toll on the squad, and the signs are there for all to see.

The case requiring the most attention is Cristian Cuti Romero, who is recovering against the clock from an injury to the lateral ligament in his right knee, suffered at Tottenham in mid-April in an accidental collision with his own goalkeeper, Antonín Kinský. The squad’s physiotherapist, Luis García, made a special trip to his home in London to oversee a personalized rehabilitation program. Right now, the defender is being monitored from Córdoba, where he arrived at the start of the week to watch from the stands at the Kempes the Apertura final next Sunday between his beloved Belgrano and River.

Cuti Romero is progressing in his recovery with just over a month to go before the World Cup.

In that same infirmary is Nahuel Molina, who suffered a grade 1 hamstring strain at the end of the season with Atlético de Madrid. At Atleti, Julián Álvarez had also set off alarm bells during the Champions League semifinal against Arsenal, when a twist of his left ankle took the breath away from Diego Simeone and Scaloni himself. He now appears to have recovered, although the fear of a relapse never fully goes away.

In addition to the confirmation last Sunday of Gonzalo Montiel’s left quadriceps strain in the middle of River’s match, the national team also lamented this week the bruise to Nico Paz’s left knee that has been troubling him at Como since the visit to Hellas Verona, as well as Emiliano Dibu Martínez’s injury to the ring finger on his right hand, suffered before Aston Villa played the Europa League final, in which they ultimately became champions.

Dibu Martínez suffered a finger injury in the lead-up to the Europa League final. (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

“Today I broke my finger in the warm-up… I’d never broken a finger before. Every time I caught the ball, it went the other way. But well, these are things you have to go through”, he admitted on ESPN. This Thursday he will undergo an X-ray to determine the extent of the fracture, although people close to him told TyC Sports that he will have no problem playing in goal at the World Cup.

But not everything revolves around injuries. Scaloni is also keeping a close eye on players who keep growing and are making his job harder in a positive way: those pushing from within with their performances. The standout case right now is Emiliano Buendía, star player and newly crowned Europa League champion with Villa. Asked about his chances of making the World Cup squad, he was equally brief and mysterious: “The national team? We’ll see…”, he replied before taking the victory lap in Turkey.

A creative midfielder who has already been called up by Scaloni before, Buendía is part of the list of 35 reserves and is one of the dark horses with the best chances. But not the only one. Also in the running are Valentín Barco (with one foot in the squad thanks to his season at Racing Strasbourg and what he showed in the friendlies at the Monumental), Máximo Perrone, Gianluca Prestianni (he would miss the first two matches due to a UEFA suspension extended by FIFA), and Matías Soulé. They are all pushing. Scaloni watches, evaluates, and for now, remains silent.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.