Rodrigo De Paul back in Argentina starting XI for the World Cup | OneFootball

Less than two weeks before their World Cup debut, Lionel Scaloni seems to have cleared up one of the main questions in midfield. After a period in which he lost prominence and even started on the bench in some friendlies, Rodrigo De Paul has worked his way fully back into the coaching staff’s plans and now looks set to start in the World Cup opener.

It is still a significant sign. Just a few months ago, in the friendlies against Mauritania and Zambia, the midfielder had been pushed down the pecking order and watched much of the action from the bench, an unusual situation for one of the most important players of this era. At the time, his level was far from what he had shown in Qatar, and internal competition had intensified.

However, the picture changed as the weeks went by. De Paul significantly raised his level in the final stretch of the semester with Inter Miami, regained consistency, and once again offered the physical intensity that made him an indispensable piece for Scaloni. His improvement coincided with a new assessment by the coaching staff, and today he appears to be ahead of Leandro Paredes in the race to claim a place in midfield alongside Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister.

The situation, in any case, is also shaped by a physical issue that cannot be overlooked. Paredes arrives at the World Cup limited by the strain in his right hamstring that he suffered at Boca, which even forced him to play through difficulty in the decisive match against Universidad Católica in the Copa Libertadores. Although the midfielder is working to be fit for the opener, physically he will arrive with very little margin.

In that regard, with De Paul back, Enzo Fernández was the coaching staff’s choice to take the central role in midfield in the first training sessions ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Honduras. Alexis Mac Allister, as usual, was the other central component alongside the little engine.

For the first warm-up match on the road to the World Cup, everything suggests that the coach will once again rely on the trio that took shape in Qatar and was key to the title. The only doubt concerns the attacking structure: whether he keeps the traditional 4-3-3 or adds Thiago Almada to form a four-man midfield line. In any case, whether as part of the trio or out wide, the Atlético Madrid player is also considered a starter.

For now, what seems beyond doubt is that De Paul has reclaimed the place he made his own for much of this era. And for a national team looking to defend its world crown, that is no small detail.

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