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

Less than two weeks before the World Cup debut, Lionel Scaloni seems to have cleared up one of the main midfield questions. After a period in which he lost prominence and even started on the bench in some friendlies, Rodrigo De Paul has fully worked his way back into the coaching staff’s plans and today 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 cycle. At that 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 from the coaching staff, and he now appears 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 affected by the strain in his right hamstring that he suffered at Boca, which even forced him to play through difficulties 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 only just make it.

In that regard, with De Paul back, Enzo Fernández was the one chosen by the coaching staff to take the central role in midfield in the first sessions leading up to Saturday’s friendly against Honduras. Alexis Mac Allister, as usual, was the other inside midfielder alongside the “Little Engine.”

For the first warm-up match on the road to the World Cup, everything suggests the coach will once again rely on the trio that became established in Qatar and was key to the title. The only doubt concerns the attacking setup: whether he keeps the traditional 4-3-3 or brings in Thiago Almada to form a line of four midfielders. In any case, whether slotting into the trio or playing out wide, the Atlético Madrid player is also considered a starter.

For now, what seems to leave no room for doubt is that De Paul has reclaimed the place he made his own for much of this cycle. And in 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.