This Copa America could be the last for Lionel Messi, and so many on the Argentina national team want to win this tournament for the 34-year-old.
A former player on La Albiceleste, Gustavo López, spoke to AS where he touched on what he sees from this squad as the group stage wraps up and the knockout rounds will begin this upcoming week.
One of the first questions is how the former forward provided his thoughts on how he’s seeing the Copa America this season.
“It is different, it is strange, it is strange, but there is no other. There is enough that is being done, from suspending it in Colombia and Argentina to play, it is already an achievement,” López said.
Then the conversation went into the Argentine side, coming off two FIFA World Cup Qualifying draws where they had the lead in both fixtures. Nonetheless, Lionel Scaloni’s squad has picked up two wins and one draw to kick off the tournament.
“The National Team goes at times, the first minutes, 25-30 of the first half, very good, with a high block pressure, activation after loss, having pass options and accumulating them, having very good partnerships between Lo Celso – De Paul – Messi – Lautaro. I see a brave and daring team and above all with the distribution of spaces in those minutes, where they usually get the goal,” López said.
“But from there I think he takes a step backwards, it is also true that you cannot have the same rhythm and in the second half it does raise doubts because it is a team that has resources, not only in the starters but in the substitutes And it generally costs her something more, it costs her to be daring, but I see her well and with great ambition, with a great effort and predisposition to work, with young people, something that takes a process and must be sustained, it is a good role that Scaloni is doing.”
López then discussed how he sees Messi as the 34-year-old who remains the driving force offensively for this squad.
“Enormous. [Messi] is a player who looks super happy; you can see him in his face, you see him in games and in his performances. He is a significant player for any team and even more so for the Argentine National Team,” López said.
Finally, López gave his opinion on how far off Argentina is from Brazil and whether they can defeat the Seleção.
“It depends; I see Argentina very close from the first minutes. Afterward, it is true that Brazil is very competitive, with a lot of quality from three quarters onwards and that it has been working together for several years,” López said.
“They have an extraordinary midfield with a brutal Casemiro. Still, Brazil generates doubt in defense, especially with his central and full-backs, who have offensive participation but who have a lot of danger behind them but is still a very balanced selection in all their lines. Argentina can compete and have very good minutes. Argentina plays mini-games and has to sustain what it has been doing in the first minutes.