Martino calls on upcoming players, assures Houston will see Messi in action
La Albiceleste face Bolivia later today in Houston, Texas for their first international friendly since losing to Chile at the Copa America finale in July. The defeat was the second disappointment at a major tournament since their second place finish to Germany at the World Cup one year ago. Head Coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino spoke with the press Thursday to discuss the players and the team plans ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifying games.
“The mental aspect is not an issue for me,” Martino said about rallying his players. “If we won the Copa America, it would be the same. We are coming to Houston to work and compete. Each player called up to the team is proud of it and has enough motivation just to wear the shirt of Argentina.”
The former FC Barcelona Manager will be testing new strategies in Houston and next week in Dallas against Mexico, while seeing how new players are integrating into the squad. Though pressed for the starting 11, the Argentine remained coy, saying “I keep this reserved in case of any minor injuries within the next 24 hours.”
The national team was recently ranked number one in the world by FIFA for the third month in a row. Most of the same squad from the Copa America matches was named minus a few changes announced this week.
A mutual decision led to Angel di Maria remaining in Europe to prepare for the upcoming season with his new club team, Paris Saint Germain. Gonzalo Higuain remained in Italy due to a stomach virus, while Pablo Zabeleta, Javier Pastore, and Lucas Biglia are recovering from injury.
Their star jewel, Leo Messi, announced his participation amidst cheers from fans in America who missed him during FC Barcelona’s U.S. Tour last month. Messi had come under fire following the Copa America, as rumors of a possible hiatus from the national team swirled in the media. The recently awarded UEFA Player of the Year was quick to deny the rumors, confirming he would be available as long as Martino wanted his services.
Martino in turn assured Houston would see him in action Friday, despite the star having had little rest since Barcelona’s Champion League win in June.
“Messi’s used to playing 70 to 80 games a year,” Martino said. “I don’t think it will affect in any sense what he will do for us. Of course, as a national team coach, I would like to have the team players with more rest but it doesn’t happen that way, especially with the national team.”
Besides the attention grabbing star, Carlos Tevez will also be playing, testing a new position further behind the traditional number 9 role he plays with Boca Junior in Argentina. Athletico Madrid’s Angel Correa will be making his first appearance with the A team, with other called players River Plate’s Matias Kranevitter, Benifica’s Nicolas Gaitan, and San Lorenzo defender Emmanual Mas.
“Regardless of the injuries mentioned, I was planning to call these players that I’ve had on the list for a long time,” Martino explained. “In these practice sessions I am able to assure that they know the system and concepts that we need to instill in them, the lifestyle to be part of the Argentina National team and the identity in representing their country where football is number one.”
As with Mexico, Bolivia will be directed under a new coach Julio Cesar Baldivieso. Previous Manager Mauricio Soria led the team to reach the quarterfinals at the Copa America, but soon after parted ways with the Bolivian FA over disagreements.
“I would like to see Bolivia with the same process they had in 1994 when they went to the World Cup,” Martino added. “They had a strong national team, but I haven’t seen that in the last few years. I really think that supporting the national team is key, a process that can take years to get them there, but if that was not happening, they wouldn’t be playing the game.”
The 7:30 p.m. match Friday at the 22,000 capacity BBVA Compass Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo and Dash, quickly sold out though fans lined the box office Thursday hopeful for more tickets. In contrast, the September 8 friendly against Mexico will be played at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium with a capacity nearing 100,000.
