Lionel Scaloni begins tactical changes for the Argentina national team

Argentina national team head coach Lionel Scaloni is preparing for a new era following the international retirement of legendary forward Lionel Messi. According to Goal.com, the coach intends to fundamentally change the team's playing style and test new tactical solutions ahead of the friendly match against Bolivia in Cordoba. This is reported by Goal.com. It is known that 39-year-old Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football at the end of August. Nevertheless, he will officially take the field in a special farewell match against the Benin national team at the Monumental stadium next week. Therefore, this will be the first serious test for the Argentinians during this transition period.

The legendary number will remain temporarily vacant

It has been revealed that Lionel Messi's iconic number 10 jersey for the national team will remain temporarily vacant for upcoming matches. At a press conference in Cordoba, Lionel Scaloni confirmed that he does not intend to pass the number to another player immediately and that no one will wear it until the legendary captain officially bids farewell.

"We are not obliged to give the number to anyone for these matches, so we will not assign it to anyone until Leo's farewell game," Goal.com quotes Scaloni as saying. The coach also added that they have not yet decided who will wear this highly responsible number in the future.

A period of new tactical exploration

Replacing the player who remains the country's all-time top scorer with 125 goals is a massive task for the coach. Scaloni acknowledges that the team must now adapt to playing in a different style and evolve tactically.

"We will find a way to play differently. That is exactly what friendly matches are for — to experiment," said the Argentina boss. At the same time, it was emphasized that the team's core philosophy will continue to be controlling the midfield and adapting to the opponent based on that.

«Biz boshqacha oʻynash yoʻlini topamiz. Oʻrtoqlik oʻyinlari aynan shuning uchun — tajriba oʻtkazish uchun kerak», — dedi Argentina ustozi. Shu bilan birga, jamoaning asosiy falsafasi maydon markazini nazorat qilishda davom etishi va shundan kelib chiqqan holda raqibga moslashishlari taʼkidlandi.