Why did Messi only play 15 minutes?

It is a South American Qualifying adventure that finds Lionel Messi jumping from one question to another. After the tight triumph of Argentina against Uruguay in Montevideo, several unknowns are imposed. Why did he only play 15 minutes? How will it get to Brazil? What is your actual physical situation? Some have answers, others for now do not …

Messi fulfilled the Selection Plan that had been set last weekend, before traveling to Buenos Aires. His idea was to play the two classics, a few minutes against Uruguay (it was not clear whether as a starter or entering from the substitute bench) and the full game against Brazil.

The first part rounded it off. He was against Uruguay. It added a quarter of an hour, the closing one. However, everything was surprising because of the signs and words of the previous days. Leo, practice after practice, was increasing the intensity and ended up training along with everyone. So Lionel Scaloni the day before the Rio de la Plata classic declared: “It’s fine. If he continues like this, he will play ”. The sum of evidence placed him as the headline.

However, just two hours before the game, the surprise of his substitution leaked, after a consensus talk with Scaloni. He did not play from the start and only did so in the final 15 minutes. Before Leo, in an Argentina with circulation and creation problems, three footballers with creative / offensive traits entered: Joaquín Correa, Alejandro “Papu” Gómez and Angel Correa. Just the genius starred in the fourth change.

In the field, Leo was not seen drawing any of those attacking adventures with a change of pace and speed. In addition, he had a shot from the crescent of the area, but he threw it very high, perhaps because the ball just at the moment of impact rose due to the irregular state of the field of play. It was noticeable content, as if measuring each episode.

Scaloni’s words after the victory were very different from those he had pronounced in the previous day’s conference: “With Leo we decided not to play because he came from inactivity and because it was going to be a type of match like the one that took place, very stuck. Let him enter the second half so that he can pick up the pace thinking about Brazil ”. It was in the same sense that his assistant Roberto Ayala, who minutes before the game, in the anteroom of the dressing room, said: “He talked about it with the coach, they chatted about it and it stayed that way. There are things ahead that are played on a personal level and also in the National Team ”.

The Argentine had been inactive for 14 days

With Argentina walking comfortably towards the World Cup, it was the most logical decision not to expose Messi after 14 days inactive due to his problems in his left leg (knee and hamstring). That this time Messi has said “no” to Messi and at the age of 34 he has mastered his desire to play helps him reach the classic duel on Tuesday in San Juan, against leading Brazil. Scaloni was able to do a test without him to see how the team responds. It is also a wink for PSG, which looks worried as Leo plays more in the National Team than in his club. How far would the scandal have reached if he was injured as a starter against Uruguay?

It is already known why Messi only played 15 minutes against Uruguay. He took care of himself / was cared for for Brazil. There will surely be more time to see it in action and verify its real physical situation. In Paris everyone is very attentive …

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