\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t Argentina men\u2019s national football team head coach Lionel Scaloni said that \u201ca different World Cup begins\u201d now for his team after securing a 3-1 win against Jordan in its last group stage game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re feeling positive after winning the first three games, mainly because we\u2019ve been able to have everyone play,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scaloni insisted that having every field player get some minutes was one of the coaching staff\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel that everyone deserves to play in the World Cup, not just be part of the team. Everyone played a good match, and we know that we can count on all of them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Albiceleste coach refused to rate his team but said he feels they\u2019re \u201cdoing well.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was, however, adamant that things will change for the team as they enter the knockout stages, where rest between matches will shorten and injuries can prove tournament-ending.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll play in Miami, where it\u2019s very hot at a hard-to-explain time. But everyone has played there, so we can\u2019t complain,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Asked about his decision to bench team star and captain Lionel Messi, Scaloni said it was something he discussed with the player and to which both agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could\u2019ve played 90 minutes, but he chose to allow his teammates to have some minutes and think about what\u2019s coming,\u201d said Scaloni. \u201cThat speaks to who he is and how little he cares about all those numbers people love.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Argentina boss also highlighted the good game of midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who scored in what was his World Cup debut.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be lying if I tell you that Giovani isn\u2019t one of the most popular guys around here,\u201d he said, adding that the staff was eager to give him a chance after he missed the 2022 World Cup in a \u201ctough way.\u201d<\/p>\n
He highlighted how Lo Celso visited and supported his teammates in Qatar, saying it was \u201cthe kind of gesture you don\u2019t forget about\u201d and that the whole squad and coaching staff are \u201cvery happy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lo Celso was only one of seven players making their debuts for Argentina at a World Cup, which proved a motive of pride for Scaloni.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019ll be an unforgettable moment for them,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled for them because I know they understand what it means to play for the national team.\u201d<\/p>\n
What lies ahead Argentina will continue its World Cup campaign against tournament Cinderella Cape Verde, a team Scaloni isn\u2019t quick to dismiss.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t surprised that Cape Verde qualified,\u201d the Argentina boss insisted. \u201cThey gave all three teams they played a hard time. I watched them against Spain and a little bit against Uruguay, and I know they\u2019ll be a tough rival.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scaloni said he\u2019d \u201cbe lying\u201d if he said that Cape Verde isn\u2019t a good team that will give Argentina a tough time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this World Cup, we\u2019ve seen that you have to be careful,\u201d he added. \u201cThey\u2019re a good team that can play fast and has some good players. Some people may underestimate them, but I can assure you they\u2019re a good team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Argentina and Cape Verde are set to clash at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, on July 3 at 7 p.m. Argentina time<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Argentina men\u2019s national football team head coach Lionel Scaloni said that \u201ca different World Cup begins\u201d now for his team after securing a 3-1 win against Jordan in its last group stage game. \u201cWe\u2019re feeling positive after winning the first three games, mainly because we\u2019ve been able to have everyone play,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Scaloni insisted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":82843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5063,66,1373,5309,67,339],"tags":[5307,1368,1371,5308,1369,3576],"class_list":["post-82842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-2026-world-cup","category-football","category-lionel-messi","category-lionel-scaloni","category-sports","category-world-cup-2026","tag-2026-world-cup","tag-football","tag-lionel-messi","tag-lionel-scaloni","tag-sports","tag-world-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}