USAC · Pernambucano - 1 · Defender · #0 · Brazil · 27 yrs
Lionel Scaloni must make a change to Argentina's World Cup list after Leonardo Balerdi got injured. This week was the final one for Lionel Scaloni to check which players are in good shape for Argentina at the World Cup. However, training sessions left one player injured, as Leonardo Balerdi will not be part of the team. Argentina confirmed it officially on their social media accounts: “Defender Leonardo Balerdi suffered a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg and will not be part of the squad for the World Cup.” While it could be a long tournament with the expansion to 48 teams, the injury will take three weeks to heal. With so many players already dealing with fitness issues, Scaloni could not risk adding one more to the list. The replacement The injury happened too recently to know who will replace Balerdi on the 26-man list. However, there are a few names that could be called up until a day before their first match, on June 16. The main candidate may be Marcos Senesi, since he is also a center back. Senesi signed with Tottenham (Cameron Smith/Getty Images) For the defender, it would be a great opportunity after solid years with Bournemouth that led to a free transfer to Tottenham for next season, in what should be a step forward in his career. One major difference with Balerdi is that he is left-footed. There is a clear weakness at right back in this team, with Gonzalo Montiel and Nahuel Molina not arriving in great condition. That is why Scaloni made Agustin Giay and Nicolás Capaldo travel with the team, as they could also be added. An outside chance could go to left back Marcos Acuña. Argentina’s next match While many teams have already played at least one friendly during the week, Argentina are about to make their first appearance. The match is today against Honduras at 8 PM ET in Texas, with a lineup that is not expected to feature many starters after the team only got together a few days ago.
Argentina have been dealt a blow ahead of their World Cup campaign, with Marseille captain Leonardo Balerdi withdrawing through injury. The post Balerdi to miss Argentina’s World Cup title defence with calf injury appeared first on SoccerNews.
The battle for the top four in Italy was overshadowed by violence in Turin, where Juve joined Milan in missing outThe stage was set for a grand finale: five games to settle season-long battles at either end of the Serie A table. Top spot was decided – Inter claimed their 21st Scudetto at the start of this month – but there were four teams contesting two Champions League berths, while Lecce and Cremonese fought to escape relegation. All of them would play simultaneously. Or at least, that was the plan.Among these five games was a derby between Torino and Juventus. As kick-off approached, supporters clashed close to the stadium. One, a 36-year-old Juve fan named Marco Leonardo Basoccu, was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after suffering a head wound. Continue reading...
Mauricio Pochettino recalled the Lionel Messi substitution at Paris Saint-Germain that gained him much criticism. There are not many players who play full matches since the number of substitutions allowed was increased. Lionel Messi has always been in that group, except for occasional injuries. One famous episode came at Paris Saint-Germain, when Mauricio Pochettino took him off. Pochettino said: “My initial intention was to protect him because I was thinking that he had to play in the Champions League, etc. If I do not make a decision, he gets hurt and that has repercussions for his World Cup participation.” This happened during a Ligue 1 match against Lyon, which Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1. In his interview with former player Gary Neville for Stick to Football, the manager recalled more reactions to that specific substitution. Leonardo also questioned Pochettino The Argentine manager also explained a bit more about his intentions when he said that he “didn’t want to demonstrate that I was more brave than other managers, but in that moment, I thought it was the best thing for him”. Pochettino was the manager for one year (David Rogers/Getty Images) Criticism came from everywhere, mainly because the reaction was not the one of an injured player. Messi left the field with just 14 minutes remaining, but even though he missed little time, sporting director Leonardo also let him know it was a mistake to substitute him. Pochettino said about the reaction from the Brazilian: “After the match, Leonardo told me: ‘Mauri, why? I asked Leo and he didn’t mind.’ He also told me that people there paid for a ticket to watch him play 90 minutes.” Pochettino’s criticism was immediate Pochettino recalled during this topic that he found out he could have done something different only when he got home from the stadium. The manager remembered what his wife said immediately after the match: “My wife told me that in Argentina they were destroying me at that time. In France, too.”
