After escaping Buenos Aires with a 1-0 win over Colombia Diego, Maradona is looking to make major changes to his team ahead of their massive World Cup Qualifier against Ecuador in the high altitude Quito on Wednesday.
One of these changes will see Lionel Messi, the new owner of Diego's number ten jersey, on the bench at the start.
Maradona stated that he will not start Messi for fears that he will receive a yellow card and face suspension against Brazil. Maradona’s fears seem quite unnecessary for a striker, especially one who received just two yellow cards in 31 La Liga matches for Barcelona this season.
Maradona has continuously made controversial decisions since taking over the helm of Argentina last October, from stripping Javier Zanetti of his captaincy in favor of a reluctant Javier Mascherano, to recalling Juan Sebastian Veron from the international wilderness, and of course his public falling out with Boca Juniors playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme.
Now, Maradona will leave out his best player in a pivotal match on the road, at altitude, because of he wants to make sure Messi will be available for a game three months from now.
Although the local derby between Argentina and Brazil is arguably the most important in international football, it comes in second fiddle to qualifying for the World Cup. Argentina must concentrate on separating themselves from the pack trailing them, not catching the teams at the top of the table.
There will be no bonuses awarded to the winner of the group, and if Argentina can win in Ecuador they can essentially end their rival’s chances of qualification. A victory in Quito, combined with a Uruguay loss in Venezuela, could see Argentina move eight points clear of fifth place with four matches to go.
It therefore makes little sense to not use Messi, the only player to have started all 13 of Argentina’s qualifying matches thus far.
Although Messi has rarely reached the form he does for Barcelona with the national team, his pace and creativity gives space for players such as Carlos Tevez to operate.
It is also worth noting that Brazil was played off the pitch by Ecuador in March, and only escaped with a point thanks to a superhuman display by goalkeeper Julio Cesar, the type of keeper Argentina can only dream of (although Andujar did play well last match), making Messi's participation even more vital.
While many of the other changes Maradona will make are forced, he will again change the system, something becoming more and more troubling. Through five games in charge, Maradona has not been able to find his preferred formation, and has not established a true core of the team.
Javier Mascherano will miss the clash through suspension and will be replaced by Sebastian Battaglia, who will partner Fernando Gago in midfield.
The midfield duo, although reasonably formidable and experienced, begs the question: why Esteban Cambiaso, fresh off winning his fourth straight Scudetti with Inter, is sitting at home?
Pachuca midfielder Chaco Gimenez will make his debut in a hostile environment, forcing one to wonder why Maradona would experiment before such a meaningful match. Independiente midfielder Rolfi Montenegro, or Atletico Madrid Captain Maxi Rodriguez, will fill in at the final midfield spot.
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