Lionel Scaloni Prepares Argentina for World Cup Challenges

Lionel Scaloni walked into the press room with the calm of a man who has lived this all before. Because he has. World champions or not, Argentina are back in that familiar place: counting down to a World Cup, managing injuries, weighing up a final list, and trying not to blink.

Injuries under control, but no risks

The first question was the one everyone expected: injuries. Several players are still working on their fitness, and the concern outside is louder than the worry inside.

“The players who are training separately are improving. They're doing well, and we don't want to take risks in these friendly matches. We'll see how they continue to progress,” Scaloni said, drawing a clear line. These games matter, but not as much as the plane ticket to the World Cup.

Then came the name that always changes the temperature in the room: Leo.

“Leo is doing well and has started training partially with the group. He's no longer working separately. He could get some minutes in these friendlies. He's much better, and that gives us peace of mind.”

Peace of mind for the staff. Relief for a country.

Scaloni’s message was consistent: no rush, no gambles. The friendlies against Honduras and beyond are a testing ground, not a battlefield.

Musso gets the gloves, others wait

On the goalkeeper front, Scaloni didn’t hesitate. He already knows who starts.

“Juan Musso will be in goal. Perhaps Gerónimo Rulli will play in the next match, and we'll see if we can give Santiago Beltrán some minutes as well,” he confirmed.

Clear roles, but open doors. Musso gets the nod now, Rulli stands by for the next one, and Beltrán is in the coach’s thoughts. This is the stage where every minute counts, even in a friendly that will be forgotten by most as soon as the World Cup kicks off.

Same hunger as before Qatar

At one point, Scaloni was asked to compare the current mood to the build-up before Qatar. His memory didn’t stretch to every detail, but the emotion stayed with him.

“I don't remember exactly how we felt before Qatar, but I do remember being excited and eager to do our best. I don't think our mindset is much different now,” he said.

That’s the spine of this team: excitement, not comfort. Even with a title in their pocket, Argentina are not speaking like defending champions. They sound like contenders again.

The ruthless side of selection

The subject then turned to the 26-man list. How sure is he? How many places are locked in? Scaloni refused to dress it up with percentages or false certainty.

“I couldn't give you a number. We feel the players are doing well, but we know that if someone isn't fully available, they could be left out. We've been monitoring them, and when the decisive stage arrives, we'll make the decisions we need to make.”

That decisive stage is approaching fast, and the coach didn’t hide the human cost.

“It would be very painful if someone has to be left out, but when the time comes, we'll have to decide.”

He knows the other side too well. He’s lived it.

“We've been in the position of being left out of a World Cup before, and we believe it's best for players to find out when the squad is announced. We're grateful to everyone who has been part of the process, but we think about the team. These are difficult decisions, but the team comes first.”

No promises, no private guarantees, no early calls. The list will speak for itself.

A light moment in the tension

Amid all the tension of injuries and cuts, there was room for a smile. Scaloni shared a brief exchange he’d had with a player waiting on the squad announcement.

“I sent him a message and he replied that he was going to wait for the squad list to see if he was called up,” Scaloni said, laughing. “I told him, ‘You're called up!’ I was also hoping he'd announce he was going to play in the World Cup, but he said he'd wait for the list.”

Even here, where careers turn on a single decision, there’s space for a joke, a text, a human moment.

Style, identity, and the ability to bend

Beyond names and injuries, Scaloni returned to something he guards fiercely: Argentina’s identity with the ball.

“Our team has a clear style of play, and we're not going to betray it. If we need to adjust certain things depending on the opponent, we will. But the idea is always to play together, connect passes, and control the game. If we need more directness or speed, we'll do that too. The goal is to give the team the tools to adapt to any situation.”

That’s the balance he wants: a recognisable idea, but not a rigid one. Argentina will look to dominate, to link passes, to dictate. When the game demands something else, they’ll hit faster, run more direct, change the rhythm.

The friendly against Honduras is just another step, another rehearsal, another chance to fine-tune a team that already knows who it is. The real drama waits at the World Cup, where those same principles, those same difficult decisions, and that same unshakable style will be tested under a far harsher light.