Despite an unexpected loss to Paraguay, the Argentina national team remains in one of the greatest periods in its history. With Lionel Messi leading the charge, the team has won four consecutive trophies, including the pinnacle achievement—the 2022 World Cup. However, coach Lionel Scaloni has set his sights on renewing the roster for future challenges, sending a clear message to Messi and the squad about the team composition for 2025.

Scaloni has previously hinted at making changes to the squad but cited the short turnaround between the 2024 Copa América and World Cup qualifiers as a limiting factor. Speaking ahead of Argentina’s final match of the year against Peru, Scaloni outlined his approach for evaluating players in preparation for the upcoming fixtures:

“We need the players to play for their clubs, these 6 games after the Copa America were to close to the competition, that’s why we brought in the core group of players that won us the cup, and there wasn’t time to call up other players. But starting now, we need them to be playing at their clubs, and we will decide based on their performance level.

“We’ve always done it this way, except on this occasion, where we decided in some cases to keep bringing them because they are important,” added Scaloni. With 2025 Finalissima still in doubt, Argentina’s next match will be against Uruguay in March 2025, giving Scaloni a four-month window to assess players and build a competitive squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Scaloni addresses Messi’s case

When discussing Lionel Messi’s case, Scaloni emphasized that the captain’s role is unique. “In Leo’s case, it’s a complete different thing. He always plays, and there are cases where he should be resting. We really don’t think too far ahead with him,” said Scaloni about the team captain.

Reflecting on Messi’s year, Scaloni praised the veteran for his commitment and resilience: “Leo’s year is a year of a player that featured in a lot of games, that had a Copa America in the middle, and at this point, it’s really difficult for this kind of players to be 100% and not have any issue. I see it as a normal year in terms of matches, he suffered that injury that busted his plans, but in general he was great with us.”

Scaloni dismisses FIFA ranking

Following France’s UEFA Nations League victory over Italy, speculation arose that Les Bleus could overtake Argentina at the top of the FIFA World Rankings if Argentina fails to beat Peru. Scaloni, however, brushed off these concerns.

“I’m not worried about the FIFA ranking; we’re still first. The statistics are there, but I don’t think it’s that important. What matters is winning tomorrow, and everything else is secondary,” Argentina boss stated.