After replacing him against Paraguay, what Scaloni says about Julian Alvarez

The Argentine National Team managed to defeat Paraguay in a new round of FIFA Qualifiers. The Albiceleste team placed itself in an important way in a match where they started winning thanks to a great goal from Otamendi in the 3rd minute, and it was finally enough to defeat the Paraguayans at home. One of the great novelties was the ownership of Julian Alvarez in the match, for the first time alongside Lautaro Martinez.

The Manchester City striker is coming off an important moment at the club, and after the absence of Lionel Messi in Argentina due to injury, coach Lionel Scaloni gave the confidence for Alvarez to start alongside Lautaro Martinez. It should be remembered that Julian was key to winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, Lautaro Martinez's great moment with Inter Milan makes El Toro the starter.

Lionel Scaloni replaced Julian Alvarez in the second half, to bring on Lionel Messi and this is what the coach said. “Today, it was risky that Messi could have more minutes than normal. We talked about it, and we were okay with it. It was prudent to do so, because we run the risk of having a problem that is not the case, and especially with the level of the team that he can show with guys who can contribute other things.”

What did Scaloni say about Julian Alvarez?

“There is so much talk about the double nine that you say... They are two totally different forwards. Julián contributes a lot in movements on the sides, Lautaro is more focused and they complement each other. They can play together, I always said that. They played a great game. With the entry of Leo I had to decide whether he would break the balance of the team, leaving both of them, which was not the idea, and it was not convenient. The team is always ahead. “We opted for Julián, who for me played a very good game,” the Argentine National Team coach said at a press conference.