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Argentina will be heading to Copa America 2021 hoping to win the tournament for the first time in 28 years. The 47th edition of the tournament gets underway from the 13th of June. The South American national teams will battle it out over the coming weeks for continental supremacy.
Argentina have suffered a trophy drought for nearly three decades and will be looking to change that at Copa America 2021. Despite having some of the most talented players in the world in their squad, La Albiceleste have not been able to assert themselves in the continental competition.
In all fairness, they did make it to the World Cup final in 2014 and finished runner-up in four of the last six Copa America tournaments. With Lionel Messi walking into the twilight of his career, it is about time that Argentina made something happen for one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
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This time, Argentina have named a strong squad for Copa America 2021 and Messi will be hoping to taste that much elusive major international trophy.
Argentina's Copa America 2021 Squad
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Emiliano Martinez, Juan Musso and Agustin Marchesin
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Marcos Acuna, Lisandro Martinez, Nahuel Molina Lucero and Cristian Romero.
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Nicolas Gonzalez, Guido Rodriguez, Rodrigo De Paul, Alejandro Gomez, Angel Correa, Nicolas Dominguez
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, Joaquin Correa, Sergio Aguero, Julian Alvarez
Without further ado, let's take a look at the strongest possible XI for Argentina at the Copa America 2021.
Argentina Goalkeeper - Emiliano Martinez
Emiliano Martinez has proved to be a solid presence between the sticks. The Aston Villa goalkeeper had to wait a long time to get his due and turned heads with his performances for Arsenal in the 2019-20 season.
He had to leave the Gunners for regular game time and he got that at Aston Villa. Martinez was crucial to Dean Smith's men enjoying an impressive campaign in 2020-21 after surviving the drop in the season prior by the skin of their teeth.
Even though he only made his debut for the Argentinian senior side on June 3rd against Chile, he is their best goalkeeper heading into the tournament. Martinez kept 15 cleansheets in 38 appearances in the Premier League this past season.
He is a great shot stopper and has it in him to make quite an impression at Copa America 2021.
Argentina Right-back - Gonzalo Montiel
River Plate right-back Gonzalo Montiel is Argentina's best bet at right-back at Copa America 2021. Lionel Scaloni has another option in Udinese's Nahuel Molina. Montiel, however, seems to be the better choice as he is consistent and proficient in both attack and defence.
He can play as a full-back and as a wing-back having trained under the tactically adept Marcelo Gallardo. The 24-year-old has garnered interest from several top European sides and looks like he could improve any side he joins.
Montiel is a great passer of the ball. He loves bombing forward and can play some wonderful incisive balls to find attackers in space. Montiel is also adept at crossing and can whip in some absolute beauties from the right wing.
Centre-back - Cristiano Romero
23-year-old Cristian Romero is a young Argentine centre-back who is being pursued by several top European clubs including Manchester United and Liverpool. Romero is currently on Juventus' payroll but enjoyed a stellar season on loan with Atalanta.
He made 42 appearances for Atalanta in the 2020-21 campaign and was a standout performer for them. Romero was excellent in the UEFA Champions League as well. He can assert himself in aerial duels and scored three goals this past season.
Romero is an intelligent player. His tough-tackling is well complemented by his ability to read the game and intercept play. He should be an automatic starter. However, he is not fully fit for Argentina's first game against Chile after suffering a muscle injury in the recent game against Colombia.
Centre-back - Nicolas Otamendi
Argentina will try to tap into veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi's experience at Copa America 2021. While their young centre-backs have impressed, the former Manchester City man has continued to be a regular feature in the starting XI.
He enjoyed a pretty decent season with Benfica. Otamendi will, however, need to be less error-prone and more disciplined at the back as he will truly need to marshall Argentina's backline.
Left-back - Nicolas Tagliafico
Nicolas Tagliafico is a vastly experienced left-back who has been plying his trade at the highest level for a long time now. The 28-year-old scored a goal and provided three assists in 25 appearances for Ajax in the 2020-21 Eredivisie season.
Tagliafico is good with the ball at his feet, is a neat passer and crosser of the ball and loves to tackle as well. Sevilla left-back Marcos Acuna is the alternative but Scaloni is likely to go with Tagliafico at Copa America 2021.
Argentina Defensive midfielder - Leandro Paredes
Leandro Paredes is the best conductor of play that Argentina have in their squad. That's also why he has been a consistent presence in Lionel Scaloni's starting lineup in recent times.
Paredes can play as the pivot or be part of a double pivot in Argentina's midfield. He has the ability to break up play and also spray progressive passes from a deep-lying role. Paredes is also an aggressive player who will hound the opposition and is quite a tenacious presence in the center of the pitch.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder will help Argentina dictate the tempo of the game. He also has no qualms in doing the dirty work for the team. He will be Argentina's muscle in midfield and his presence will allow the rest of the midfielders to express themselves freely.
Central-midfielder - Giovani Lo Celso
Lucas Ocampos' omission from the squad has come as a bit of a surprise but Argentina have a great alternative in Lo Celso. The combination of De Paul and Ocampos hasn't really clicked and their midfield has always looked sharper with Lo Celso in it.
He has endured a tough season at Tottenham Hotspur and missed almost three months of action after picking up a hamstring injury in December. However, he has been a regular presence in the Argentine national team for a while now.
Lo Celso can carry the ball well and play some incisive passes in the final third. Argentina have one of the strongest midfield units heading into Copa America 2021. The fans will be hoping that the combination of De Paul and Lo Celso truly thrives.
Central-midfielder - Rodrigo De Paul
Rodrigo De Paul has established himself as one of the best central midfielders in Serie A. De Paul is a midfielder with an eye for goal and he adds a great amount of dynamism to Argentina's midfield. The Udinese star has also become an integral part of Argentina's national side in recent times.
He was the Serie A outfit's standout player this past season, scoring nine goals and providing nine assists from midfield in 36 appearances in the league. De Paul can be quite direct and can spray decisive passes for his attackers to feed on.
He is also technically excellent and is great with the ball at his feet. The 27-year-old is a set-piece specialist and a very good ball-carrier as well.
Argentina Left-winger - Angel Di Maria
One of the best playmakers in the game, Angel Di Maria should be a starter for Argentina. Nobody threads the ball through tightly packed defences quite as well as Di Maria does. He is coming off yet another impressive season with Paris Saint-Germain and ought to be selected ahead of Nicolas Gonzalez and Joaquin Correa.
Di Maria scored six goals and provided 18 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020-21 season. It is difficult to shake the 33-year-old off the ball and he is one of the most experienced Argentinian players heading into the tournament.
With as strong a midfield as they have, having Di Maria in the frontline will further strengthen Argentina and enable them to play an exciting brand of football.
Striker - Lautaro Martinez
Argentina have quite a few options at centre-forward but the one that fits the dynamics of the side to perfection is Lautaro Martinez. The Inter Milan striker has also been Scaloni's preferred choice to lead the attack.
The 23-year-old is a great marksman and is coming off a fantastic season with Inter Milan. He scored 19 goals and provided 11 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions for the Nerazzurri this past season.
Martinez can take defenders on and beat them and has plenty of pace to burn. He will complement Di Maria and Messi well as all three players are excellent in a technical sense. The interplay between the three will definitely be something to look forward to for fans.
Right-winger - Lionel Messi
The first name on Argentina's startling lineup, Lionel Messi, will be the main creative force for his team at Copa America 2020. Messi might be 33-years-old but he continues to be one of the best footballers on the planet.
He won the La Liga Golden Boot this past season and was in incredible form in the second half of the season. This could be one of the last major tournaments for Messi in an Argentina shirt and he will be desperate to win the continental tournament.
Messi scored a total of 38 goals and provided 14 assists in 47 appearances for Barcelona this past season. If he can replicate that kind of form at Copa America 2020, Argentina are going to take some stopping.
