Jorge Sampaoli will be the next Argentina coach. The signature isn't yet on the page, his release clause is yet to be paid, but with Sampaoli himself now freely admitting that he wants to take the job, it is only a matter of time before everything is ironed out and he can take his place on the Albiceleste bench.
In the meantime, the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) have released a list of overseas call-ups for the June friendlies against Brazil and Singapore - matches for which Sampaoli will presumably be in charge. A list of local additions was then leaked, giving us the opportunity to analyse what will, in effect, be Sampaoli's first squad as national team coach.
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Here is what Argentina might look like under Jorge Sampaoli.
Goalkeepers
Sergio Romero has started 56 of Argentina's last 58 competitive matches stretching back to the 2010 World Cup but could find his position as the country's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper under threat.
Sampaoli's approach has become increasingly possession-based over the last few years, first with Chile and then with Sevilla, and he might prefer a goalkeeper who is more comfortable with the ball at his feet.
The other options in the squad are Nahuel Guzman of Tigres UANL and Geronimo Rulli of Real Sociedad.
Guzman is a flamboyant goalkeeper who shone in Gerardo Martino's Newell's Old Boys side and has since made a successful career for himself in Mexico. His greater experience could give him the edge for now.
In the long term, Rulli looks the most likely option. There are still some rough edges to his game but he is only 25 and is gaining plenty of experience playing out from the back at Real Sociedad - a challenge he is enjoying.
Defence
Sampaoli likes his sides to be able to use both three and four-man defences, with opposition characteristics and formation often dictating the alignment.
He also wants players capable of providing a quality first pass out of defence and that is why Javier Mascherano is likely to be moved back from his normal defensive midfield role into the central defensive position he takes up in Barcelona. His inclusion in the defenders’ column of the squad press release seems to confirm this suspicion.
The other European-based defenders who have been called up are all proactive markers who seek to impose themselves physically. Gabriel Mercado has played at both full-back and as a central defender for Sampaoli at Sevilla, while Emanuel Mammana and Nicolas Otamendi are both central defenders by trade. The implication would seem to be that Sampaoli intends to employ his characteristic high press and defensive line.
Also read: What if: Argentina miss out on the 2018 World Cup
Argentina have had a few issues in the full-back positions in recent times and the inclusion of Jose Luis Gomez among the rumoured domestic call-ups is, therefore, an intriguing one. A swift, attacking right-back, he looks a solid fit for Sampaoli's favoured profile for the position. Nicolas Tagliafico of Independiente is also on the list and while he lacks the thrust of Gomez, he is nevertheless a solid option on the opposite side of the pitch.
Midfield
There are some interesting call-ups in the midfield zone, including the surprise selection of Guido Rodriguez, who has impressed at Tijuana in Mexico. West Ham's Manuel Lanzini and Leandro Paredes of Roma have also been called up for the first time.
Argentinian media reports suggest that Ever Banega has been earmarked for the deep-lying playmaker role taken up by Marcelo Diaz in Sampaoli's Chile side. There, Sampaoli generally preferred a narrow three or four-man midfield, but at Sevilla, he also utilised a 4-2-3-1 formation, so the midfield make-up is open to interpretation.
If it is a three-man midfield, a combination of Banega, a mixed midfielder such as Paredes or Lanzini and someone to provide attacking thrust such as Eduardo Salvio or Angel Di Maria seems a plausible setup.
Salvio and Di Maria could also potentially operate as wing-backs if a three-man defence is employed, although one would imagine it would be one or the other with a full-back on the other side rather than both in unison.
Forwards
With Lionel Messi now free to take part in Argentina's remaining World Cup qualifiers after the reversal of his ban for swearing at an official, he will clearly be a part of the starting XI. Sampaoli has made his admiration for the Barcelona forward patently clear and a more offensive and connected team should give Messi a better platform to perform than he has received under some of his previous national team coaches.
Sampaoli has generally preferred small and mobile forwards over fixed reference points in his coaching career to date and while the squad does include some of the latter type, including the controversial selection of Mauro Icardi, the majority of the call-ups are closer to the former profile.
Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain have formed a highly effective partnership at Juventus and it is something that Sampaoli may well seek to replicate with the national team. But with both involved in the Champions League final five days earlier, it is unlikely they will take part from the start against Brazil in the first of the two friendlies.
There is, therefore, a solid chance that Icardi will start that match up front, flanked by Messi and one of Joaquin Correa, who showed definite signs of improvement towards the end of the season at Sevilla and Alejandro Gomez, who has enjoyed the best campaign of his career to date at Atalanta.
Possible Lineups
With the personnel available and taking into account what has been discussed in the article, including the likely absence of Dybala and Higuain due to their participation in the Champions League final, here are a couple of possible line-ups for Argentina's friendly against Brazil on 9th June.
Please feel free to make your own suggestions in the comments.
