The left-back of Argentina Nicolas Tagliafico, who has been playing for Lyon since 2022, identified in an interview with AFP, “the laxity” that the Albiceleste sometimes shows as the main hurdle it will have to overcome to defend its title at the 2026 World Cup.
Argentina will face Mauritania in a friendly on Friday and Zambia on March 31, in two matches at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires that could allow Tagliafico, 33 years old (74 caps), to surpass Juan Pablo Sorin’s record (75) and become the most capped left-back in the history of the three-time world champions.
“The Argentina team will defend its title with the core of the championship team in 2022 and a group of very talented young players. How is the team currently?” – “I think there is a mix of young players, perhaps less experienced, but with a lot of enthusiasm and a strong desire to wear the national team jersey. I feel good about this team, even though sometimes we feel that it relaxes. But in competitions like this, the team reaches its best level, it re-motivates itself.”
“It often happens, in friendly matches of this magnitude, and without wanting to downplay anyone’s importance, that we realize that we train more intensively every day with our teammates than during the friendly match itself. So I think the key lies in these intensive training sessions, and I believe that’s what allowed us to become world champions. It is also often not easy to train at this intensity five days a week, and sometimes we start to relax.”
– “Nothing has been discussed about the overall organization” – “From the World Cup in Qatar, practically concentrated in one city, to the 2026 edition split between the United States, Mexico, and Canada with one more game to play to become champions, how do you modify the approach and preparation?” – “This is a point to consider because, besides lengthening the competition a bit, maybe five or six days, we need to focus on the details. From travel to training and match venues, the truth is that nothing has been discussed about the overall organization… We know we will be in Kansas City (training camp), but other than that, we don’t know anything… Additionally, there is another decisive match and we could have the misfortune, in the Round of 16, of being eliminated due to an unfortunate detail. It’s a different World Cup, with many more teams, and I think it will be even more competitive.”
“A second consecutive World Cup, as well as the two Copa America editions (2021 and 2024), would potentially make Messi’s Argentina the best national team in history…” – “Two consecutive World Cups, only Brazil and Italy have done it, but that was a long time ago… It’s a dream, like the one we had of winning one. But we have to focus on the daily routine, one match at a time, without getting carried away, because in the end, it’s the daily work that will pay off.”
