Lionel Scaloni acknowledged that Argentina must rebuild after Lionel Messi retired, following a 2-1 defeat by Uruguay at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires on Saturday, November 14.
The friendly match marked the first appearance for the Albiceleste since Messi ended his international career in early October, CNN Indonesia reported. Scaloni said that his squad possesses enough talent to recover from the home setback.
“We have to rebuild the team without Leo Messi. And, we have the talent to bounce back from this defeat,” Scaloni said, as reported by ESPN.
The visiting side capitalized on defensive errors in the second half. Leonardo Balerdi scored an own goal in the 48th minute, and Maxi Araujo doubled Uruguay’s lead in the 53rd minute before Julian Álvarez scored for Argentina in the 73rd minute.
Scaloni evaluated the performance during the second period despite the final scoreline. Uruguay entered the fixture under the direction of manager Diego Forlan.
“A good match regardless of the final result. We performed well in the second half. This gives me many rights to do analysis. We are aware this is a difficult match, and now we must continue to work hard,” Scaloni added.
Alvarez reflected on the tactical application and the transition into a younger squad. Atletico Madrid striker Alvarez said that the group executed portions of the coaching staff’s game plan.
“This is an important match and we wanted to win it. Regardless of the result, we showed some positive things. There is always room for improvement,” Alvarez said.
“We managed to implement part of the strategy wanted by the coach. We still have other matches coming up. This is a new era with many young players. We must work hard to realize the legacy left by our predecessors,” Alvarez said.
Argentina travels to face Costa Rica in Cordoba on Tuesday, November 17. Uruguay hosts the Dominican Republic on the same day.
