Argentina 1-0 Chile, why Scaloni put Messi on the bench, to put it bluntly, this trick is very smart

Scarloni asked Messi to sit on the bench, not a temporary intention. The coaching staff has a clear idea in their minds: Messi is almost 37 years old and his health is not iron-clad. Hard battles are one after another, and now you have to save money. It's like running a marathon, and the veteran has to save his strength until the final sprint stage. If Messi had 90 minutes in every game, the fuel tank might be empty when it was a key World Cup battle.

let Messi rest, another meaning is to force young people to stand up. Messi cannot be carried by Argentina's frontcourt alone. Young people like Alvarez have to practice courage in real games. Usually with Messi on his back, they tend to huddle behind. Now that Messi is removed, I will tell them clearly: It’s your turn to take on the burden. It is useless for young people to perform well in training, and they have to prove that they can withstand the pressure in the official competition.

Messi was sitting off the court and became the strongest support. The coaching staff found that when Messi was not on the court, young players were more willing to run more and respond more. They knew that without a big brother, everyone had to take responsibility. This mentality change is particularly important - you can't always expect Messi to save the game. Now let young people get used to the game rhythm without Messi. When it really comes to the World Cup knockout stage, if there is an emergency, the whole team will not panic. The World Cup is a protracted battle. Scaloni calculated clearly: when the opponent in the group stage is weak, Messi will take more rest; when he enters the tough battle of the knockout stage, he will let the veteran who is full of blood come on. This rotation strategy was verified last year. Messi rested in the third game of the group stage, but he lost every game in the knockout stage. This year, this is still the same way, allowing veterans to accumulate energy and newcomers to accumulate more experience without delaying them at both ends.

After all, the coaching team is playing a big game. Making Messi a substitute seems risky, but in fact it is to buy double insurance for the whole team. It not only preserves Messi's combat effectiveness, but also forces young people to grow up quickly. When the World Cup starts, Argentina has two aces: Messi who has cultivated his spirits, and a group of young people tempered by the competition. This account is worth it no matter how you calculate it.