Five decisions that explain Scaloni's seven years in charge of Argentina

It started as a caretaker job. That's really how it all began. Nobody, not even Scaloni himself, would have bet in 2018 that this "emergency" setup would turn into the most successful cycle in the history of the Argentina national team. Scaloni made his debut as head coach on September 9, 2018, with the widespread assumption that his name was just a placeholder until a big-name coach came along willing to take the reins. Seven years later, he's still there, unquestioned. How did that staying power come to be? Let's go through five decisions that explain where things stand today.

Overhauling the roster without fear

After the gut punch of Russia 2018, it was time to start phasing out the old guard. Scaloni embraced that from day one, even in his very first call-ups, when he couldn't even count on Lionel Messi. That's when Lautaro Martinez, Rodrigo De Paul, Cristian Romero, Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister made their debuts, among others, while he also gave fresh opportunities to Paulo Dybala, Giovani Lo Celso and Marcos Acuna. Several of those names went on to become pillars of the team that would be crowned world champion.

The reunion with Messi

There was another challenge, perhaps the most delicate one of all: rebuilding the relationship with a Messi who had been battered by the lost finals of Brazil 2014 and the 2015 and 2016 Copa America, not to mention the frustration of Russia. His continuity with the national team wasn't even guaranteed. Scaloni built a team without him in the early matches, and when Leo came back, he found a machine already running smoothly, filled with younger players who welcomed him with admiration. De Paul became his partner both on and off the field, and the coach surrounded him with players suited to his style. The result was a more mature Messi, more of a leader, enjoying the jersey like never before, even using it as a refuge amid his turbulence at Barcelona and PSG.

Di Maria's return

Angel Di Maria seemed to be left out of the rebuild at first. In late 2018 he asked to come back, Scaloni called him up months later, but between 2019 and 2020 he managed just seven appearances. When the player publicly aired his frustration, the coach was direct about it:

Di Maria's comments didn't bother me. I appreciate that he wants to be here, but you have to make decisions and some guys get left out. It doesn't worry me that he's upset, I take it the right way. We don't close the door on anyone.Lionel Scaloni

Di Maria made it back onto the squad lists and turned into the hero of the finals: the goal at the Maracana that made it 1-0 against Brazil in the 2021 Copa America, another in the 3-0 win over Italy in the Finalissima, and the stunning goal against France in the Qatar 2022 final, playing in a position Scaloni had tweaked for him.

Dibu Martinez, the unexpected move

Franco Armani had been the undisputed starting goalkeeper since 2018, but right before the 2021 Copa America he tested positive for COVID-19 repeatedly and couldn't travel. That's when Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez stepped in, a goalkeeper with a background in Argentina's youth teams but a career built in Europe. He saved decisive penalties against Colombia in the semifinals and never left the net again, ending up as one of the standout figures of the title run in Qatar.

No attachments, no dogma

Scaloni keeps saying that Argentina has an obligation to be a protagonist, and even though the 4-3-3 is his favorite setup, he's never locked himself into it or into fixed names. In Qatar he took the starting spot away from important pieces to hand it to whoever was playing better at the time: Julian Alvarez over Lautaro, Enzo Fernandez over Paredes, Mac Allister established ahead of more experienced options. And he had no qualms about shaking up the bench mid-match, as happened against Australia, the Netherlands, Croatia and in the final itself against France.