Argentina’s Post-Messi Squad: De Paul and Lo Celso Miss November Friendlies

A changed midfield and leadership group

Argentina’s first fixtures since Lionel Messi’s international retirement will test the depth of Lionel Scaloni’s squad. Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso are among the notable omissions for November’s friendlies against Uruguay and Costa Rica, with injuries and suspensions further thinning the group. The two matches give Scaloni a chance to see how the team functions without several familiar names at once. That’s a more demanding exercise than simply handing a newcomer a few minutes late in a settled game.

Scaloni left Inter Miami’s De Paul and Real Betis’s Lo Celso out of his 28-man selection at his discretion. The reasons for excluding several established players vary, with injuries and suspensions also shaping the squad. Their absence leaves open questions about who’ll carry the work and responsibility in midfield, where roles often depend on how the team presses, covers space and moves the ball. A friendly can’t reproduce the pressure of a competitive match, but it can show whether alternatives are ready to take on more of that workload.

Newly appointed captain Cristian “Cuti” Romero and forward Lautaro Martínez are unavailable through injury. Emiliano Martínez will captain Argentina in their absence. The change puts the goalkeeper in a more visible leadership role, while the missing players leave gaps at both ends of the pitch. Argentina will have to find its attacking connections without Lautaro and manage its defensive line without Romero. Those are separate problems, and two fixtures may give Scaloni different ways to assess them.

The clearest newcomer is Chelsea centre-back Aaron Anselmino. He has yet to make his Argentina debut and hasn’t played for Chelsea’s first team this season. His selection gives Scaloni a fresh defensive option as the team adjusts to the absences. A call-up alone doesn’t establish where Anselmino sits in the pecking order, but training alongside established internationals should give the coach a closer look at what he can offer. The real test will be whether he can translate that opportunity into minutes and show he can handle the demands of the senior side.

Defensive returns and November fixtures

Mariano Troilo returns to the squad after a year and a half away. Gonzalo Montiel is also back after missing the September and October international windows. Their selections add options to a defence that’s also coping with Romero’s injury and the suspensions of Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina. A returning player can help restore continuity, though a call-up doesn’t guarantee an immediate place in the starting side. Scaloni will have to weigh familiarity against the need to assess new combinations.

Argentina host Uruguay at La Bombonera on November 13, then face Costa Rica at Córdoba’s Mario Kempes Stadium four days later. The Uruguay match opens a new chapter for the team: Messi retired from international football in October, ending a two-decade run with the national side. His absence changes more than the team sheet. For years, Argentina could build around a player whose presence shaped opponents’ plans; now the squad must show how its attacking play works without that reference point. It’s too early to draw sweeping conclusions from friendlies, but the shift gives these fixtures a significance beyond their results.

What the squad can show

Here’s the thing: a depleted squad can make a coach’s choices easier to read. With established players unavailable, Scaloni has a practical reason to give others responsibility, and the two matches may reveal which options fit together. They won’t settle every question about Argentina’s post-Messi direction. But they can offer an early indication of whether the team has enough depth to adapt without losing its shape.

This is more significant than it looks. National teams have limited time to build combinations, so the absence of several regulars can disrupt more than one position at once. And yet, that’s also what makes these friendlies useful: they give the coaching staff a chance to assess alternatives in match conditions. If you’re working in this space, the detail to watch is how the midfield and attack connect, not only who wears the captain’s armband or starts up front. The roster presents options. The performances will show what those options mean.

Not a verdict. A first look.

Scaloni’s 28-man squad

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martínez (Chelsea, ENG), Gerónimo Rulli (Manchester City, ENG), Juan Musso (Atlético Madrid, ESP) and Santiago Beltrán (River Plate, ARG).

Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (River Plate), Agustín Giay (Palmeiras, BRA), Aaron Anselmino (Chelsea, ENG), Mariano Troilo (Parma, ITA), Leonardo Balerdi (Roma, ITA), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United, ENG), Facundo Medina (Bayer Leverkusen, GER), Nicolás Tagliafico (Olympique Lyon, FRA) and Román Vega (Zenit St Petersburg, RUS).

Midfielders: Ezequiel Fernández (Bayer Leverkusen, GER), Máximo Perrone (Como, ITA), Exequiel Palacios (Ipswich Town, ENG), Valentín Barco (Chelsea, ENG), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool, ENG), Enzo Fernández (Manchester City, ENG), Nicolás Paz (Como, ITA), Matías Soulé (Roma, ITA) and Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina, ITA).

Forwards: Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid, ESP), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica, POR), Thiago Almada (River Plate), José López (Palmeiras, BRA), Santiago Castro (Roma, ITA) and Julián Álvarez (Atlético Madrid, ESP).