Argentina head coach, Lionel Scaloni, has explained why captain Lionel Messi wasn’t included in his side’s World Cup qualifier matchday squad that defeated Bolivia on Tuesday.
Messi did not feature for Argentina as they defeated Bolivia 3-0 at the Estadio Hernando Siles, thanks to goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Tagliafico and Nicolas Gonzalez.
Prior to the Bolivia clash, Messi was the hero for La Albiceleste against Ecuador last week, scoring a stunning free-kick to secure an important three points for the team.
Speaking on why he did not include the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward in his side’s squad against Bolivia, Scaloni said (via Mundo Albiceleste): “Leo was not ready to play.
“He tried to recover yesterday, but he didn’t feel comfortable, and we didn’t risk it.
“It wasn’t important because there are important things coming.”
Meanwhile, Argentina are currently second in the CONMEBOL standings with six points from two games.
They will face Paraguay in their next World Cup qualifier on October 13.
