With Copa America 2024 just a week away, the top coaches are fine tuning their squads and taking a last chance to lay down their strategy which, they hope, will lead them to glory.
Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina are reigning champions, and the Copa America 2024 betting odds back them to hold onto their trophy and return it next to the World Cup they won in Qatar in 2022. 2021 beaten Copa finalists Brazil will push Argentina close, and the odds are on a shootout between the two, but the likes of Uruguay and hosts USA will go into the tournament with high hopes.
Let’s take a look at these four Copa America heavyweights and second guess how they will set up in their quest for the ultimate success.
Possession play for Argentina
From Emi Martinez as the last line of defence to Lautaro Martinez the arch hitman, the Albiceleste are absolutely packed with talent, with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi still in their ranks.
Argentina’s talisman has Martinez and Julian Alvarez in front of him and support from the likes of Angel Correa and Manchester United wonderkid Alejandro Garnacho, so this is a frightening front line.
In midfield, Alexis Mac Allister had a brilliant World Cup. Enzo Fernandez is improving all the time and, with ball-playing defenders including Lisandro Martinez, Christian Romero, and Nicolas Otamendi at the back, this is a team which can dominate possession, wear down their opponents and then cut them apart.
Brazil will release their speedy forwards
Argentina have pace up front and will play it long from time to time, but Brazil have the aces in that department with the electric speed of the Real Madrid pair of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, and the 17-year-old Palmeiras phenomenon Endrick.
The key player in this strategy could well be West Ham United playmaker Lucas Paqueta, who can dictate the pace and rhythm of the game and unleash the defence splitting pass.
Paqueta is a versatile player and manager Junior will surely give him a starting spot. The 26-year-old links up well with Bruno Guimaraes, but he was missing at the start of Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers, when they went on a three=match losing run which saw Junior installed as head coach.
He had an immediate impact, and the Selecao beat England and drew with Spain in March friendlies, which coincided with Paqueta’s return to the squad.
Mobile Uruguay will focus on Nunez
La Celeste, managed by Marcelo Bielsa, have one of the hottest strikers in football in their ranks and Darwin Nunez showed just how lethal he can be in Uruguay’s 4-0 win over Mexico this week.
The Liverpool ace is a big favourite at Anfield thanks to his all action displays, but he hasn’t scored as many goals in the Premier League as he would have liked, hitting the woodwork more than any other player last season, an incredible four times in one game against Chelsea.
Any player who is so close so often is 99-per cent of the way there, and if Nunez has found that extra one-per cent, he could turn into a lethal goal machine, and he’s sure to make his fair share of Copa America 2024 highlights.
La Celeste will try to turn over play quickly and hurt their teams in transition and, as they look for Nunez, the other player who will feature heavily is central midfielder Federico Valverde, who will be at the heart of the action.
USA will try to frustrate
While the South American giants will focus on how they can score goals, particularly Brazil who can be generous in defence, Gregg Berhalter’s USA can’t match them in attack and the hosts’ best hope of success is to scrap it out.
They have quality of course, led by AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic, but the Stars and Stripes will aim to stay in games against the big sides rather than run away from them, and Berhalter may opt to play with three centre-backs and also pack the midfield.
USA will aim to slow games down and will exploit any lapses in opponents’ concentration by getting Pulisic on the ball, as the attacking midfielder can make a goal or score one and is the hosts’ most likely match winner.
After suffering a 5-1 whacking at the hands of Colombia, the USA recovered to frustrate Brazil on Wednesday, which saw Pulisic equalising after Rodrygo had given the Selecao an early lead. More of that will suit Berhalter just fine.
So there you go. This SBOTOP writer reckons Argentina are the team to beat, but their rivals will undoubtedly have a plan and a Plan B.
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