Former national coach Adolfo Valencia spoke about the definition of the continental tournament and the role of the Argentine in the duel.
The Copa America final is starting to warm up in preview. The national teams of Argentina and Colombia will be the protagonists of a decisive duel that will see Lionel Messi as one of the great figures on the field.
The transandean number 10 was one of the authors of the two goals with which the Albiceleste managed to defeat Canada. Despite this, voices have emerged from Colombia to denounce the decline in the performance of La Pulga.
““We know that Argentina is a tough rival, world champion, Copa America champion, but what about the boys (from Colombia), the boys have a lot of confidence in each other,” began by emphasizing Colombian Adolfo Valencia. in dialogue with TYC Sports.
The former national coach gave his opinion on the Argentine captain. “ETIt’s not the Messi we used to see at Barcelona who scored six, seven, he has lost speed, he has lost strength over the years. ” said the Train.
Of course, to this drop in performance, he also added Ángel di María. “So, they (the Colombians) who are young must know that and in addition, it is not Messi himself. Di Maria is no longer the same player we knew when he was 23, 24, 26, 27 years old… That’s an advantage we have to try to take advantage of. ” he said.
For the same reason, he launched that “Now everyone can mark Messi without taking anything away from everything he did, I was always a fan of his, I respected him as a player and as a person because he is a professional player who never had to complain. I am a fan of that,” he concluded about La Pulga.
He also stressed the importance of this duel for coffee producers. “I think so because Colombia has fallen in love, this national team has fallen in love and all Colombians believe in it. There is a commitment and the commitment that all Colombians expect is that they come and celebrate with us. . First in Bogota, then in Barranquilla.
“There is an illusion and they know it, because they have said it in interviews, they want to give this gift to Colombia by winning this Copa América and I think they have done a lot of merit. “, he added.
Messi’s confidence
Lionel Messi, mentioned by Valencia, took a while to talk about the final against Colombia.I am calm, waiting for the day to come as always. I am much calmer than before, after all that we have experienced and what we have been through. ” he told Fox Sports Argentina.
The forward commented that his goal is “to try to enjoy things more and live every moment to the fullest and not speed up times, just live in the moment and when it arrives we will focus on what the game will be like.”
Regarding the rival, he indicated that “we were able to see the Uruguay-Colombia match. We knew that one or the other was going to be difficult. There is a reason why Colombia has not lost in a long time. They have good players, very intense, they have fast and dynamic people. has”.
“It’s a final. A final is always a special match. We’re doing well, like everything in this Cup. ” he commented.
The final between Argentina and Colombia is scheduled for Sunday at 8:00 p.m. at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
