Argentina manager Alejandro Sabella faces two qualifiers in October, qualifiers that should not cause much problems for the state of things in Argentina given last month’s 5-2 bashing of Paraguay that took the Albicelestis top of the table and secured a spot in Brazil in June. So why the call ups to the injured Barcelona pair Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi?
One can imagine the frustration among the Catalan press at the idea of calling up the Argentine duo, central pieces to the Barcelona attack and defense. Neither of the players will suit up tonight against Celtic, and will likely miss the upcoming league match against Valladolid on October 5.
Messi and Mascherano suffered injuries to their right leg muscles against Almería and Real Sociedad, respectively and will travel with the Argentine National Team for matches against Peru and Uruguay on October 11 and 15.
Ever the victim of a torrid political climate in Argentine football, Sabella perhaps needs to project an image of unity as much as possible, even if that means forcing injured players to travel for a few measly minutes on the pitch. Or maybe he hopes their very presence will do more to make his younger players hungrier for spots in the starting eleven.
Whether the Barça starters will play remains to be seen, but one can imagine the added stress of travel will do nothing to alleviate the added stress of continued bench time for two of Gerardo Martino’s best players.
Read more: http://www.totalbarca.com/2013/news/messi-and-mascherano-called-up-despite-injuries/#ixzz2gUJc1WEg
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