Argentina 4-0 Haiti: 3 things that went right for Jorge Sampaoli
It's that time of the season where national teams play friendly matches to test their tactics and plans for the final time before the World Cup. Yes, the international friendlies are much awaited by fans nowadays. One of the most talked about team, Argentina played Haiti in a friendly match.
Sampaoli has not been very clear with his lineups and it was a great opportunity for him to try and implement his ideas. Haiti is clearly a much weaker side and it would allow Argentina to dominate the ball and impose their game for 90 minutes.
The match ended 4-0 in favour of 'La Albiceleste'. It was a very convincing victory with Messi grabbing a hattrick and Aguero adding one to his name. Recent performances by the Argentina national team have not been great but this match showed what makes them a contender for the World Cup.
Let's have a look at things that went in favour for Jorge Sampaoli:
#3 Starting Eduardo Salvio at right back
Instead of putting the experienced Sevilla full-back, Mercado, Sampaoli opted Salvio to do the job in the right back spot. A couple of hours before the match, it was rumoured that Salvio would start against Haiti but not playing him in the midfield was a smart move.
Salvio was in action throughout the game. Running up and down the right flank, he hardly made any major mistakes. His pace was fully utilized by Sampaoli. Salvio also showed great composure on the ball and even connected well with his teammates.
Mercado is more physical and experienced but lacks pace and attacking abilities like Salvio. Sampaoli was aware and thus opted for a more attacking full-back in his defensive back-four.