Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli is planning major changes to his team for the South Americans’ next World Cup match. In the team’s first training session since a disappointing 1-1 draw against Iceland, Sampaoli tried a different tactical approach on Monday, with an eye toward the clash against Croatia on Thursday.
He tested a system with three central defenders: Gabriel Mercado, Nicolas Otamendi and Nicolas Tagliafico. Mercado was replacing Marcos Rojo, who put in a poor performance against Iceland in a line of four defenders.
The other notable change in training was that the coach dropped midfielders Lucas Biglia and Angel Di Maria, who also failed to impress in the draw on Saturday. Sampaoli switched Biglia for Marcos Acuna, who was playing on the left wing. Javier Mascherano will remain as a defensive midfielder, while right back Eduardo Salvio was being pushed up as a wing-back.