Marcos Senesi arrived in Kansas City overnight on Saturday and was at training only a few hours later, giving Argentina the last piece of Lionel Scaloni’s squad just as the World Cup build-up sharpened. He replaced the injured Leonardo Balerdi, and the defender’s arrival meant Scaloni finally had his full group together.
That is why Senesi’s name is being searched now. He was not eased in after a long break or a quiet travel day. He flew from Europe, landed in time for a morning session and went straight into a camp that is trying to settle before Tuesday’s opener against Algeria national football team at Arrowhead Stadium. Argentina are defending a World Cup title, and every training hour matters.
Senesi said the call-up came after a period of waiting, and that he had been on holiday in Ibiza with his girlfriend, English footballer Kelci Rose, when the message from Scaloni arrived. He sent his best wishes to Balerdi and said he was very happy to get the chance, wanting to enjoy it as much as possible. The invitation came five days after Balerdi’s muscle injury in his right leg, a reminder of how quickly plans have shifted in this camp.
There is still little room for comfort. Argentina’s morning session was moved from the afternoon because Kansas City was preparing for severe storms, so the squad had to adapt before it had even settled into routine. And even with Senesi in place, Scaloni still has defensive questions to answer. Nicolás Tagliafico is training separately with a calf strain, Julián Álvarez is recovering from an ankle problem, and Emiliano 'Dibu' Martínez is working back from a fractured finger on his right hand.
Scaloni has not yet decided who will partner Lionel Messi in attack, which leaves one of the most important choices unresolved just two days before the team begins its sixth World Cup title defence in North America for the World Cup, across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Lautaro Martínez would step in if Álvarez is not fully fit, but the balance of the team is still being shaped around injuries that keep narrowing the margin for error. Senesi’s arrival helps, but it does not close the book on Argentina’s early worries.
For Argentina, the immediate job is simple: get through Tuesday healthy enough to start as champions, and hope the defender who crossed the Atlantic overnight can be part of a back line that is still being assembled.
