Miami (AFP) – Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo says his team will need to be at the peak of their powers if they are to beat world champions Argentina and triumph in Sunday’s Copa America final.
Argentina are searching for a third straight major tournament win and for a record 16th Copa America title while Colombia are hoping they can win the continental crown for just the second time.
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“We need to be the best Colombia, the best version, to beat Argentina, the champions of everything,” Lorenzo told a pre-match press conference.
“To win against Argentina we have to be very well prepared, because they are the champions, it will be a very demanding match,” he added.
Colombia are unbeaten in their last 28 matches, with 25 of those results coming since Argentine coach Lorenzo took charge of the team.
But while the 58-year-old has seen his team continue to evolve and improve during his tenure, he knows that a final against Lionel Messi and Company will require plenty of adjustments during the game.
“Every day overcoming an obstacle means you grow and we have had several games with these types of situations that made us reinvent ourselves in the game and the team reacted,” he said.
“We are in a very good moment, I think the team still has room for improvement and we hope to have a great performance tomorrow and take a step forward in that sense as well,” he added.
Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni says he doesn’t plan to break with his tried and tested formula with a team that has been together throughout his reign, winning the Copa America in Brazil in 2021 before their triumph at the World Cup in Qatar the following year.
“It’s a final and each one has its nuances. Our football is not going to change. One of the nice things about football is that you can plan a match and then it turns out very different. We have to try not to miss any detail,” he said.
– Plea for calm –
Scaloni’s tactics and approach have remained broadly consistent but he has adjusted his personnel throughout the competition.
Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez was given the nod over Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez in attack for the semi-final win over Canada and is likely to lead the line again.
The world champions have done enough to progress comfortably through the tournament without ever hitting top form but Scaloni appears satisfied.
“The final finds us in a good moment. I don’t think the team has played worse than it had been doing before, taking into account the rivals and the heat. I don’t know if it’s the best moment, but we’re doing well,” he said.
The Argentina boss is hoping that there is no repeat in Miami of the ugly scenes after Colombia’s win over Uruguay in Charlotte where fans clashed and Uruguay players, who later said they were worried for their families, waded into the melee in the stands.
“The images are bad. (But) I don’t think you can blame them, seeing your family in the middle of the tumultuous situation which isn’t fair. It’s maddening. We need to see that,” said Scaloni.
“We ask the players to be examples, but when those things happen, I don’t think anyone would’ve reacted any other way. Its natural.
“I hope nothing like that happens Sunday, from the bottom of my heart. May the fans of Colombia and Argentina enjoy this event. We will all have friends and family there and don’t want to have to worry if something will happen to them. Those images were like something from 50 years ago and should not be happening,” he said.
© 2024 AFP
