Lionel Scaloni has again omitted Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso from Argentina’s squad for the November friendlies against Uruguay and Costa Rica. Repetition turns the decision into more than an isolated choice: the coaching staff is widening competition in midfield and will use this window to study younger footballers, even at the cost of leaving out two figures who have been central since the beginning of Scaloni’s cycle in 2018.
The main explanation is neither suspension nor injury. De Paul, now with Inter Miami, and Real Betis midfielder Lo Celso have fallen behind within a planned renewal that looks toward the next competitive phase. Ezequiel Fernández, Máximo Perrone and Valentín Barco are among those Scaloni wants to give sustained opportunities. The choice changes the hierarchy. Historical importance is no longer sufficient by itself, and every place depends again on current club form and the ability to fit a different distribution of responsibilities.
The immediate precedent strengthens that interpretation. Neither veteran was selected in the previous window, and both appeared only in the friendly against Benin because the occasion was shaped by Lionel Messi’s farewell to the national team. That appearance did not restore their positions on a permanent basis. The new list confirms that the return was exceptional and that Scaloni wants evidence of how Argentina function with a midfield less dependent on the players who supported the most successful years of his tenure.
Their international records explain the importance of the decision. De Paul has made 95 appearances since his debut in 2018 and became an emotional, tactical and physical reference in the champion side. Lo Celso has 69 caps, five goals and 16 assists, as well as a creative role that survived several versions of the team. Neither has been definitively discarded, but past service no longer provides automatic protection. They must demonstrate form, continuity and compatibility with a squad searching for new solutions.
The selection is also affected by compulsory absences. Lautaro Martínez, Cristian Romero and Nicolás González are unavailable through injury, while Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina are still serving sanctions connected to the incidents after the World Cup final against Spain. Renewal is therefore not taking place under ideal laboratory conditions. Scaloni must introduce new players, cover missing specialists and preserve competitiveness at once, making the two friendlies a genuine examination of Argentina’s depth.
Argentina host Uruguay at La Bombonera on 13 November and face Costa Rica in Córdoba on the 17th. Both matches will test combinations, leadership and responses under pressure without several familiar references. For Fernández, Perrone and Barco, the chance means more than accumulating minutes: it offers a path from an exploratory call-up to a stable role. For De Paul and Lo Celso, every club performance now forms part of a more open evaluation than they experienced in recent years.
Scaloni’s message is firm without being final. The door remains open, and a future return will depend on individual performance and the team’s needs. Yet Argentina are no longer organising the present around their comeback. November will show whether the younger group can assume circulation, pressing and creativity, while the established pair must respond from outside the squad. That tension is not simply a rupture; it defines the transition of a champion that must renew itself without surrendering its identity.
