The Juventus player has not started any of La Albiceleste’s last three games in the tournament but Zabaleta believes Di Maria, if completely fit, should start the game.“If Di María is 100%, he should start. Di María is an electric player, unbalancing. If he plays for 60 minutes, it’s 60 minutes,” the former Manchester City star told ESPN.
Zabaleta believes Julian Alvarez should be dropped to the bench despite the Manchester City star forming a stellar bond with Lionel Messi at the top of Argentina’s attack. Messi scored a penalty, while Alvarez bagged two goals as La Albiceleste defeated Croatia 3-0 in the semi-final. “He’s playing alongside Lionel Messi up front, and it seems, from the outside, that he’s like: ‘Messi – don’t run. I’ll do it for you.’
“You need a big heart [to do that]. He started at the World Cup on the bench but then [got] one chance, and he’s been brilliant,” he said.