Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsSunday, August 16, 2026

Copa America 2011, Argentina Vs. Bolivia: Angel Di Maria Replaces Esteban Cambiasso

After an average first half where Argentina dominated, but failed to create clear-cut scoring chances, they have made a dramatic tactical change to start the second half, bringing on Angel di Maria, a very attacking left winger, for Esteban Cambiasso, a two-way central midfielder, who leans towards being a defensive midfielder. In fact, it was Cambiasso who had Argentina's best chance of the half, but he completely missed an empty net on a scramble in the box.

Cambiasso has been brilliant over the years for his club, Inter Milan, but he's been unremarkable - if not poor - in an Argentina shirt since about 2008. This substitution will cause some kind of tactical shift, but it's not entirely obvious what Sergio Batista is doing. It's possible that he could be going with a very attack-minded 4-2-3-1 formation with Lionel Messi behind Carlos Tevez and Ezequiel Lavezzi and di Maria on either wing, but the actual setup is anyone's guess.

See More: