Football
Mark Rodden 8y

Argentina coach Gerardo Martino angry with PSG over Angel Di Maria

Argentina head coach Gerardo Martino has criticised Paris Saint-Germain for not resting Angel Di Maria ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia.

Di Maria, 28, started PSG's league match against Monaco last Sunday despite the fact that Laurent Blanc's side had already clinched a fourth successive Ligue 1 title a week previously.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid winger played 81 minutes of the 2-0 defeat at the Parc des Princes before being substituted.

Argentina are currently sixth in the South American World Cup qualifying standings having picked up only five points from five matches. And Martino was annoyed to see that Di Maria had not been given a break ahead of two key qualifiers.

"I'm angry with PSG who didn't respond in the same way as us when a player, as was with the case with Di Maria, should be kept in reserve," Martino told a news conference.

"We suggested to them that it wasn't necessary for him to play in Sunday's game given that the club are already champions."

On Thursday, Argentina face 2015 Copa America winners Chile, the team directly above them in the table, away from home. They then host Bolivia next week and Martino is worried that Di Maria's workload at club level will impact on his performances for his national team.

"In the past when we understood that it was better for Di Maria to stay in Paris, we didn't pick him," the ex-Barcelona boss was quoted as saying by France Football. "In turn, we would have liked PSG to understand our needs."

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