By OkayGoal 
Valentin Barco was very effective for Argentina against Honduras last night, and will have done his chances of World Cup minutes no harm.
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Valentin Barco is not a Chelsea player, but there is a very strong suspicion he will be joining soon after 18 months at our sister club Strasbourg.
He’s already said goodbye to his colleagues in Alsace, and there seems to be little doubt that Stamford Bridge is his next stop.
That makes watching him play for Argentina at the World Cup all the more interesting. He’s not likely to start – but could certainly pick up important minutes in a hectic tournament.
Barco stakes his claim for World Cup place
The former Brighton man started as a number 6 for the Albiceleste in their warmup friendly against Honduras last night and looking very effective. He racked up 51 passes with a 93% accuracy rate. He played 9 passes into the final third and one of them led to a shot.
Defensively he showed his usual industry, buzzing around attackers and pressing intelligently. He had a tackle, and interception and 4 recoveries of loose balls.
It was not spectacular but it was effective, and will only have helped his chances of getting minutes. The established team are the reigning champions, but a lot of them are well past 30 now, and will need lots of time off in the heat.
In other news…
Tensions continue to simmer at Chelsea behind the scenes, and Matt Law says a lot can be traced back to one major decision over Mauricio Pochettino.
Whatever happens with the above, the crucial day will be in May 2026, when the chairman role passes from Boehly to someone chosen by Clearlake.
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