Mauricio Pochettino now has the privilege of giving the new World Cup format a practical test.
The Argentinian wisely played it safe at half-time of the United States’ 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay, pulling Christian Pulisic before his calf could be kicked any more. The attacking midfielder said after the match that he had taken similar punishment before, and he was optimistic he would be fit for the next match. As of Thursday, a little more than 24 hours before kick-off, he was still training away from his teammates and wearing a sleeve on his left calf.
