Sabella hails Argentina depth

Argentina manager Alejandro Sabella hailed the flexibility of his side after they defeated Italy 2-1 in Rome on Wednesday.

The South American side were without star forward Lionel Messi due to muscle fatigue, but produced an excellent performance in the Italian capital.

Goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Ever Banega gave Argentina victory, despite a late Lorenzo Insigne strike setting up a nervy finish.

Sabella knows that replacing Messi is not possible, but was delighted at how well his side performed in the absence of the Barcelona striker.

“When a team is used to playing with Messi, you can see the difference when he is not there,” he said.

“Messi is irreplaceable (but) the character and desire we showed really pleased me.”

Higuain, who recently moved to Napoli from Real Madrid, was particularly impressive for Sabella’s side.

Argentina – who top the South American qualifying section for the 2014 FIFA World Cup – are now unbeaten in their last seven matches.