The squad announcement for Argentina upcoming friendlies saw the introduction of a raft of new faces as the Albiceleste belatedly begin their rejuvenation process. As well as expected call-ups for Inter duo Mauro Icardi and Lautaro Martinez and Stuttgart’s tenacious Santiago Ascacibar, there were a number of surprise inclusions, particularly River Plate’s 19-year-old midfielder Exequiel Palacios.
Born in Famaillá, near Tucuman in the north of the country, Palacios’ family moved to Buenos Aires when he was just a kid and Exequiel started out in the youth ranks of neighbourhood clubs Junta Vecinal Jose Ingenieros and Parque Chas, before joining River when he was 10.
A member of the Argentina U17s that finished runners-up in the 2015 Sudamericano, Palacios went on to make his first-team debut for River later that year in a 2-0 defeat to Newell’s. Initially seen as more of an attacking winger or enganche, over the next couple of years Palacios slowly transformed into a more poli-functional midfielder in the mould of Lucho Gonzalez or Enzo Perez, but was limited to fleeting appearances for Los Millonarios.
Palacios was then called up for the 2017 U20 World Cup, despite not having played in the Sudamericano, and was one of the better performers despite Argentina’s early group stage exit. A long-term favourite of Gallardo, Palacios began to see some more regular game time for River last season, making nine leagues appearances and scoring twice.
After a good pre-season and impressive displays in both the Copa Argentina and Copa Libertadores, Palacios suddenly looks like he’ll be a regular first-teamer this season. So highly is Palacios thought of at River that they’ve allowed Ariel Rojas to leave for San Lorenzo and Argentina international Enzo Perez is being kept on the bench.
Given the lack of options in the centre of the park for Argentina at the World Cup, the emergence of Palacios is extremely timely and the versatile youngster looks set for a breakthrough Superliga campaign. Here we break down just what makes him such an exciting talent.
DESPLIEGUE
One word that pops up time and time again when people talk about Palacios is ‘despliegue’. Quite a difficult word to do justice in a single English word, despliegue tends to refer to a player’s physical display, that is to say their ability to cover every blade of grass and be a dominant presence on the pitch.
Palacios demonstrates this work rate, stamina and intensity in bucketloads and these qualities have been crucial in his transformation into a box-to-box midfielder. Whether it be pressing his opposition up the pitch, always making himself available for a pass or tracking back to help the defence, Palacios is a bundle of energy, as the examples below demonstrate.
This attribute, therefore, gives Palacios great versatility, allowing him to play in a number of midfield roles. And therein lies his potential importance for a national team severely lacking in mixed midfielders who can link defence and attack together.
PASSING
Far from being a midfield workhorse, Palacios is a precise and intelligent passer of the ball, just as you’d expect from someone who grew up as a more offensively-minded midfielder. He possesses good vision and looks to keep the tempo up by quickly distributing the ball, always aiming to only take one or two touches before shifting it on.
