Argentina are one of the favourites to hoist the World Cup trophy next month. With a side that is packed with attacking talent, an easy group stage, and in the South American continent, anything less than a quarter final appearance would be highly unacceptable.
Much has changed since their last campaign for glory in 2010. Gone are the disruptive days where hotheads dominated the locker room as cooler heads now lead the charge. Since taking charge in 2012, coach Alejandro Sabella has managed to replicate Lionel Messi’s club form for his country by implementing a more direct style of play. He has also managed to rid the country of some terrible egos (remember Carlos Tevez).
Still the Argentina squad has many questions to answer in terms of defensive ability as well as the fact that they have not made a semi-final in the last 20 years.
PROS
Attack. Once again Argentina have the best attack heading into the World Cup with three world class strikers in Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain. In addition to those three superstar strikers, the Argentinians also have Angel Di Maria and Ezequiel Lavezzi on the wings ready to supply any one of three strikers mentioned above. All five of these men too have been in good form this season too which should help their team’s chances greatly.
They also have an easy group stage which means these forwards should be banging in goals left, right and centre. Neither Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran nor Nigeria have a great defence, therefore it would be highly unsurprising if Lionel Messi were to lift the Golden Boot at the end of the tournament.
CONS
There are huge question marks over their defence and midfield. The Argentines have proven to be shambolic defensively speaking and their inexperience could prove costly. Defending set-pieces is also a huge problem for the team with only Federico Fernandez and Ezequiel Garay (the likely centre-back partnership at this World Cup) being able to head the ball.
And while there is plenty of experience in the midfield, there is not much depth. The Argentinians play as a 4-3-3 with Javier Mascherano and Fernando Gago being joined by Di Maria as their most likely midfield combination. The problem with the midfield here is that Gago has severe fitness issues and Di Maria is much better off in a more attacking position than a centre midfield. And if Mascherano gets injured, then they would have to rely on the inconsistent Ever Banega. Not good.
Moreover, the team has issues with their goalkeepers with only third-choice selection Mariano Andujar of Boca Juniors playing consistently.
ROUTE TO THE FINAL
Nine points is a sure fire certainty for this Argentine squad in the group stage. Iran should be a complete walkover and the same should apply when they are facing Nigeria. Bosnia-Herzegovina may cause some problems for their defence, especially with Edin Dzeko up front, but Argentina should come away with a win.
They will probably face Switzerland or Ecuador in the first knockout round if the inevitable happens and they top Group F. Switzerland have a good starting XI and should cause some problems unlike Ecuador, who have been having problems winning outside of Quito. Either way, Argentina are expected to progress here.
They may come unstuck in the quarter finals for their third consecutive World Cup appearance. Argentina will probably face their first really difficult challenge in either Belgium or Portugal. The Belgians have built up a very good squad in the last four years and their defence of Aldeweireld, Kompany, Vertonghen and van Buyten should cause their forwards problems, while the likes of Hazard, Lukaku and Mertens will prove tough for their defence to handle. Meanwhile, Portugal are not as good as they once were, but they do have Cristiano Ronaldo, which is enough to strike fear into even the best teams in the world. Argentina should be the favourites if any of these clashes occur and should progress to the final four.
The semi-finals is where Argentina could make their exit. The team they are most likely to face at this stage of the tournament is the current World Champions Spain. Many pundits believe that Spain’s tiki-taka tactics are a thing of the past, but Spain are still masters of the international game.
If the Spanish defence holds up strong and Spain can play their normal way with ease then its goodbye Argentina. If the Argentine attack can get a stranglehold of the game and create chances then it could very well be goodbye Spain. Argentina could also face Italy at this stage too.
Which would then lead to the dream final of Argentina vs Brazil. And goodness knows what could happen there. The tie would be a clash of attacking football of Argentina versus the defensive domination of Brazil. And the biggest winner here would definitely be football.
VERDICT
Semi Finals. While many bookies, pundits and media professionals are suggesting that Argentina could win the tournament, they have too many holes to become the best team in the international game.
The likes of Brazil and Spain would be too much for a fragile Argentina defence which relies heavily on their attack to carry them through games. And if they do top Group F (which they will), then they arguably have the easiest route to the semi-final stage. I doubt many Argentinians will complain about that considering their lack of success in the past two decades at the World Cup.
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