Editorial (May 31, 2018) — Argentinean national football team faced one of its last challenges before the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. The ‘Albiceleste’ thrashed Haiti 4-0 on Tuesday in a game that proved once again this squad is Lionel Messi-dependent.
Maybe Haiti is not the best example to judge Argentina, but even playing against a minor rival, the South American country shows they will go on Lionel Messi’s rhythm.
Lionel Messi’s Rhythm Will Dictate Argentina’s Performance in 2018 World Cup
Messi scored a hat-trick and assisted the fourth goal in the effortless triumph over the Haitians. Before the game, he was supposed to play a few minutes, but he ended up playing the full 90.
Argentinean coach Jorge Sampaoli should consider giving the Barcelona striker less minutes in the last friendly game against Israel next week. He played the whole season of La Liga in a great level and he was the top scorer with 34 goals and 45 overall.
Messi was on the pitch for a total 4,468 minutes between La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa, more than any other teammate in Barcelona and the Argentinean team.
In Leo They Trust
That’s why he deserves some rest, and Sampaoli needs to demonstrate that his team can play without Messi. But the last time Argentina played without its best footballer they were destroyed 6-1 by Spain on March 27th this year, in a match that left a lot of concerns in the midfield.
Argentina slips off versus Spain, but four days earlier they had a good game collectively without “La Pulga’s” presence to beat Italy 2-0 at Manchester in a friendly on March 23rd. That confirms they can be fantastic without their best player, but in the World Cup, it will be extremely tough if Messi is far from his outstanding level.
Nevertheless, facing off against Haiti was a good match to warm up and test various players, particularly on defense.
But certainly, Messi has to carry his teammates in the World Cup. And Argentina just thinks in one thing: With Messi in the pitch, anything is possible.
Argentina will play against Israel in Jerusalem on June 9th. It will be their last friendly game before the World Cup kick-off. They face Iceland in the Group D opener at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow on June 16.
