The Argentina national team before the World Cup in Qatar was predicted to have a final triumph, but the first group match showed that it would not be easy for them. Lionel Scaloni’s team only bounced back in their second game, beating Mexico 2-0, and they have to prove their true worth against Poland. Here are their biggest benefits.
Fans of Albiselestes did not know until the last moment how their favorite team would look at the World Cup in Qatar, because a flurry of injuries hit it. Players such as Ángel Di Maria, Juan Foit, Marcos Acuna or Paulo Dybala managed to recover almost at first sight, but were also missing important links from the event, such as Giovani Lo Celso, whose coach Lionel Scaloni has called a midfield staple.
The winners of last year’s America’s Cup, the South American equivalent of the European tournament, came to Qatar unbeaten for 36 matches. This result would not have been possible without several factors that make Argentina one of the best national teams in the world.
Well-coordinated and organized team
Browsing through the Argentina squad, one can see many familiar faces that have appeared at international tournaments for several years now. It is impossible to mention Lionel Messi, Nicolás Otamendi, Alejandro Gomez or the aforementioned Angel Di Maria or Paulo Dybala here. With the exception of Alejandro Gómez, who donned the international jersey for the first time at senior level in 2018, each of them has been called up to the national team for many years.
In addition, it should be noted that the 26-man South American Champions roster includes players who have played more than 2,000 minutes since October 2020. Captain Albicelest, Lionel Messi scored 2400, Nicolas Otamendi 2128 and Rodrigo De Paul 2104. Lautaro Martinez (1739) and Leandro Paredes (1619) played a little less, but the same amount.
Generational exchange and models drawn from it
After the coming to power of Lionel Scaloni, who replaced Jorge Samapoli as coach, many young players appeared in the Argentine team. Here you can mention eg. players such as: Enzo Fernandez (Benfica), Julian Alvarez (Manchester City), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Christian Romero (Tottenham) and Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
Each of them has already made a name for himself at the highest level of football, and the one named first is one of two Albiceleste players who scored at the World Cup in Qatar. Lionel Scaloni has not yet used all the young players in the World Cup, but it looks like it’s only a matter of time. Each of these young players has the opportunity to learn from older players who have reached the highest goals of their careers.
The best football players in the world
A seven-time winner of the Golden Ball, a 167-time representative of the country, a 93-time scorer for it and, finally, a two-time scorer of the World Cup in Qatar, Lionel Messi never ceases to amaze with his form. The Argentine caught the wind in his sails at PSG and has become the best player in his team since the new season, which shows in the World Cup, despite the defeat in the first match against Saudi Arabia.
Another star of the Argentina national team is Lautaro Martinez. The Inter Milan striker made his national team debut less than 5 years ago and has scored 21 goals in 42 matches. At the World Cup, he twice appeared in the starting lineup, but so far has not managed to beat the opponents’ goalkeepers. At the club, he is the first striker of coach Simone Inzaghi.
Next on the list of Argentina’s biggest stars is Angel Di Maria. El Fideo, as the Argentines call him, is behind his best years of football, but he still delivers on the pitch, as he proves on Serie A pitches in the colors of Juventus and previously PSG. He made his debut for the national team in 2008 at the age of 20. Since then, he has made 126 appearances, scoring 27 goals.
Not to mention Paulo Dybala. Attacking midfielder Albiceletes moved from Juventus to Roma this summer and despite a superb reception and start, a serious injury followed that has kept him out of the pitch to this day. According to media reports, the player must be ready for the match with Poland, although this is not the best information for the fans of Byala Chervona and the players themselves.
Broken 36-match unbeaten streak
The Argentina national team was very close to achieving a historic result in 36 games in a row. When Jorge Sampaoli was in charge of our group rivals at the World Cup, we saw them very often in a 4-3-3 formation, but with Lionel Scaloni it is usually 4-4-2 or 3-5-2.
In the match against Saudi Arabia, we saw the former, and as it turned out, this tactic did not work, because they lost a sensational 1-2, without going down in history as the longest undefeated team in history.
Source: Wprost
