World Cup 2018 Group D- ARG/ICE/CRO/NIG

There are two problems - i) the personnel and ii) the system. Argentina aren't producing the same calibre of player they were, and there is no system. 

Mascherano was a great player, no longer.

Biglia is pedestrian. 

Otamendi is a bombscare. 

Maybe Lo Celso should have been in the team, but he's still young, inexperienced and unproven. 

Banega should definitely have been in the team.

Argentina don't have any midfielders starring for Europe's top club teams. Banega is probabaly the closest. There's no Redondo or Riquelme. Pastore and Lamela could have been those players, but they have never kicked on and aren't even in the squad. 

Midfields and defences win you World Cups. 

Argentina have no idea of how to organise either. The goalkeeping issue is huge too. Romero wasn't a great goalkeeper but he was solid. 

Sampaoli tried to play like Chile last night and ended up totally confusing both himself and his players.

The Argentina team that got to the final in 2014 was extremely had-working, incredibly organised and designed to get Messi in space around the edge of the box. It would appear here the tactic was little more than to give him the ball anywhere and expect magic. It is incredibly crude  from Sampaoliand, while Sid is correct in saying that space isn't there in football the way it was in '86, a million miles from how Bilardo got the best out of his star man.

There will also be the usual comparisons between Messi and Ronaldo and between Messi and Maradona which will have , I assume, already begun. Just to give a little bit of context here, and aside from the superior tactical plans put in place for both players by their respective national team managers, the way all three players are regarded in their homeland was very different. Ronaldo was a god in Portugal long before the Euros win, if Portugal had gone out in the groups he would still have been a huge source of national pride and this gives him a platform to perform. In contrast, Messi was voted the best player in a World Cup finals and his nation seemed to collectively shrug their shoulders and focus on him, and not the team, losing the final.

Similarly, Maradona's club allegiances in Argentina were often ignored when he went to Europe and he was loved as Argentinians could see 'one of their own' in him in his style of play and personality. While Messi's style of play is Argentinean in style his personality is not. The fact that he moved to Barcelona so young and is so quiet and unassuming means he is seen as European and why the constant barbs are made about him only caring for Barcelona and why he retired after the Copa America miss in the shoot-out. Every time he takes the field Argentina expects him to win the game for them despite this indifference to him as a person. Somebody mentioned that he looked burdened during the anthems last night and he unquestionably was.

Maybe it would have been different had Higuain scored that chance four years ago, but I still don't think he would ever have been truly loved or treated as a national hero.

 

SOunds like United

Sampaoli had at his disposal a squad more than capable of winning this group or at least qualifying as runners up with miniumal fuss, whether you agree or not is fine. 

The names I've rattled off would still grace a whole host of teams in this competition whether they're past their prime like Mascherano or inconsistent like Rojo.

You've said Otamendi is a bombscare, yet he's operating at the highest level in club football.

How can you explain why a 35 year old Kari Arnason a player who couldn't start for Aberdeen out performs Otamendi? It's rather simple, which you're fully aware of I'm sure is that the manager has him and his team mates playing to their strengths. Unlike Sampaoli at Argentina.

I just think it's a cop out to say "ah their players are sh*te"

For me personally when I see Fazio perform so well for Roma this season, Otamendi done fine at City, Lo Celso emerged as an exceptional young talent etc you have to take into account that these players aren't playing for the likes of AIK, Hearts or whoever but in very big to the elite clubs.

Just because they aren't at the level of Ayala, Redondo, Crespo etc doesn't mean they can't be competent as a team in their own right and even half resemble a good international side because they most definitely have the players to make a quarter final.

Rulli despite being in and out of the Sociedad side this season is a good keeper, couldn't believe when he wasn't selected. Cabellero is a joke figure what the f**k was he thinking. 

They want BURRUCHAGA!!!! in charge apparently 

So Sampaoli is taking charge of the Nigeria game then as we know what happens to 95% of the rumours posted on YBIG