I bet Romero is quite happyfecking bellends, bet they wish they'd taken Romero now.
I bet Romero is quite happyfecking bellends, bet they wish they'd taken Romero now.
That defence and GK are absolute trash. Salvio is not a RB, Fazio is the slowest defender ever. Otmaendi and Rojo are rash and brainless. The less said about Caballero the better. At this level, mistakes get punished, and Argentina makes too many mistakes back thereThey're actually not even that bad on paper:
Caballero
Salvio - Fazio - Otamendi - Rojo
Banega - Mascherano - Lo Celso
Messi
Aguero - Higuain
Bench: Tagliafico, Meza, Dybala, Pavon, Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez
That team is terrible.They're actually not even that bad on paper:
Caballero
Salvio - Fazio - Otamendi - Rojo
Banega - Mascherano - Lo Celso
Messi
Aguero - Higuain
Bench: Tagliafico, Meza, Dybala, Pavon, Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez
Hey feck off, even we have better defence than this lotwhat's surprised me more than anything was how poor they are in technical sense. take Aguero and Messi out and they're reduced on bunch of headless chickens. zero creativity and dribbling, none of those unpredictable moves that leaves you unprepared to defend them. take Messi and Aguero out from first 11 and they're basically Poland.
They still can be better and more as a team. If you have a proper team, they can look decent. The problem is Sampaoli makes them all look worse than at club level. Is any player out there performing or standing out? No, their two best players look average tooThat team is terrible.
Caballero is ok without pressure.
Salvio is a winger and now in the mould of Valenica whose tough enough to play RB.
Fazio is terrible.
Otamendi or Rojo would be decent playing CB with a calm head beside them.
Rojo isn't great at LB imho.
Banega is your average CM, wouldn't start at Everton up in the PL.
Macherano is finished and about as fit and useful for running as Yaya.
Lo Celso is very average and not even a regular at club level.
Messi is one of the two best players in the world.
Aguero is excellent if used right.
Higuain is very good but ropey in big games.
I can't agree. Imo, those names, in 2018, if you take a careful look at them, are horrible or simply no way good enough.They're actually not even that bad on paper:
Caballero
Salvio - Fazio - Otamendi - Rojo
Banega - Mascherano - Lo Celso
Messi
Aguero - Higuain
Bench: Tagliafico, Meza, Dybala, Pavon, Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez
Portugal have continuity though, and know how to get the best out of Ronaldo. They also dont chop and change every game half as much as Argentina. Plus winning 2016, they have a group of winners with plenty of experience. Basically everything that Argentina lacks. They need to find a manager and structure for the future and build for the WC 2022 with players that suit the manager and shirt. Half the squad should be left out.A collection of individuals. They have superior quality to the like a of Portugal but utterly fail to gel into any semblance of a unit. Its baffling.
I'm not sure that individually they are superior to Portugal individually for me none of Caballero, Tagliafico, Mercado, Perez, Acuna, Meza or Mascherano as a midfielder (he's a centre back now and has been for 6-7 years) would get into the Portugal team.A collection of individuals. They have superior quality to the like a of Portugal but utterly fail to gel into any semblance of a unit. Its baffling.
Better than what they are atm, certainly but in anyway capable of beating a team like Croatia, doubtful. Just compare a midfield of Brozovic, Rakitic and Modric to that. A player like Kovacic who can't get a game for club or country would walk into the Argentina team and that's telling imho.They still can be better and more as a team. If you have a proper team, they can look decent. The problem is Sampaoli makes them all look worse than at club level. Is any player out there performing or standing out? No, their two best players look average too
I disagree. Mercado, Acuna and Tagliafico are comfortably better than Cedric Soares and are as good as Ricardo Pereira. Perez is the exact same player as Adrian, Id still pick Mascherano over Adrian in midfield in a functioning team, frankly the only supposedly weak player is Meza. Who has only looked weak because Argentina are super disjointed. If you watched any of him playing in the Copa Libratadores he is about the same quality as a Bruno Fernandes. Argentina's problem isn't the individuals. Its the collective. They are as bad as the Ginola generation of France who couldnt gel and put aside egoes to make it to the world cup in 94. Yet they are not even ego trippers like the French were...I'm not sure that individually they are superior to Portugal individually for me none of Caballero, Tagliafico, Mercado, Perez, Acuna, Meza or Mascherano as a midfielder (he's a centre back now and has been for 6-7 years) would get into the Portugal team.
Let’s just hold on a second
Let’s give credit to @Doctor Tornasol for his very bold prediction. I mean it’s not like Argentina struggled their way through qualification for him to make such a bold prediction that they would struggle. But well done doctor.
The responsibility is mine. I’m responsible for the loss. I did not read the game well. We have not found the best team to accompany MESSI. Because of the reality of the Argentina squad, it sort of clouds Leo’s brilliance. Leo is limited because the team doesn’t gel with him as ideally as it should.
“I’m very sorry to all the Argentina fans who made the effort to come to Russia. I was excited just as much as the fans. I tried my best to form a team.
We were emotionally broken and we didn’t have any football arguments to change the course of events.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player and he’s playing well with his team. He’s having some great moments. However, you can’t compare. Ronaldo has the team to help him. Lionel MESSI doesn’t. I take full responsibility for this.
He's really expecting the players to play for him after that ? He pretty much said that they are shite and Messi is the one dragging them to do anything.Sampaoli says:
No way they beat Nigeria with this mentalityHe's really expecting the players to play for him after that ? He pretty much said that they are shite and Messi is the one dragging them to do anything.
This Argentina camp surely has loads of problems in-between manager and players we don't even know everything about them.
All I understood was Sampaoli and then I see Kun s look on his face. Indeed very telling. You can tell he is livid but protects himself by quickly walking away. Amazing really. France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, Italy, etc. It always seems at least one of the star studded teams has a massive implosion during these tournaments. I guess you can't expect to put that many big egos together and expect it to go swellingly.Last minute news and it seems the locker room has exploded and now is an open war against Sampaoli after the last post match interview. I've seen the video of a journalist asking Aguero later about those Sampaoli words, and he literally had to bite his own b*lls while saying "Let him say whatever he wants" with absolute disdain.
It wouldn't be strange if Sampaoli is sacked before the next/last match lol
youtu.be/zuj6PshgcP4?t=40
This is the moment, then he leaves.
Sampaoli said before that he failed to apply his system to the players.All I understood was Sampaoli and then I see Kun s look on his face. Indeed very telling. You can tell he is livid but protects himself by quickly walking away. Amazing really. France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, Italy, etc. It always seems at least one of the star studded teams has a massive implosion during these tournaments. I guess you can't expect to put that many big egos together and expect it to go swellingly.
I think one of the main problem is that Sampaoli wants to make it all about Messi.. Pass to Messi.. Sorry Messi, rest of squad were crap.. Let us make Messi a WC winner..Just heard an audio from Simeone and he's very harsh on the Argentinian team but his right about everything. The best part for me is how he says Argentina should had played against Iceland like they did today with Croatia, and play against Croatia with the set up they used against Iceland. They're really a mess right now and while I've argued a lot about Argentina having a better 'team' (in the sense of having a better collection of players ) than Portugal they play like complete strangers at times and it does seem like total anarchy there.
It's not just Sampaoli, all the coaches have tried to make all about Messi. Even hearing him today he's taking all the blame and absolving him, and as good as he is and even if it was true I don't think that type of mentality is helping the team at all.I think one of the main problem is that Sampaoli wants to make it all about Messi.. Pass to Messi.. Sorry Messi, rest of squad were crap.. Let us make Messi a WC winner..
And many other players who are also decent stars themselves are not really interested in this business of living for Messi.
If Icardi was leading as striker, with Dybala starting, Paredes in the squad and so on... I'd concur they could have a better team.Just heard an audio from Simeone and he's very harsh on the Argentinian team but his right about everything. The best part for me is how he says Argentina should had played against Iceland like they did today with Croatia, and play against Croatia with the set up they used against Iceland. They're really a mess right now and while I've argued a lot about Argentina having a better 'team' (in the sense of having a better collection of players ) than Portugal they play like complete strangers at times and it does seem like total anarchy there.
While true, look at the team without Messi. When he 'retired' those few games and was injured I believe it was, those very good stars were fecking diabolical and were risking missing out on even qualifying for the World Cup. There is something really wrong at Argentina that transcends simply the players. Even without a proper system, these players are winners who have won everything, they should be far more competitive than they are.I think one of the main problem is that Sampaoli wants to make it all about Messi.. Pass to Messi.. Sorry Messi, rest of squad were crap.. Let us make Messi a WC winner..
And many other players who are also decent stars themselves are not really interested in this business of living for Messi.