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Analysis: Argentina have replaced the world’s best player with one of the best teams

Analysis: Argentina have replaced the world’s best player with one of the best teams

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Argentina became the most successful team in Copa América history by lifting the trophy for the 16th time in Miami last weekend. They also are the most successful international team in the 2020s so far having won every major tournament they have participated in – two Copas América and one FIFA World Cup. That is quite a remarkable turnaround for a nation that failed to win any silverware for almost three decades prior to this run.

By Neel Shelat

In fact, Argentina have lost just two of their 63 fixtures since being eliminated from the 2019 Copa América against Brazil. Clearly, Lionel Scaloni has done an incredible job of taking them to the top and keeping them there, and even more impressively, he has done so while their best player – and one of the best the world has ever seen – is in the twilight of his career.

A Constant Quest for Balance

Ever since he broke through at Barcelona, it has been abundantly clear to everyone in the world that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game. He quickly won everything he possibly could with his club, but despite eight attempts, an international trophy with his beloved Argentina continued to elude him. Sometimes, he was not adequately supported by his teammates on the pitch, sometimes the weight of pressure on him was simply far too much, but either way, it was clear that he could not single-handedly lead Argentina to glory no matter how good he was.

The Albiceleste’s Round of 16 loss to France in a seven-goal thriller in the 2018 World Cup proved to be a real turning point. It was the first international tournament Messi played in after turning 30, so at the time, people began to seriously reckon with the possibility that the great man could one day have to bow out from the international stage without lifting a trophy. For their part, the Argentine FA did what they always seemed to do – change managers after another disappointing tournament.

This time, though, they did something different. They made Lionel Scaloni – a member of the previous coaching staff under Jorge Sampaoli – their next manager despite his lack of experience, drawing a lot of criticism from fans at the time. A year later, he would lead them into an international tournament for the first time in the 2019 Copa América, losing to Brazil in the semi-final after a shaky campaign.

This time, though, the FA did not sack the manager and instead doubled down on their decision to back him by extending his contract until 2022. Again, fans were not happy, but just two years later, everything would change.

Scaloni learned from his mistakes and put out a much more balanced XI in the 2021 Copa, making some tough calls such as benching Sergio Agüero. Among the new faces in the side was Emiliano Martínez, whose penalty shoot-out legend was born when he saved three Colombian attempts in the semi-final. Brazil were the final opponent, and this time it was Argentina who triumphed thanks to the only goal of the game.

Finally, Argentina’s long trophy drought was broken, but that was far from the end of the story. They kept up the momentum and entered the 2022 FIFA World Cup on a 36-match unbeaten run – just one shy of the men’s world record. The proven XI took to the field against a Saudi Arabia side they would have expected to blow away, but instead, they suffered a shock defeat in one of the World Cup’s greatest upsets.

Balance had been the key to Scaloni’s previous success, but the trouble with balance is that it is not only tough to attain but even more difficult to maintain. To his credit, he realised that some changes were needed to get the best out of his side and immediately enacted them. Argentina reverted to the 4-3-3 formation with Alexis Mac Allister as the third midfielder, and soon enough, fellow youngsters Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez forced their way into the XI with their game-winning performances off the bench.

With those changes, Argentina got to the final against defending champions France, and the rest is history.

Moving On from Messi

The 2022 World Cup triumph was the crowning jewel of Messi’s unimaginably illustrious career. Not only did he finally get his hands on the elusive trophy, but he did so after an incredible tournament on an individual level as he won the Golden Ball with seven goals and three assists.

That was his glorious peak which could never be matched again. Everyone, himself included, recognised this immediately after the World Cup, but that did not spell the end of his international career. If anything, it was a new beginning as Messi could finally fully enjoy playing for Argentina with absolutely no pressure on his shoulders having won everything there was to win.

And so the show went on in the 2024 Copa América. Argentina got to the final without ever having to get out of second or third gear, as they eased past a simple group with Canada, Chile and Peru, emerged victorious on penalties in a tough quarter-final against Ecuador and once again got the better of Canada to reach another final.

Their opponents, a Colombia side who were on a long unbeaten streak themselves, gave them a real run for their money at first as they exposed some defensive gaps in the Argentine side that were previously untested, but the back line held firm. By now, Martínez’s presence in goal made them favourites in any penalty shoot-out, but winning without all that drama obviously was the preferred outcome.

The starting XI could not get the job done, and worse yet, Messi had to go off injured after twisting his ankle. The match went to extra time, and it was then that Scaloni made a triple change and called upon two of the players he displaced from the starting XI at the World Cup. The goal that then won the game could not have been scripted any better. Leandro Paredes won the ball back in midfield with a brilliant tackle before linking up with Lautaro Martínez, who spun in behind the opposition defence via a through ball from Giovani Lo Celso (the third substitute) before emphatically finding the back of the net.

The nature and context of that goal – created by three substitutes while a heartbroken Messi had to watch on from the sidelines – provided a glimpse into the future for the Albiceleste. The Inter Miami forward no longer is the best player in the world and will soon have to hang up his boots, but Argentina will still stay one of the world’s strongest sides.

All over the XI, they already have great balance even without superstar quality. Emiliano Martínez is the perfect man between the sticks for international football, the Cristian Romero–Lisandro Martínez centre-back partnership is supremely solid and helpful on the ball, and the full-backs are all serviceable if not remarkable. The midfield is almost perfectly composed between the deep-lying playmaking of Enzo Fernández, hard work and water-carrying of Rodrigo De Paul and creativity of Alexis Mac Allister. Up front, both Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez can decide games from the starting XI or the bench.

Of course, no one can possibly replace Lionel Messi, but Argentina also have to contend with the loss of Ángel Di María, who has already retired. The Benfica winger was arguably the best player of the old generation – apart from Messi – as he always worked his socks off, did whatever was asked of him without complaint even if he had to be shifted out of position and, unlike most of his peers, stood up and delivered on the biggest of days.

In a way, Argentina have replaced the world’s best player by assembling a squad of Di María-like players. Most of them are not the very best in the world in their position (but obviously are quite good nevertheless), but all of them fulfil the above checklist. As a result, they now have one of the world’s best teams which should continue to compete at the highest level for years to come.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Argentina game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Analysis: Argentina have replaced the world’s best player with one of the best teams

Argentina became the most successful team in Copa América history by lifting the trophy for the 16th time in Miami last weekend. They also are the most successful international team in the 2020s so far having won every major tournament they have participated in – two Copas América and one FIFA World Cup. That is quite a remarkable turnaround for a nation that failed to win any silverware for almost three decades prior to this run.

By Neel Shelat

In fact, Argentina have lost just two of their 63 fixtures since being eliminated from the 2019 Copa América against Brazil. Clearly, Lionel Scaloni has done an incredible job of taking them to the top and keeping them there, and even more impressively, he has done so while their best player – and one of the best the world has ever seen – is in the twilight of his career.

A Constant Quest for Balance

Ever since he broke through at Barcelona, it has been abundantly clear to everyone in the world that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest to ever play the beautiful game. He quickly won everything he possibly could with his club, but despite eight attempts, an international trophy with his beloved Argentina continued to elude him. Sometimes, he was not adequately supported by his teammates on the pitch, sometimes the weight of pressure on him was simply far too much, but either way, it was clear that he could not single-handedly lead Argentina to glory no matter how good he was.

The Albiceleste’s Round of 16 loss to France in a seven-goal thriller in the 2018 World Cup proved to be a real turning point. It was the first international tournament Messi played in after turning 30, so at the time, people began to seriously reckon with the possibility that the great man could one day have to bow out from the international stage without lifting a trophy. For their part, the Argentine FA did what they always seemed to do – change managers after another disappointing tournament.

This time, though, they did something different. They made Lionel Scaloni – a member of the previous coaching staff under Jorge Sampaoli – their next manager despite his lack of experience, drawing a lot of criticism from fans at the time. A year later, he would lead them into an international tournament for the first time in the 2019 Copa América, losing to Brazil in the semi-final after a shaky campaign.

This time, though, the FA did not sack the manager and instead doubled down on their decision to back him by extending his contract until 2022. Again, fans were not happy, but just two years later, everything would change.

Scaloni learned from his mistakes and put out a much more balanced XI in the 2021 Copa, making some tough calls such as benching Sergio Agüero. Among the new faces in the side was Emiliano Martínez, whose penalty shoot-out legend was born when he saved three Colombian attempts in the semi-final. Brazil were the final opponent, and this time it was Argentina who triumphed thanks to the only goal of the game.

Finally, Argentina’s long trophy drought was broken, but that was far from the end of the story. They kept up the momentum and entered the 2022 FIFA World Cup on a 36-match unbeaten run – just one shy of the men’s world record. The proven XI took to the field against a Saudi Arabia side they would have expected to blow away, but instead, they suffered a shock defeat in one of the World Cup’s greatest upsets.

Balance had been the key to Scaloni’s previous success, but the trouble with balance is that it is not only tough to attain but even more difficult to maintain. To his credit, he realised that some changes were needed to get the best out of his side and immediately enacted them. Argentina reverted to the 4-3-3 formation with Alexis Mac Allister as the third midfielder, and soon enough, fellow youngsters Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez forced their way into the XI with their game-winning performances off the bench.

With those changes, Argentina got to the final against defending champions France, and the rest is history.

Moving On from Messi

The 2022 World Cup triumph was the crowning jewel of Messi’s unimaginably illustrious career. Not only did he finally get his hands on the elusive trophy, but he did so after an incredible tournament on an individual level as he won the Golden Ball with seven goals and three assists.

That was his glorious peak which could never be matched again. Everyone, himself included, recognised this immediately after the World Cup, but that did not spell the end of his international career. If anything, it was a new beginning as Messi could finally fully enjoy playing for Argentina with absolutely no pressure on his shoulders having won everything there was to win.

And so the show went on in the 2024 Copa América. Argentina got to the final without ever having to get out of second or third gear, as they eased past a simple group with Canada, Chile and Peru, emerged victorious on penalties in a tough quarter-final against Ecuador and once again got the better of Canada to reach another final.

Their opponents, a Colombia side who were on a long unbeaten streak themselves, gave them a real run for their money at first as they exposed some defensive gaps in the Argentine side that were previously untested, but the back line held firm. By now, Martínez’s presence in goal made them favourites in any penalty shoot-out, but winning without all that drama obviously was the preferred outcome.

The starting XI could not get the job done, and worse yet, Messi had to go off injured after twisting his ankle. The match went to extra time, and it was then that Scaloni made a triple change and called upon two of the players he displaced from the starting XI at the World Cup. The goal that then won the game could not have been scripted any better. Leandro Paredes won the ball back in midfield with a brilliant tackle before linking up with Lautaro Martínez, who spun in behind the opposition defence via a through ball from Giovani Lo Celso (the third substitute) before emphatically finding the back of the net.

The nature and context of that goal – created by three substitutes while a heartbroken Messi had to watch on from the sidelines – provided a glimpse into the future for the Albiceleste. The Inter Miami forward no longer is the best player in the world and will soon have to hang up his boots, but Argentina will still stay one of the world’s strongest sides.

All over the XI, they already have great balance even without superstar quality. Emiliano Martínez is the perfect man between the sticks for international football, the Cristian Romero–Lisandro Martínez centre-back partnership is supremely solid and helpful on the ball, and the full-backs are all serviceable if not remarkable. The midfield is almost perfectly composed between the deep-lying playmaking of Enzo Fernández, hard work and water-carrying of Rodrigo De Paul and creativity of Alexis Mac Allister. Up front, both Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez can decide games from the starting XI or the bench.

Of course, no one can possibly replace Lionel Messi, but Argentina also have to contend with the loss of Ángel Di María, who has already retired. The Benfica winger was arguably the best player of the old generation – apart from Messi – as he always worked his socks off, did whatever was asked of him without complaint even if he had to be shifted out of position and, unlike most of his peers, stood up and delivered on the biggest of days.

In a way, Argentina have replaced the world’s best player by assembling a squad of Di María-like players. Most of them are not the very best in the world in their position (but obviously are quite good nevertheless), but all of them fulfil the above checklist. As a result, they now have one of the world’s best teams which should continue to compete at the highest level for years to come.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Argentina game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.