Enough pleasantries and let’s get to the ugly truth. Argentina miraculously survived a heart attack in the Round of 32, eking past a dogged Cape Verde side 3-2. While the history books will scream “Argentina win,” this was a huge flashing red light to Lionel Scaloni that he simply can’t ignore.
The Africans played with absolutely zero fear, and, quite honestly, could have pulled off arguably the biggest upset in the history of modern football. Cape Verde’s zero-fear approach exposed glaring structural cracks in the Argentinian side; weaknesses that the best teams can exploit without mercy.
The 39-Year-Old Savior
Unsurprisingly, the GOAT himself, Lionel Messi, had to carry his country across the finish line once again. He put on an exhibition and put an absolute stake through the heart of the Cape Verdeans with his seventh goal of the tournament to cement his status as the current top scorer in the Golden Boot race.
Even more impressive, the goal that helped Argentina narrowly escape was his 20th career World Cup goal, the most in history. An unbelievable feat by a legendary man, but with all due respect: he is 39 years old, and eventually, the amount one individual can do in a tournament such as this must come to a limit, and right now Argentina's reliance on the magic of Leo goes well beyond the sustainable.
Attacking stinkers and lack of width
The supporting cast in the final third was atrocious. Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez are having utter shockers of a tournament thus far. They look lost and ineffective in the final third, devoid of any sharp movement that characterize their successful runs in recent years.
This is compounded by a complete lack of natural width in the attack. The fullbacks, Facundo Medina on the left and Nahuel Molina on the right, are made to provide the team's entire offensive stretching of the field.
With all due respect, neither player is exactly a regular in their respective clubs, and expecting them to develop into world-class, overlapping attacking options on the world stage simply cannot happen. This leaves their defence vulnerable to rapid transitions, which is precisely what Cape Verde took advantage of today.
- The stat: Excluding Messi, Argentina's starting forwards have mustered only one shot on goal.
- The comparison: Consider other powerhouses in the tournament such as France, Spain, England or even Brazil. In a French side that clearly relies on Mbappe to be their main man, we can see threat from players like Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise any given minute of the match.
Unleash the workhorses
If Argentina are to successfully retain their crown, Scaloni needs to take risks. If his established stars can't find their form, he must turn to his hungry youth who are waiting in the wings. The immediate priority needs to be giving the energetic Giuliano Simeone some meaningful minutes in attack.
Simeone is an attacking engine and a perfect tactical player. The young Atletico. Madrid winger has spent the entire domestic season putting in countless workhorse minutes down the right-hand side of the field with a tenacious, high-intensity approach that this flat-footed Argentine attack needs to generate space for Messi.
Nico Paz who's had an excellent season with Como must be given some time off the bench to show his impact. Nico Paz, though he can play in multiple positions, he's a natural number 10. Scaloni must find a role for Nico Paz where he can shine and provide impact off the bench.
Next opponent: Egypt
Argenitna will play Egypt next in the round of 16. Mohamed Salah will undoubtedly look to expose the exact transitions that Cape Verde exploited today, and he is certainly more than capable of doing so.
While Argentina is widely expected to roll over the Pharaohs and proceed to the next round, knockout football has never been kind to reputation. Argentina must wake up and address the holes in their squad, and quickly, or the legendary status of Messi won't be enough to carry them all the way.
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