It was a familiar tale for Lionel Messi when he returned to international obligation.
As he took the sector in Madrid for Argentina’s pleasure in opposition to Venezuela, a fan held up a banner with his call written on it.
But the banner changed the other way up—the correct symbol for the idea that the Barcelona genius is left blended and shaken by his compatriots’ deficiencies.
Venezuela’s 3-1 win highlighted a hassle that Argentina has struggled to solve for years—one that became all too glaring in the disastrous World Cup campaign in Russia.
The team’s shielding assets are a grave fear. After the instructor wrestled with the problem of balancing out the side, the Coach found enough solidity on the back to get the maximum from Messi’s flashes of the proposal.
The trendy caretaker teaches Lionel Scaloni got his starting lineup incorrect in opposition to Venezuela.
The problems have been made all the greater apparent through the thwereenezuelan goal – a punt from lesbian Roberto Rosales spraying—beautiful loft-backhand the shield, who sprayed massive center-forward Salomon Rondon to lash domestic at the volley.
Rondon had worked himself the incorrect facet of Gabriel Mercado—an ordinary desire to anchor a line of three center-backs. Mercado is a gutsy right-back who can play inside the center. However, this function demanded a person who could organize the ones around him.
It asks too much, and the selection of a lower back 3 is widespread and has become questionable. Argentina’s wing-backs – Gonzalo Montiel and Nicolas Tagliafico – aren’t Cafu and Roberto Carlos and would no longer seem to provide enough attacking threat to make the device profitable.
As it was, Scaloni’s protecting system could not address the power of Rondon or the pace of wingers Jhon Murillo and Darwin Machis. With little ownership, Venezuela led by using two goals on the interval – and it may have been with the aid of four.
Argentina had a few moments. They all worried about Messi, and his partnership with new center-forward Lautaro Martinez, as a minimum, seems promising. Martinez is lean and aggressive, and every time Messi plays the ball into the threat area, it becomes attacked with a savor using the Inter Milan guy.
Venezuela’s 21-12 months-antique goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez largely gained the war. However, as a graduate of the facet that reached the very last of the 2017 Under-20 World Cup, I find it a brilliant symbol of Venezuela’s practical hopes of creating their debut in the senior model of the competition in 2022.
They wanted to guard the heart of their defense against Messi, which compelled the Venezuelan lower-back four to play tightly together, funneling in close. This left gaps down the facet, and Messi observed one in the second half, putting Giovani Lo Celso, whose quick, low center turned into swept domestic by Inter Milan’s Martinez for his first worldwide goal.
By then, Scaloni had changed Mercado and reverted to an orthodox returned four. With Argentina’s extra compact, Venezuela’s breaks have been sporadic, but they released one who wrapped the sport up with 15 minutes to head.
Argentina’s defense turned undressed on the left, and alternative Josef Martinez was introduced down within the box using Juan Forsyth. The penalty award could have been harsh, but Venezuela probably should have had one a few minutes earlier.
Besides, it was worth seeing Martinez’s uncommon penalty run-up, which featured a hop and a pass and ended with his guidance of the ball to the left of the beaten goalkeeper, Franco Armani.
So, coach Rafael Dudamel’s Venezuela is going from strength to strength with a clear tactical plan and a dream of participating in the 2022 World Cup. Argentina, in the meantime, seems stranded in the corridor of uncertainty. What is their course? What could be their lengthy-term fashion of play?
The biggest question facing them is a smooth one: Who shall be the instructor to take them forward? Scaloni has had seven suits in the fee. No eight comes up on Tuesday, when, without Messi, Argentina tours Morocco. Then comes Copa America, while a caretaker will have been in charge for a year.
This put-off is actually crucial because the 2022 World Cup qualifiers will not get underway until March. The Argentine FA is strapped for cash—paying off the previous instruct Jorge Sampaoli left a hole in already precarious accounts. So, the federation was in no rush to call the following permanent boss.
But there’s a danger in keeping Scaloni on for goodbye. What if, by using some threat, his team has to win Copa America?
Argentina has no longer landed a senior title given that 1993, and securing one of these lengthy-awaited triumphs could place Scaloni in a firm position and, in all likelihood, pressure Argentina to stick with him.
So, it will indeed be exciting to watch Messi next wear Argentina’s blouse because it’s hard to see how they could win without him.
Will he be supporting Scaloni in Brazil in June and July? Or will he take the summer season off, recharge his batteries, and be available lower back next season, which appears set to culminate in a Copa America at least partially staged on the home floor?