Argentina’s continuation in the World Cup is on the line when they face Nigeria on Tuesday in their final fixture in Group D. All they can do is win by as many goals as possible and hope that Croatia do them a favour against Iceland in the other match.
Their 3-0 defeat to Croatia on Thursday prompted some frank discussions between players and staff, and changes can be expected against Nigeria. Franco Armani is likely to take over from Willy Caballero between the sticks, but there are some other issues that Argentina need to sort out if they are to have any chance of advancing.
Strike The Right Balance Between Attack and Defence
The simple truth is that Argentina do not have high-quality options in defence, and so any attacking intentions have to be balanced by ensuring that their back-line is adequately protected.
That was behind the self-destructive decision to field two primarily defensive midfielders against Iceland; in the Croatia match, a high press provided a solid solution for the opening half-hour or so, but once the intensity dropped, Croatia started to play around it and get at a defensive unit unable to offer sufficient resistance.
Nigeria are a counter-attacking side and can afford to play a cautious game on Tuesday. A draw for them would require Iceland to win by two goals to eliminate them. They have the necessary pace and quality on the break to cause Argentina problems, as was made evident by their 4-2 victory when the sides met in a friendly in Krasnodar last November.
Argentina need goals, but they cannot afford to concede too many in pursuit of them. Finding the right equilibrium will be key.
Get Messi Involved In The Right Areas
It has been two extremes for Lionel Messi at this World Cup.
Against Iceland, he was heavily involved in all of Argentina’s moves. Faced with a solid and well-organised deep block, his teammates looked to him to provide inspiration. He made dribbles, took shots, tried to combine, took and missed a penalty. All, eventually, to no avail.
But in the match against Croatia, Argentina were simply unable to get him on the ball. He made less passes than the goalkeeper Caballero. During the first half, the team focused a lot of their attacks towards the left, while Messi waited, in vain, on the other side. As the second half went on, he increasingly dropped back deep to receive the ball from Javier Mascherano, taking him far away from the areas in which he is most dangerous.
Put all other considerations -- his emotional state, the pressure -- real or imagined aside, and the truth is a simple one: Messi can only be a difference-maker if the collective around him functions. It is simply unfair to expect him to carry an entire team on his shoulders.
Vary Their Attacking Movements
One of the demands made by the players in the clear-the-air meeting between them and the coaching staff on Friday was a greater focus on associative play in possession.
Against Iceland, the flanks offered the most obvious route in behind, but Argentina were unable to combine effectively in those areas. Eduardo Salvio and Maximiliano Meza did at times on the right, but there was very little interplay between Nicolas Tagliafico and Angel Di Maria on the left. It was all a bit stale and obvious; Argentina lacked a surprise element.
The decision to field Enzo Perez against Croatia was derided in some quarters, but he at least added a bit more mobility to the Argentinian midfield and made off-ball runs that helped draw defenders, as well as provide an extra presence in and around the penalty area.
But while Argentina made solid progress down the left, they never found a way of working the ball into good shooting positions having done so. Sergio Aguero barely got a touch up front; as previously noted, Messi was rarely brought into the game.
Jorge Sampaoli’s reputation as a coach is built, in part, on his ability to work overloads in the final third, and that has to be Argentina’s focus on Tuesday. Collate ball players around Messi and then use the few pacy options they have to stretch the Nigerian defence, vertically and horizontally. That would seem to be the formula that gives them the best possible chance of securing victory.
