Despite getting the job done against Australia, Argentina once again disappointed. In a game many thought Argentina would breeze through, Australia gave them trouble. As what's quickly becoming "Messi's World Cup," Argentina again needed him to bail out a poor performance.
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Starting from the back, Argentina has been defensively sound. They are not conceding many chances in this tournament. Just today, did they surpass 1 xGA. This is for the whole tournament, by the way, all their games combined. However, they could have a better press.
The issue with their press starts with personal. Lionel Messi doesn't have the legs anymore, and Di Maria/Papu aren't much better off. The starter between Lautaro and Alvarez (should be Alvarez) is the only player that brings intensity to the first line.
In the midfield, Enzo Fernin the midfield, but De Paul has never played in a pressing side despite having the profile too. The profiles presented make it hard for Argentina to defend in a high block. Thus, it's straightforward to sustain pressure against them.
Even Australia, who don't have the most technical players, had periods of sustained pressure. Makes you wonder how they'll fair against a Spain.
Building out the back, Argentina's structure is poor. This isn't a player's issue. It's a coaching one. From this picture, the best options are Acuna and Molina, the wingbacks. The problem is Molina is the least technical player on the side.
Argentina has to rely on their least technical players to build out because it's too easy to trap the middle of the field. Scaloni's first solution was dropping De Paul between the two centre-backs.
However, this put Argentina in endless loops of dilemmas. With De Paul dropping between the two centre-backs and Enzo coming to collect, the gap between the midfield and attack was enormous.
Another issue Argentina had was the spacing on the right side. There was always a massive hole in the right half-space or no player providing width. Messi would drift central, and Molina wouldn't push high enough. This time the solution was worse than the issue...
... Papu on the touchline.
Argentina struggled to find tactical solutions, but they have the ultimate cheat code: Lionel Messi.
So they went 1-0.
So they went 1-0.
At first glance, Scaloni's first change of the second half looked highly pragmatic, but it wasn't. Martinez for Papu brought much more balance to the side. Argentina shifted their build-up shape to a 3-2-5/3-1-6. The pivot of Enzo and De Paul was very dynamic.
The Netherlands will be Argentina's first real test of the tournament. Both sides have found their way to the quarters, but neither has been convincing. My early prediction is that the Netherlands should win the match, but with Messi, anything is possible.
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