Argentina have become one of the most mercurial teams in the international game. La Albiceleste struggled at last years World Cup, while Lionel Messi and co. have been unconvincing in the Copa America.
Lionel Scaloni’s team have collected just four points from their three group games in Brazil. However, a 2-0 win over Qatar on Sunday was just enough to seal their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Despite the win, the performance once again not the greatest against a stubborn, but limited Qatar team. Barcelona great Messi is struggling to thrive for the national team, in spite of a number of talented attacking players around him, such as Sergio Aguero, Giovani Lo Celso and rising star Lautaro Martinez.
Messi has not enjoyed the same level of success at international as he has for Barcelona. He has enjoyed brilliant moments, but none of his international bosses have got the best out of him.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on Jun 21, 2019 at 2:02pm PDT
A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi) on Jun 21, 2019 at 2:02pm PDT
Boss Scaloni seems to be adapting his tactics as the tournament in Brazil progresses. His latest system seemed to work better against Qatar than in their opening clash against Colombia when they suffered a 2-0 defeat.
The problem for Argentina is that despite reaching four of the last five Copa America finals, the Albiceleste are likely to struggle against the better sides in the competition.
Last years World Cup was proof that for some reason, nobody seems to have the answer to making their talented group of players into a successful team.
That being said, most of Argentina’s talented players are front players. Unfortunately, their defensive options are not quite as good as their attacking options, even if their front players often flatter to deceive at international level.
The one thing missing from Lionel Messi’s CV is international silverware. From the evidence so far in Brazil, the Barcelona star will still be without international silverware after the Copa America 2019.