World Cup 2018

[te amo barca]

Banega is pretty vital to this Argentina team btw. No penetrative passes from deep areas at all. Masche and Biglia can't break the lines, nor do they possess the dribbling necessary to create space.

 

[La Furia]

Fire Sampaoli at half time. This starting lineup is awful in so many ways.

 

[jairzinho]

Biglia and Mascherano are their midfield. Let that sink in.

Biglia is bad but Rojo is stinking up the place. I would have subbed him out right after he made that back pass.

 

[MessiTBE]

Messi has done well but he is not playing like 'greatest ever' either.

He and Argentina need to up it.

They have two buses parked. But look at those donkeys at the back, disaster. No matter what attack do those donkeys will be donkeys

 

[te amo barca]

They have two buses parked. But look at those donkeys at the back, disaster. No matter what attack do those donkeys will be donkeys

Not necessary to call a good and organized defense a bus. Iceland are playing for the win as well, they created plenty of attacks. Can't teams play well at the back now?

 

[La Furia]

Biglia is bad but Rojo is stinking up the place. I would have subbed him out right after he made that back pass.

Starting Rojo over Fazio should be considered a crime.

Not to mention starting Caballeo, Mascherano, Di Maria, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Sorin]

Their fullbacks are also pretty poor. They don's offer anything going forward. If I think more about it, aside from Messi and Aguero, none of the guys out there would even come close to starting for one of the other favorites. There's also Dybala on the bench. Rest are the definition of mediocre.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Sampaoli is so clueless. This is not how you break a bus, sit back a bit and invite Iceland to come out and then hit them. That static midfield play (Messi included) will never break the bus.

Argentina is like us somewhat, static and slow, crowding in the middle and having no ideas what to do. Worse than us.

 

[Joan]

Biglia? Rojo? Meza?

 

[jairzinho]

What else is Messi supposed to do here ?
Iceland are playing deep and crowing up the middle.
I'd take off Biglia and bring on Banega. Push Aguero out wide and play Higuain/Dybala up front.

 

[D10S91]

Messi needs to step up, expectations are naturally higher for him and with his talent he should be able to make the difference vs Iceland..

 

[MessiTBE]

And what did Ronaldo and Portugal do against Iceland? Oh that's right he did nothing so

 

[te amo barca]

And what did Ronaldo and Portugal do against Iceland? Oh that's right he did nothing so

Really fam? That was two years ago.

 

[Yannik]

They have two buses parked. But look at those donkeys at the back, disaster. No matter what attack do those donkeys will be donkeys

Iceland plays pretty offensive and presses early, provoking mistakes. It's not really bus parking, just great defending.

 

[Sorin]

Biglia is bad but Rojo is stinking up the place. I would have subbed him out right after he made that back pass.

No arguments there. In fact almost all that back-line is stinking up the place. Maybe Otamendi was decent but that's about it.

What else is Messi supposed to do here ?
Iceland are playing deep and crowing up the middle.
I'd take off Biglia and bring on Banega. Push Aguero out wide and play Higuain/Dybala up front.

I'd try to bring on Banega and Higuain and play something like this:

Back four
3 mids
Messi
Higuain and Aguero upfront

Their wide players can't do anything anyway. At least put pressure with 2 strikers.