Argentina football team Fifa world cup 2018 Russia (official ) - qualifi...
For so long, Argentina's squad has promised so much...yet utterly failed to deliver in the moments that mattered most.
The 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America and the 2016 Copa America Centenario: La Albiceleste reached the final of each, yet lost them all. Thankfully for this particular group of players, another chance is fast approaching: The 2018 World Cup in Russia, which is quite possibly the last opportunity for major international success for some of the squad
Sergio Romero is the established No. 1 and will continue to be so for the 2018 qualification period and finals, by the end of which he'll be approaching or possibly just past a century of caps for the national team...which isn't bad, considering he's only a back-up at club level.
Nahuel Guzman is the usual deputy, and the UANL stopper should go as No. 2, with his CONCACAF Champions League performances adding experience to his armoury.
Third, and showing a little faith here, we're opting for Geronimo Rulli.
Four full-backs for Argentina, boasting plenty of experience between them...if not quite as much offensive class and exciting thrust as some of the real challengers for the World Cup have in their own squads.
Pablo Zabaleta will still be around and in place on the right, and he'll be challenged for the spot by Sevilla's Gabriel Mercado. Aggressive, taller than Zabaleta and two years younger, it could well be that Mercado is the starter on that side of defence.
On the left, expect Marcos Rojo to line up even though it's clearly not his favoured position. He still has the aggression to lock down that side of defence, has reasonable recovery pace and won't be shy about trying to get forward in support, but his overall game is certainly a level lower when on the side of defence compared to in the middle.
Argentina have habitually had a couple of decent centre-backs to pick from, but pairing them up for any length of time seems to have been a real problem over the last few tournaments.
We're anticipating Nicolas Otamendi recovers enough form to take his place as the defensive leader; aggressive on the front foot and covered in beard.
Alongside him, it's a little bit take-your-pick.
Everton's Ramiro Funes Mori is our best guess to start the tournament in the back four, but it may well come down to form or simply finding the winning partnership.
If it were down to pure quality, Mateo Musacchio would be in the XI, but injuries have taken 20 or 30 caps off him already, and the Villarreal man still has a lot to prove at this level.
Fourth choice will be Facundo Roncaglia, but it comes with a caveat: Ezequiel Garay hasn't played for Argentina for two years, but if he finds form and shines for Valencia, he could well make a crashing late entrance not just to the squad, but to partner Otamendi.
Six midfielders for Argentina, starting with the immovable rock, the must-have, the organiser, the protector and no doubt at times the last-ditch saviour: Javier Mascherano.
A centre-back at club level, Mascherano nonetheless reprises his defensive-midfield role on the international stage and remains one of the world's finest, with his unstoppable will to win and non-stop aggression setting the tone for the rest of the team to match
but also being the metronomic distributor from the centre circle and from higher upfield: Lucas Biglia, Ever Banega and Augusto Fernandez.
Depending on how Argentina line up—Bauza has used both 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 variations, with wide, high, inside forwards in the latter—there could be different roles for Angel Di Maria, but he'll certainly be in the XI either way.
And, finally, we opt for the wiles and too-often-hidden genius of Javier Pastore to convince the boss he's worth a plane ticket.
First and foremost, suspended or not, Lionel Messi is in.
Then there will be the out-and-out strikers, and with no Maurco Icardi in sight it's the usual duo of Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero who will be travelling. Both have played from time to time, either when Messi doesn't or with one deeper than the other through the middle and Messi wide, but more often than not we'd expect one to start, one on the bench.
If Messi's absence during qualification teaches Argentina one important lesson, it could well be that Paulo Dybala is going to be almost as important over the next decade. One or two big performances from him in the blue and white and he'll be a cert for the squad, and maybe a consideration to start.
Then it's the big decision over which players will offer most either as wide starters, or off the bench as impact subs. The experience of Nico Gaitan remains, and we're betting that a club team-mate at Atletico Madrid really steps up a level over the next 12 months, meaning Angel Correa takes the final place in our squad.
Argentina's 23 is, once again, a group that gets markedly stronger as it moves upfield, but there's certainly enough quality there to be confident of reaching the latter stages once more.
The 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America and the 2016 Copa America Centenario: La Albiceleste reached the final of each, yet lost them all. Thankfully for this particular group of players, another chance is fast approaching: The 2018 World Cup in Russia, which is quite possibly the last opportunity for major international success for some of the squad
Sergio Romero is the established No. 1 and will continue to be so for the 2018 qualification period and finals, by the end of which he'll be approaching or possibly just past a century of caps for the national team...which isn't bad, considering he's only a back-up at club level.
Nahuel Guzman is the usual deputy, and the UANL stopper should go as No. 2, with his CONCACAF Champions League performances adding experience to his armoury.
Third, and showing a little faith here, we're opting for Geronimo Rulli.
Four full-backs for Argentina, boasting plenty of experience between them...if not quite as much offensive class and exciting thrust as some of the real challengers for the World Cup have in their own squads.
Pablo Zabaleta will still be around and in place on the right, and he'll be challenged for the spot by Sevilla's Gabriel Mercado. Aggressive, taller than Zabaleta and two years younger, it could well be that Mercado is the starter on that side of defence.
On the left, expect Marcos Rojo to line up even though it's clearly not his favoured position. He still has the aggression to lock down that side of defence, has reasonable recovery pace and won't be shy about trying to get forward in support, but his overall game is certainly a level lower when on the side of defence compared to in the middle.
Argentina have habitually had a couple of decent centre-backs to pick from, but pairing them up for any length of time seems to have been a real problem over the last few tournaments.
We're anticipating Nicolas Otamendi recovers enough form to take his place as the defensive leader; aggressive on the front foot and covered in beard.
Alongside him, it's a little bit take-your-pick.
Everton's Ramiro Funes Mori is our best guess to start the tournament in the back four, but it may well come down to form or simply finding the winning partnership.
If it were down to pure quality, Mateo Musacchio would be in the XI, but injuries have taken 20 or 30 caps off him already, and the Villarreal man still has a lot to prove at this level.
Fourth choice will be Facundo Roncaglia, but it comes with a caveat: Ezequiel Garay hasn't played for Argentina for two years, but if he finds form and shines for Valencia, he could well make a crashing late entrance not just to the squad, but to partner Otamendi.
Six midfielders for Argentina, starting with the immovable rock, the must-have, the organiser, the protector and no doubt at times the last-ditch saviour: Javier Mascherano.
A centre-back at club level, Mascherano nonetheless reprises his defensive-midfield role on the international stage and remains one of the world's finest, with his unstoppable will to win and non-stop aggression setting the tone for the rest of the team to match
but also being the metronomic distributor from the centre circle and from higher upfield: Lucas Biglia, Ever Banega and Augusto Fernandez.
Depending on how Argentina line up—Bauza has used both 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 variations, with wide, high, inside forwards in the latter—there could be different roles for Angel Di Maria, but he'll certainly be in the XI either way.
And, finally, we opt for the wiles and too-often-hidden genius of Javier Pastore to convince the boss he's worth a plane ticket.
First and foremost, suspended or not, Lionel Messi is in.
Then there will be the out-and-out strikers, and with no Maurco Icardi in sight it's the usual duo of Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero who will be travelling. Both have played from time to time, either when Messi doesn't or with one deeper than the other through the middle and Messi wide, but more often than not we'd expect one to start, one on the bench.
If Messi's absence during qualification teaches Argentina one important lesson, it could well be that Paulo Dybala is going to be almost as important over the next decade. One or two big performances from him in the blue and white and he'll be a cert for the squad, and maybe a consideration to start.
Then it's the big decision over which players will offer most either as wide starters, or off the bench as impact subs. The experience of Nico Gaitan remains, and we're betting that a club team-mate at Atletico Madrid really steps up a level over the next 12 months, meaning Angel Correa takes the final place in our squad.
Argentina's 23 is, once again, a group that gets markedly stronger as it moves upfield, but there's certainly enough quality there to be confident of reaching the latter stages once more.
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