Argentina – World Cup Preview

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Things are a little up in the air in the Argentina camp this year.

In getting to South Africa Argentina suffered a succession of miserable defeats capped by a 6-1 mauling at the hands of lowly Bolivia. This was not least due to coach Diego Maradona’s erratic tactics. And even now after eventually steadying the ship and scraping wins against Peru and Uruguay, Argentina look like a team unsure of itself or it’s manager.

Top scorers in qualifying with four goals each were Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi and Juan Roman Riquelme, the latter of whom has decided to retire from international football after a disagreement with Diego. Despite this, Argentina still have a forward line that is the envy of the world and one man in particular will be under an international spotlight every minute he spends on the pitch.

The scrutiny of Messi will no doubt be followed by sportsmanly plaudits of every kind and from every corner – But if FIFA’s world player of the year can put on a show at this level then he’ll not only prove the worth of his new title, he may have a chance to cement his name into his nation’s history books amidst a turbulent and unusual time for the national side.

And seemingly to question Maradona is to question Argentina itself, we must remember that the madcap manager has form at this level; infamously (and ‘single handedly’) winning the World Cup as a player back in the 1986 competition. If the team can overcome his eccentricities and apparent lack of managerial clout then they may still have the raw skill to overcome any opposition.

As one past master passes on his crown to another, perhaps the time is nigh for Argentina to emerge triumphant once more.