Gonzalo HIGUAIN or Sergio AGUERO for Argentina in rumored line-up

By
Roy Nemer
-
201
Gonzalo Higuain Argentina
Gonzalo Higuain playing for Argentina.

As D day draws closer for the Argentina team at the World Cup, a new rumored line-up has come out.

With many in the media reporting that Franco ARMANI will indeed get the start in goal ahead of Nahuel GUZMAN and Willy CABALLERO who is going to be benched for the match. Eight of the 11 who started against Croatia would start against Nigeria. Here’s the rumored eleven:

ARMANI; TAGLIAFICO, OTAMENDI, MERCADO, SALVIO; Enzo PEREZ, MASCHERANO, BANEGA; DI MARIA, HIGUAIN or AGUERO, MESSI

The question mark would remain between Gonzalo HIGUAIN or Sergio AGUERO, the latter who was substituted off for the former early in the second half against Croatia. There were also some rumors that it was between Gonzalo HIGUAIN or Ever BANEGA but it now appears to be between the two strikers.

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201 Comments

  2. It has been 4 years since I posted on here and I have to admit these are dark times for our national team.
    For those who have been following Argentina for a long time will definitely have to know this was a long time coming. Every since the destruction of the Pekerman development system Argentina has started the seeds of its destruction. This current crop meaning Messi, Aguero, Banega etc are the last of the successful players in the Pekerman era. We saw our youth teams drop drastically in quality when the system was thrown away and our very talented players masked for several years a problem that was coming.

    I was attacked by people on this blog and decided I would not comment again but this has been a long time coming. The Copa Centenario was when Messi started to show that he has had enough…
    If they won the titles everyone would forget how disgusting the AFA is.

    It breaks my heart that we are now here…and as a fan I hope that the players can unite and get it together.As for line ups… I know he won’t do it but this is what I would go with.

    Armani (I am actually very much against changing keepers in a tournament like this because I have worked with national and professional teams and it shows the coach did not prepare properly) All successful national teams have continuity in this area. Romero loss was killer.

    Defenders
    Mercado Right back, Otamendi (CB), Fazio (because Rojo was so bad), Rojo/Ansaldi
    I would pick Ansaldi because he is experienced and has had a good season. Like Zabaleta he does not have outright pace but he is very intelligent and knows how to attack and defend. Our current wing backs just don’t have that balance

    Midfield
    Mascherano, Celso, Banega

    Forwards
    Messi, Dybala, Aguero

    Biglia has been awful for sometime now, Perez looks out of sorts, Meza did not perform. I honestly am very worried about this team because they seem psychologically BROKEN. Nigeria does not have that pressure and this team has shown that it turns to Messi for everything.

    These guys need to play with some true blue and white pride and get something out of it….but if I take emotions out of it, I can actually see argentina attacking and then getting sucker punched because of the pressure and the lunatic coach.

    • i had the exact same team in mind.. the warm up friendlies suggested this is gonna be our team.. i donot know why salvio plays when he doesn’t defend.. i still am ok with tagliafico.. the 3 man backline made no sense.. and caballero was shit against iceland he just crapped on the fans against croatia… with your opponent stepping across the goal and your defense marking the shot across how do you not see the curler coming.. there was fucking no other shot there

      i hope we donot see biglia or meza or salvio…

      i agree the argentina squad has looked sad for years but nothing trumps acuna and salvio making stupid runs all day long 🙁

  3. Why is higuain even in the squad.I would not have picked him after the 2014 wc yet argentina are now thinking of him or aguero.Aguero would be my first choice.Might as well board the plane now back to buenos aires.Or better not,they might get a good thrashing by the fan’s which they deserve.I feel sorry for the fans who wasted their hard earned cash just to watch these no hopers in russia.

    • i have never seen armani play and hence i only thought we had o good goalie.. but other fans have been screaming for him…
      moreover there is this new news that romero was not injured but was dropped…

      can anyone fucking verify if sampaoli is really that brain dead and dropped romero

  5. You have one of the best forwards in the world, Dybala, but you’d be rather use him as the water boy. One of the best defenders in Serie A, Fazio, but he’d rather be used as the laundry boy.
    If Salvio, Enzo, or Higuain play, pack your bags boys and put us out of our misery!
    This coach is such an IDIOT!!! I COULD COACH THIS TEAM BETTER THAN HIM!!! A DENTIST is coaching Iceland better than he’s coaching Argentina!!!!

    Tapia!!!! I’ll even do it for free!!!! Get rid of that guy! Just tell FIFA he got sick and will miss the rest of the World Cup!

    4-3-3
    Armani
    Mercado-Fazio-Otamendi-Tagliafico
    Di Maria-Mascherano-Banega
    Messi-Aguero-Dybala

    Let’s be honest, we’ll probably be eliminated Tuesday thanks to the coach and Messi’s sudden depression! Hopefully, the real Messi will stand up, but with Sampaoli there is no hope! I hope he gets crucified when he returns to Argentina, and he’s sent to coach an u-14 school team, where he won’t harm anyone every again, and we never hear from him again!

    • Well said this guy refuses to see the obvious his fucking system failed and he still wants to play 3 defenders and ignore dybala and include salvio

      • only dybala hates the left flank…

        but i wish we had your lineup for everygame still

        i will anyday take

        4-3-3
        Armani
        Mercado-Fazio-Otamendi-Tagliafico
        Di Maria/locelso-Mascherano-Banega
        Messi-Aguero-Dybala/pavon

        why we never played this
        or

        4-3-1-2
        Armani
        Mercado-Fazio-Otamendi-Tagliafico
        banega-Mascherano–locelso
        Messi
        Aguero-Dybala
        i donot know

  6. Still salvio ??? Come on i know he s the only right winger that we have but he was too useless during those two games. As a right back it s totally a suicide thing sampa want to finish the team maybe to get after their retirement all keys in hand.
    This fight or this camp problem has avoided us an opportunity to be world champion it s the coach task to manage the ego of players it s him who supposed to find a way that messi will shine with it.
    Even if you re pissed off and never find a solution and and you couldn’t walking around the pitch you could not repeat the 3rd goal scene.
    Anyway we ve got a second last chance to move on yeah cause the first was finshed a 3-0 lose against croatia after 6-1 spain and 4-2 nigeria i think that the only victory of sampa was Ecuador . That s very interesting especially when you know that this game was only about messi s rage.
    So people who were saying bullshits about messi i think that without him argentina would never played a final again and you ll see after him don t expect what i m seeing here because they will never be another lionel messi. Dybala will be what ortega was for diego only expectation and what messi was for diego.
    I really want to see paulito scoring cause you feel that he wants to not as messi vs croatian if sampa substitute him by dybala we could had a chance to erase caballero fault but imagine when you re struggling and you see lio your best team hope walking as a dumb on the field that s why players gave up especially after caballero miracle .
    Croatians would never win if messi wasn t on his little girl crying day and without caballero fault iceland too
    I really hope that armani will give us as goyco s hands
    We need serenity in our defense but masche lost his dreaming tackle and nobody replaced him
    I dont want to see meza seriously he s courageous but had average skills
    Now it s time to pray not praying for winning but praying to at least have such one good game with passing ability moving forward not playing the keepers shakyfeet as tagliafico did 90 minutes

  7. Sampaoli lost completely the dressing rooms after his crazy management in game with Croatia.

    and for that reason he is not capable to inspire and guide the players anymore.

    if you don t trust your coach then you can t believe in the team that can wins.
    Mascherano and Messi as leaders of the team step up as they should after watching this mess
    created from coach.

    the reason that they did that is one and simple.

    they was watching their coach destroying their last chance in their career to win the cup for Argentina and for theirselves.

    else if they suppose have some years of playing in front of them their reaction will be
    to don t speak at all. close their mouth to the coach crazy and go to their home with one more defeat from Nigeria and make holidays with their family.

    SO. WHOEVER HAVE DONE EVEN IN LOW LEVEL SPORTS in this forum they can understand what i am saying about dressing rooms.
    the players of one team in every kind of sport should be 1 unite family. if not there is not exist success.
    ONE UNITE FAMILY. full of respect and trust between all the members.

    for the rest that they don t understand anything (which is many unfortunately as i read )
    i don t have anything to say. anyway you will continue post your hate against the players you don t like and you will continue make posts for the players you like that they are Gods of football .

    that because of course they are new names and you bored the last ones.
    every new name is one new Diego Maradona Daniel Pasarella Mario Kempes etc

    till they do one or two mistakes and became too garbage.

  8. Sampoli should use either 433 or 442
    Mercado and Ansaldi as fullbacks
    Otamendi Fazio as center back
    Lo celso Banega Mascherano as midfielder
    Messi Higuain and Pavon as forwards
    Augreo Dybla Di maria as sub.
    Sampoli please do not use Salvio.
    I do not see any real skils in him.He is not able to score or assist goals all by himself so why to use him.Salvio A BIG NO.

  9. The idea of playing 3 at the back. will be suicidal.
    The idea of playing Higuain istead of Banega is even more suicidal. We would have been over run in midfield once again.
    Aguero has to start over Higuain. Mascherano has no space in the first 11.

  10. insider, Almost every coach kicked players (even best player) out of the team if they oppose him. There is a reason why Mascherano in China now. He should understand that. Sampaoli invited him to the NT. He had many bad matches. But still, Sampaoli selected him and Biglia for WC. Now they fight against Sampaoli. Good.

    exatly there is areason why he plays on china ! and there is also a reason why biglia and mascherano both came to russia ! how more stupid this can get more ? they should have retired allready long time ago like most propably our worst choker from the last 3 finals too ! and not to even mention di maria and rojo too according to their current forms lately specially with our team and offcourse the icing on the cake was willy ! nothing more to say, just pure madness ! with tactics and player selection and still no progress !

  11. I just woke up to find the Red coats had scored 6, Germany should have lost or at the very least tied, Mighty Brazil with all the players, talent and coaching power in the world could have easily ended up with TWO points after 2 games…………………etc etc etc 2 players with 4 goals already and the 3rd with FIVE and there is still one more game to play in the group stage.

    Point is, this has been a wacky WC which NO ONE could have predicted, not in their wildest dreams.
    ARGENTINA has one more game to go, they play like they can and they’ll be victories and move on and GOD only knows what happens after that.
    I am tired of thinking who is going to play in what position or why this or that is not playing, my brain feels as if it was inside a fruit blender and now everything is outta wack.

  12. Do you guys really think that after all the fiasco mad Scientist Sampaoli will get to continue his mad experiments of Meza Acuna Salvio and Willy? He will still decide the starting lineup and crazy formations? Why do you think AFA president is physically present during the training sessions.Sampaoli is just there to pretend to be our coach now for the media . If friends club want Salvio to start he will otherwise he will sit out. I am with the friends club now. Sampaoli is by far the worst coach we have had in last 4 years. Let the Friends club decide the formation and playing XI. I am very hopeful Friends club still have what it takes to beat average team like Nigeria. I am more worried about Croatian team letting Iceland win just to get back to imbecile Sampa because he ignored to shake hands with their coach.

    • Some news update about our team and Croatia-Iceland match:
      1. The referee will be the Turkish referee that was the referee of our best victory in the last 24 years, the semi final of the WC 2014 between Argentina and Netherlands.

      2. Iceland manager says that they know Croatia team better than all teams in the world because his Iceland always happened to meet Croatia somehow. It was Croatia who stopped them from making the World Cup 2014.

      The manager says that it is bad news for them if Croatia will use the bench players because he knows the Croatian starters very well, but he is not familiar with the bench of Croatia. According to him, the bench players will be even more motivated to play to prove their worth for their team. So it will be a very difficult match.

      It makes sense to me. I study the Croatian team lately. It seems that their bench is pretty strong from midfield to the attack. The defense, though have some totally newbies.

      • i don t know Croatia s bench players but i know this.

        Iceland team can t park the bus this time and Croatian players is far better technically.
        Iceland team is only run and physical.
        nothing more.

  13. Ezbananas, This is a bad starting 11. Got slapped in the face only to put the same cheek out there. We need to put our best players on the field.

    yes i think so too, enzo, mascherano and dimaria should deffinetly not be there, but what can we do if the players want this or if it’s sampa who want’s this, actally i dont care who it is who want’s this line up, but it doesnt look good at least with theese 3 players i mentioned above, but i dont think there’s chance of dropping mashrerano an di maria, those 2 simply should not have come russia at all like rojo,biglia and specially willy ! But one’s they forved themself in to 23 man squad or they were chosen our stupid coach that also doesnt mattter anymore because they are allready in there and have fucked up lot of things for us unfortunatly, specially willy ! and now we should somehow to forgive them all and try support them until the very end, which offcourse everyone want’s to do, but they all have dragged us in to such a mess that it is really hard now to get 100% behind them even we should it is not allways that black and white like for the german’s, but it is true that teir fan’s propably support their team maybe more better than us, but still every fan is entitled to feel and be dissapointed if their team is in such a mess like ours for example ! and btw i no belive that our players are real followersof this website but offcourse worldwide media is totally another thing and if the argentinian media is not behind their team then i wonder who can change that ?

    Anyway i do not agree with this line up and wish that lo celso finally would get his chance at least !
    There is nothing more harm he can do to us than enzo or masherano and also why not try ansaldi ?
    Theybshould deffinetly play with back 4 though im not sure if salvio can do the rb role ? And what has happened to fazio too ? wellmitbis what it is and most propably we all know the outcome of this line up again, hope to be wrong, though i do not pay much attention to miracles anymore, that is for sure ! But offcourse it would be nice too see them play against france or maybe somebody else, but i quess we all have to just wait and see, hopefully not that long if things dont go our way this time !

    • I just hope the rumored lineup is wrong. We need to be putting forward a quicker, more creative midfield which is capable enough of moving up and attacking WITHOUT relying on our RB and LB running forward. We need balance at each and every line. 4-2-3-1/4-3-3/4-4-2 could all work IF we use versatile midfielders who can allow us to hold formation. Masche and Perez are hardworking but are not suited for linking us up. Also, the inability to work in Dybala just suggests total incompetence, to me. Throwing him in after 60 minutes wastes so much potential creativity in our attack.

  15. Sampaoli wanted to introduce lo celso, pavon and dybala but Friends Club have more power to say no. So please stop making selections or suggestions to include ansaldi, fazio, dybala….. Club De Amigos is in control now. Period.

  16. I do not think there is any learning by Sampaoli after Croatia match:

    1. Salvio is not a right back
    2. The formation is still 352
    Mercado – Otamendi – Taglifico
    Salvio Perez Banega Mascherano Dimaria
    Messi Higuain
    3. We are again exposing the back 3, who just cannot defend on counter attack
    4. Playing Perez who was not in the 23 list just shows there was no preparation done by Sampaoli when he named the 23 players. He was not match ready against Croatia
    Hope some sense gets into the bald head and he watches previous matches of Nigeria and prepares accordingly. Unfortunately preparation is not part of his coaching per informed sources

    Per latest press conference Sampaoli is going to discuss with players on the formation. So till now he has 13 different teams with multiple different formations he has used in the matches he coached. So either players or coach or AFA president have found that something is amiss during the actual world cup with Sampaoli.

    God Bless Argentina.

  17. Sampaoli put on Lo Celso instead of Enzo Perez and fuck off Di Maria unless we are playing him on the right wing , this is the only position he can play these days ,on the left his shit.

    And stop playing Salvio at right back, put Mercado at RB, stop trying to turn Acuna into Roberto Carlos ,play the players in their position, stop fucking putting wingers as fullbacks, just play players in the position they play week in week out its that simple don’t complicate shit.

  18. This is a bad starting 11. Got slapped in the face only to put the same cheek out there. We need to put our best players on the field.

  19. After years of reading comments on this site i finally decided to subscribe and post a comment, I am a huge fan of “El Phenomenon” from Brazil but my heart beats for only one team(ARGENTINA) since I can run and play soccer, my dream was to be the best African player of all time and the best player in the word, I was very gifted with skills and my ability to score was so high, people were wondering where I took my inspiration and my strength when games went tough and hopeless, I used to find my way trough and one day an old man come to me and offered me a jersey of Argentina with the Nr 10 and called me Maradona, i even didn’t know who he was, I was a poor kid which parents could hardly afford to feed.and so began my love story with Argentina… unfortunately I didn’t make it with soccer due to a car crash…I spent one year at home, it was a hard time for me…all my dreams gone, i have to reinvent myself and give a new sens to my life, so I went back to school, studied hard and won a scholarship…went to Germany where I am based in now. To make a long story short, i be watching Argentina over 15 Years…from Ortega.to Zanetti…to Messi today. And I will never throw a stone at my players even when they get beaten the way craotia beat us, We can not fight each other while the world is looking at us and laugh WE ARE ARGENTINA…WAKE UP PEOPLE…..WE MUST UNITE AND WINS TOGETHER STOP COMPLAINING
    ABOUT THIS AND THAT LETS SEND OUR PLAYERS THE BEST ENERGY….LET START A CAMPAIGN….TO SUPPORT OUR WARRIORS…LET US WINS AS TEAM AND ONE MAN……… I was yesterday at the German pub, I can tell you why these German so strong, because they support their peope…I saw German fans….clapping hands when Boateng got the red cards…he is german most respected player…they were singing “go guys we can make it”….they were hoping for a goal…singing even they were one man less than sweden…..and kross got the goal…..this is German way to think…but I read people complaining too much here…we can only win as team and lose as a team…this is world cup!!!!!!!le rendez vous of the best of the best!!!!!!!Iff mundoalbiceleste moderator read this…my idea is simple…write fans who are in russian tell em to…to carry poster to stadium…where we can read some messages full of Hope ” WE ARE ARGENTINA” “WE ARE TOGETHER”….lets our guys know…they are not alone…WE ARE TOGETHER!!!!!!VAMOS ARGENTINA IN ARGENTINA WE TRUST

  20. Sampaoli tried to integrate many new young players into this team. Only Tagliafico and Pavon have been a success. Lanzini was good but couldn’t make it to WC. Lo Celso and Dybala will be a success if given opportunity in WC. Sampaoli wanted Icardi. Couldn’t take to WC…you know why..!

    Meza and Acuna did not play as expected that doesn’t mean they are a failure. I believe they are good players. WC is not a place to experiment anyway. Let the proved players play the rest of the tournament. Sampaoli tried to rectify the problem. You know the problem. We lost 3 finals. He’s finding ways to improve the system. If players want the same players’ same system they will lose like this always. We cant expect to win a trophy by luck. This team could not score in three finals. You need to improve the system. Sometimes you have to take the risk. It may fail.

    We have problems. Otherwise, we cant lose 3 finals..! Also, players are no longer young, they are getting old and slow. Clearly, the oldies are not the same as before. Tagliafico and Pavon can start the match now. I want Lo Celso and Dybala gets some minutes at least in the rest of the tournament. Let them get experience for the next WC. Otherwise, almost everyone for the next WC will be new players..!

    • Sampaoli wanted Icardi? Did he tell you in your private conversation. Truth is Sampoli tried Icardi just like he tried Benedetto. Both didn’t work out.

      • How many matches did he play? How many start? Biglia came publically for Higuain. Otherwise, it would have been Icardi or Lautaro at WC.

  22. Meanwhile England is up 5 zero in first half against Panama. I wish we faced some weak teams in first round to help us gel better or was the draw fixed to give England an easy bye?

  23. Salvio are the best winger that argentina have. But sampaoli make him bad with put in the wrong place. Salvio is attacking winger, he is not defender!he can not defend well! And lo celso are the best CM that argentina have but not even he play ones!! stupid sampaoli can not put proper GK! If armani theres since beginning,this bad result will never happened! This sampaoli head have a cancer , he is so stupid!! And what make me sad is theres peoples are still defending this stupid coach!! Arghh..

  24. After reading all the latest update news, this is actually what is happening according to Mascherano:

    https://www.ole.com.ar/seleccion/mascherano-conferencia-bronnitsy_0_2039196084.html

    1. He admits that there is a conflict, but Messi is fine. It is normal to be frustrated

    When asked about the players control everything?

    2. He said even the best coach in the world wants to ask his players what is best for the team, because it is the players who actually plays and whatever the player says, the coach will agree with it. The coach wants to know what the players feel inside. Every coach in the world also asks his players opinion for the sake of the team.

    It is not forcing the coach to play what the player wants. It is just trying to find an agreement what is best for the team.

    When asked about the relationship with Sampaoli?

    3. Masche said it is normal.

    So guys this is actually what is happening. The media is not totally wrong saying that there is a conflict. It just seems that Sampaoli asks the players how to make them play comfortable. I think it is very normal especially after a shocking 0-3 loss in one of the WORST LOSSES in Argentina history where they all look unmotivated. Every coach would have done the same.

    The latest practice is just like what Roy reported. It is not 3-4-3. It is 4-4-2:
    ——————————-Armani
    —Salvio———–Mercado——Otamendi—–Tagliafico
    ————————Perez——Masche
    ————————Banega——-Di Maria
    ——————Messi——————Higuain

    It can easily be 4-3-3. Based on the line up, especially the defense line, I don’t think it is the players asking them to start (otherwise Rojo would start). The midfield and above, though, I believe those 6 will start because of the discussion between the players and Sampaoli.

    • Oh one more thing. Why Sampaoli chooses Salvio? He worries about Musa’s speed. Salvio’s is the fastest out of all right back. That’s what I read.

    • Bull shit, mascherano was telling the media lies. Before Croatia game there was a heated argument and calling names, in fact it was a fight. After the game senior players ignited the situation even further. All that talk to media is rubbish. There was a chaos in the camp.

      • Almost every coach kicked players (even best player) out of the team if they oppose him. There is a reason why Mascherano in China now. He should understand that. Sampaoli invited him to the NT. He had many bad matches. But still, Sampaoli selected him and Biglia for WC. Now they fight against Sampaoli. Good.

  25. Sampaoli was there in the press?
    If not, it is clear there is a difference. There is a friends club.
    Iceland match was old formation 4-2-3-1 with amigo. Sampaoli changed this formation only against Croatia. Maybe players wished to have another lineup. If players want to play as they wish why there is a coach? Iceland match was the easiest one in the group. Why didn’t this amigo win? Some oldies they know this is their last chance make the issues in the team when they don’t get chance. They include Messi in this. As many of us suggested, there is some cancer in this team. Messi should know this. He should support the coach and not the players. Everybody should share the responsibility if fails. Not just hitting on sampaoli’s head. Players are a big failure in the last two matches. Everyone in this world sees this.
    I am not defending Sampaoli here. But I still think he didn’t do that worse as many suggest. He’s the best coach we have recently. Both loss and draw were not his mistakes. It was players mistake. If Messi converted that Penalty and Willy did not have that blunder, the situation would have been totally different.

    • If Messi converted the penalty, the situation would have been much different. Both sides will feel equal pressure. It would not be like they start the run a few starts ahead. But still, we would be raped in that match. The result stood 3-0 because they didn’t show much attacking intent, had they shown we would have lost 5-0. Croatia match was not lost due to Willy mistake, but because the midfield players were poor or they couldn’t integrate with the system.

    • Belenega will b key player against Nigeria.performace of team,totaly depend on benegal..benegal played very well against Iceland.he is play maker

        • In fact, Messi didn’t miss it, but the goalie saved it. He would have scored it if the GK moved the other way. Was it a perfect penalty? No! But we have seen much weaker penalties going in due to the GK miscalculate while diving.

    • Well said Insider. Let’s support the team by all means but let’s not blind ourselves to what is so obviously evident. The players are expected to play according to the ideas put forth by the coach. They can fail trying. Sampaoli did take the responsibility for the defeat. I think there is too much player group pressure. We need a coach who can stand up to them and communicate to them in no uncertain ways that it is his team and he makes the tactics. The players role is to go out there and try to play to the plan provided by the coach.

  26. So…….Still Salvio instead of Ansaldi, Maria instead of Pavon, Higuain still considered ahead of Dybala and for some reason Celso has been pushed to the curb. Honestly the AFA, Sampaoli and if Messi (if he is really influencing the selection of his has-been friends) can all go and f**k themselves. What a goddam joke this whole campaign’s been.

    • I agree, not playing Ansaldi snd Locelso is criminal at this point.

      Pavon is > thsn dimaria, only hope is getting benched will wake up his inner dragon.. its in there beneath the ego and stupidity.

      • Ansaldi & Fazio are not juniors. They won’t play because they have no experience with the NT. Tagliafico would play even though he is a “junior”. So you get the point.

        Pavon and Dybala won’t also play due to the same reason. No enough experience with the NT. But I have no idea why Lo Celso are not starting. He’s as experienced as Tagliafico and has played well. May be because they want a more experienced player and hence went with Banega.

        • Ansaldi & Fazio are juniors. They are juniors in the NT.
          What is this experience? They play together for a long time. They are seniors. Others don’t. They are still juniors for the seniors.

  27. This whole situation has happened because of ONLY ONE REASON: Players, specially the core players of the team have found it difficult to adopt to sampaolis 3-4-3.
    And the sole responsible party here is the AFA of Grandona and Normalization committee, if Sampa was appointed 2 years ago, or if they kept sabella 4 years ago or hired someone like gallardo instead of martino, things would have been different, because then all the systems would have been tested by now and we would be calm in world cup.

    I see people here blaming messi and mascherano for the friends club thing,,,,, guys,,, we had 15 games under sampa and in these 15 games he tested over 100 players,,, messi allowed players like acuna, meza, le celso right? But things didnt work out (apart from le celso),,,,now theres is a do or die match and they are asking to play with what they know, because this is not the time to adapt, do you blame them for that?

    • I dont. (Except locelso needs to start ahead of enzo snd ansaldi over salvio)..

      They should have kept Tata Martino. They didnt even pay him when they should have..

    • Not just the core players. First Sampaoli couldn’t recognize he didn’t have the players for 3-5-2, secondly players couldn’t even adapt partially.

      In 3-5-2, your midfielders need to be hyper active. You need players with dual lungs to run back and forth as wing backs. Look at Victor Moses for Nigeria. Did you ever see Acuna & also Salvio dropping back with speed when Croatia attacked through flanks? I thought Acuna was so dumb that he was far ahead on the pitch. His default position should have been at the centre, but he stood far ahead. He didn’t even link up with the midfield, let alone defense. Where was Salvio when Croatia were attacking thru their left flank. Relic had a chance at the early stage and Mercado was defending him. Salvio was nowhere to be seen.

      You need a CM who can cover the entire pitch – la Arturo Vidal. Enzo was not even half what Vidal was. Then you need an AM who can connect with midfield and attack and a DM who can connect with midfield and defense quite easily. Meza failed in the former role big time while Mascherano was also not very good in the latter role.

      So the major flops with the 3-5-2 system were Acuna, Salvio, Enzo & Meza along with Willy who simply had a very poor game. And none of these players are our core players.

  28. Lets be more realistic and keep our feet on the ground, it is not to be mean as sarcastic and rude. My opinion is we have closed the books of WC 2018, the team is in disharmony without spirit , leader, game plan and we want them to win by 4 – 0 against a high tough team Nigeria who still have a big chance to continue to pass the group stage. We will be shown an exit door. Playing draw and finished third in group is the target now. Stop Dreaming! Look at squad and players selection – again same mistake since Sabella, Tata, Bauza took in charge. Are we dumb to accept this will make a miracle

    Di Maria, Masce, Biglia, Banega, Higuain, Perez, Aquero, Rojo are playing for their final and ends their n/t career. Restructuring, Rebuild and Reform is just a slogan and campaign words without any realization. Sorry to say, it is so desperate being a fans of Argentina team…. disappointed and disbelief by what the potential players resources they have but not being optimally used by the country.

    1978 we won with Peru helps and 1986 with hand of god and all the other years we failled due to stupidity. Apologize for being frustrated and deeply shocked by all that happen in this WC. Hopefully we have a better chance in next Copa 2020 and 2022 under new generations and coach.

    Keep the faith . Enjoy the WC

    • Biglia won’t play. This team is not our best. But it’s still much better than the previous one.

      No Willy, Meza & Acuna.
      Armani, Banega & DiMaria instead.

      Gone 3-4-3. Cometh 4-4-2.

      I hope to see Lo Celso, Pavon & Dybala as subs.

      If the players show fighting spirit (which they will do because now they will have something to prove) and Messi is not frustrated with the team tactics or players and happy, we CAN defeat Nigeria by 2 goals.

      The LION will wake up on 26th.

  29. Mascherano-Biglia-Tapia press conference clarifies 3 things:

    1] A nervous Samapoli has constantly changed line-ups which has affected players rhythms which basically means that there could be stability from now on with a 4-4-2 formation and no more tinkering with a messed up Bielsista system
    2] Players led by Mascherano (and possibly Messi) will now have greater say in the tactical aspects of the matches going forward; thus, win or lose, the onus will be on the players.
    3] Caruso Lombardi and others who have been propagating the theory of “Messi Amigos” have probably done more damage to the teams’ psyche than anybody else.

    Will Argentina performance improve now? That is a big IF, but Messi needs unconditional love and support for now as Albiceleste is hanging by a thin thread!

      • The thing is all these stories of Messi Friends club have gone viral. Imagine the mental state of the players when such stories are the only thing that they get to hear before a crucial game.

        The more one analyses these patterns, the more one realizes that Caruso Lombardi and his ilk have been deliberately planted by somebody who want to harm Argentinian football, perhaps permanently. Funnily many posters/commentors here also have fallen for these conspiracy theories instead of supporting the NT.

        • The conspiracy theory, club de amigos will not appear if they won something.
          Come on! Win something!
          10 years already given to them, no result until today. No one will remember your runners-up. Only the winner will be written in history.

        • Carouso is a narcisist. Period. They want the attention and as pieces of shit, they will say anything to get it. Carouso wants them to fail while he yells at them, so he can be crowned right and be given the job. Its jealousy.

      • A case of sour grapes never having chance of managing the national team? Oppss.. and that is how fake news and rumours start..

  30. Watching the Germany vs Sweden match, I was impressed in Germans’ constant attacking attitude, which we lacks unfortunately. I think, including Dybala and Banega, at the cost of Di Maria, in the mid may help us to create attacks constantly and so easier linking with Messi and Aguero upfront. Messi can create wonder when he fully involve in the match, which happens when the team attacks with a purpose and plan, rather Messi seeing the balls often at times when most of the opposition players are waiting to defend.

    • We can’t compare Argentina with Germany:

      1) Germany have good players all over the pitch
      2) Germany has more speed in attack
      3) German players are hard working.
      4) German players have tactical nous (as all of them are playing in good leagues).
      5) Due to points #3 & #4, they don’t leave too much hole. We saw 5-6 German players tracking back with speed in the second half when Sweden counter attacked with 2-3 men (if it was us, it would be 2 slow players vs 3 fast players)
      6) Germany has had a system and a team play style for a long time (Our previous AFA was crap. I see some positives with Tapia)
      7) The only thing that we have but Germany don’t have is Messi. But any player needs a professional team behind, not a school level team. We all forget Maradona had a compact team behind when he put in those amazing solo performances.

      • They where almost scored on countless times on the counter. It took a miracle to win.. namely a dumb tackle snd a moment of individual brilliance by a single player. This Germany is shite. Coach dropped Ozil (their messi) and they didnt give up.. thats the positives.

        • That was in the first half. Didn’t you notice the change in the second half? In the first half, Germany was defending the counter attack with fewer men just like Argentina did, albeit with more speed. However, in the second half, more people tracked back to defend. They all played with 100% commitment.

          Only you would say this Germany is shit. They even won with a man less. They never stopped attacking. They had a solid plan and players capable to do that.

          Ozil is german Messi? lol. He has not been at a good level in the last couple of years. He was dropped because of poor performance in the first match. Low made 2 other changes in the team and that worked greatly. That’s why he is a super coach.

  31. I think the disbelievers will wake up to the harsh reality of ‘friends group’ now. Clearly Mascherano is in command. Di Maria and Higuain starts. If that’s what keeps the team united and happy, so be it. But stop blaming the coach now for player selections. This team with DiMaria ,Higuain and Enzo in it is selected by the friends group leaving out the likes of Dybala, Pavon and LoCelso. It’s now or never for club amigos. Now there is no hiding behind the coach. Either put in a performance that tells us that this is the best team for Argentina or just quit.

      • did you follow the press conference that concluded now? Mascherano is the captain of the group, Messi just wears that armband.

        • I know.. but previously isn’t Messi accused of choosing his friends. That he decided the formation etc and became the sole reason all coaches couldn’t make the team work.

          So this proves that Sampaoli’s own bizarre decision brings the chaos.

  32. Many of us wanted Meza in the playing 11. We now have to admit that he is one the of the main reasons why we are where today. It seems there were too much hype on Argentina based players. We (including me who wanted Meza in the playing 11) should have been logical. If Meza was as good as we thought, he wouldn’t be playing in Argentina liga now at the age of 25.

    So that brings to the question. What if it was Lo Celso?

    I hope Armani doesnt disappoint. In our next match, if Enzo starts, I hope he is replaced with Lo Celso. Dybala for DiMaria or Higuain depends on who is less performing.

    Our formation should be this if we lack creativity (in the first stage, ie first 60 mins) as in Croatia game:

    Higuain | Dybala
    Messi
    Lo Celso | Mascherano | Banega

    If we were enough creative, but lacked the goals, then this:

    Pavon | Messi | Dybala
    Lo Celso | Mascherano | Banega

    • Amen to that…I agree with you but I was never sold on Meza, I wanted Perroti, he is tested in Europe and in big game. I wanted Perroti and Centurion

    • Meza played fine.. its the whole team that is sucking snd Sampaoli has failed to bdring the best out of them, has had poor team selection and has been beat tactically by every cosch so far.

      • No, Meza didn’t. He was poor as the AM against Croatia while against Iceland he didn’t have any clue what to do against a packed defense. Sampaoli made a big mistake playing Meza instead of Lo Celso.

        • Meza is not a key player material for a team like Argentina. He is not super bad, but him playing 180 minutes of a possible 180 minutes is just totally wrong. He is super average. Maybe he would be a key player for Panama, but not Argentina.

    • Hope you will get enough chicken pieces. If Mess staffs are laughing at you, please don’t take it seriously.
      Happy eating in Russia

  34. Armani; Salvio, Otamendi, Mercado, Tagliafico; E. Pérez, Mascherano, Banega, Di María; Messi and Higuain

    This is the team as per TYC.

    Positives- Armani in goal, we are back to 4 man defence, 4-4-2 formation, Ever Banega starts

    Negative- Salvio, Enzo, Di maria, absence of Fazio, Locelso and Pavon, Higuain(this I’m not sure is that big a negative)

    • Negative is Fazio not there and off course salvio.with salvio in the team we cant win simple as that.mayb due to Nigeria pace Fazio not considered but then ansaldi should play in place of salvio.locelso should play in place of enzo though I’m not that worried with enzo also.

  37. this coach is fu*king crazy… why benched Lo Celso, Pavon, Dybala…!!! Lo Celso is amazing on midfield…
    & still playing fu*king Enzo perez, biglia… piece of shit…
    if this team will play… they never gonna win vs Nigeria..

    • Ive been banging my head on my desk in disbelief…LO CELSO was supposed to be our midfield jewel…he is so damn good. exactly what we lack yet he isnt playing…WHAT the heck is happening??

  38. Mundo has become a toxic place. No moderation whatsoever.

    Click count is more important than quality I guess. It is not like that @Roy has given up on this place, just doesn’t care who comments what. Personal attacks, curse words doesn’t amount to anything.

    Goal.com has more clicks, likes and comments, but does that mean they are better than Ole?

  39. Defensively it’s weak , fazio & Rojo both need to play , it’s a big high pressure game & calls for players who play those levels, salvio & tagliafico do not !
    Benega is a must , the only minutes in this entire tournament Argentina remotely looked good was when benega was brought on v Iceland. He’s been the only midfield player who has played & been able to play a forward pass & therefore get Messi involved closer to goal.
    I do not understand how Perez gets a mention , it’s lo celso psg have paid money for , lo celso is on the way up , Perez has never progressed & remains a journeymen.
    Aguero or Higuain , not much difference , higuain for all the criticism of missing chances in finals , he has at least scored to get us to finals .
    The fact the line up includes 8 who started against Croatia is a joke ! Do the AfA not want us to progress , will it cost them in bonuses if the team get far!? Personally not only after their performance against Croatia but their performances in their careers that have left them at the club’s & levels they currently play at Salvio, Perez, cabellero, Mesa, acuna would never be selected for the 11 ever !
    It’s so simple choose your best players , & the formation that the majority play for their clubs .
    Best 3 forwards –
    Aguero , dybala, Messi
    Best 3 midfielder’s –
    Benega, lo celso, mascherano
    Best 4 defenders
    Mercado, otamendi, fazio, Rojo
    The best goalkeeper –
    Arm or guz
    433 – with defenders that defend as a priority
    midfielder’s cable of keeping possession & 2 or the 3 able of making forward passes
    & 3 forwards who are top scorers in their respective clubs , all champions & two of which highly creative .
    Hardly rocket science !!!

  40. Sampaoli has lost the power in charge of the team he will be replaced by another Coach probably after WC, Sigh.. its been so much drama for last 1 year no wonder we r in such a state. Irony is everybody thought that at least now we have a system a playing style which will be carried on from the Under 20’s – Under 17’s, so that the young player graduate they can easily adapt to the senior team, It was long term project under Sampa, Now What?? Who will put their hand inside the Hot water(that’s Argentina NT, where the Media & Public pressure is enormous) Whoever it i wish its a Cool headed guy not a Crazy one. Well it will be a clean white board where you have to start from scratch (this time literally with new players). Its gonna be a tough task as always. Nothing else to do.

    And regarding the next match no matter whoever or whichever formation played its near impossible to win(With the on going scenarios), There is only one way we can win, The players are in charge now, The Senior guys, They will play in a formation which they feel comfortable with, they may want to prove a point that Sampaoli’s formations and actions were wrong. That can perhaps motivate them and the obviously we can win too. I really don’t know what to expect from our next match. a 1-0 victory itself will be huge.

    May be that’s why we are seeing the familiar foes in the 11, Its been already tried and tested nearly a million times, what new to expect, Otamendi-Mercado-Mascherano-Banega-Enzo-Diamaria-Messi-Aguero/Higuain (Looks familiar is int it, Only Biglia is missing in the Midfield then it would be perfect) Tagliafico(Who could be the baton holder of the next generation) + Salvio. Curious to see Armani though.

  41. Sampoli is mad why he can not see he has to use Fazio and Ansaldi in formation.Both are good in controlling the ball they do not hesitate by seeing an incoming striker like Caballero.Because they have proper control on the ball.Why he is using Salvio as right back instead of Ansaldi.Ansaldi will score or assist our forwards.This man has brought us down to the hell.
    I think right now we need Higuain more than Augreo because Higuain is more of an assister in penalty box to Messi or both should be played.Masche Banega Enzo is good midfield.

  43. Hi guys I’ve been watching this website for a few years and thought I’d better sign up.

    I have been supporting Argenting since 1982, I have to be honest and say from what I have seen at this world cup from Argentina, it is absolute garbage.

    Messi looks like a broken man, the team are not playing to their full potential, the goal keeper and defence are a shambles. Now I would give credit where it’s due, but this team doesn’t deserve any credit. They were lucky to even qualify. They do not deserve to make it through to the last 16 where they will surly get demolished by France.

    This whole team needs to regroup, I’m not sure why the manager still chooses a player like Biglia and also leaves icardi behind.

    In truth, Argentina are a shambles and Nigeria will beat us, I hope Nigeria do not win, but with their pace, it will cause Argentina problems and I can see maybe Masch getting sent off because he does commit stupid fouls in stupid areas and maybe even otamandi too.

    Well good luck to Argentina, they are going to need a lot of luck.

  44. Today when the practise started, sampaoli approached messi and pushed him, sampaoli even tried to pull messis beard.

    Sorry the actual news is
    Today at the start of the practise sampaoli greeted messi happy birthday and the two briefly hugged. Visit tyc sports for the video.

  45. Hopefully it’s just rumors by media.. because the selection is weird

    It’s only 1 CB or we play with 3 defenders again? It’s not gonna working… And Hope baldie still in charge. Coach is coach. Player cannot be a coach.

  48. Friends just calm down n create positive vibes I am sure we are gonna go through to the next round and then we will see what happens in future…let’s take it one game at a time.love Argentina and Messi and please don’t demean a player who has brought so much to albiceleste…u may differ but I will not stop dreaming until the end….Vamos Argentina..

  49. Put the first rumored linepu:

    Armani; Mercado, Fazio, Otamendi, Rojo; Mache, Biglia, Banega; Di Maria, Aguero, Messi.

    I guarantee you that we will win. We may not look very attractive, but we will win. The worn out Messi’s friends are still twice better than anything Nigeria can field. They will win because they are in a habit to win together. We did not play very good in Copa’15 but went to final. We won Colombia penalty even after missing two penalties because Romero knew how to be 100% chill in those nervy moments.

    Sampaoli wants pace in backline? Why not invite Caniggia and play him as a fullback, or better yet as Otamendi’s partner. He wants a ball playing GK? Just ask Maradona to be the goalkeeper.

    Just because lions are very territorial you can’t hope that they will guard your sheep against wolves.

    • You are so bullshit!!stupid analysis! Biglia have ended his carier in argentina thats the trues!! Stop dreaming! Argentina will not win anything with biglia there!!

      • @MaradonaTheBest,

        Have you no manner? There is a proper way to disagree.

        I have been here since 2012, regular. The regular folks here know I am an opponent of Masche-Biglia pairing because it drains our offensive and passing options.

        • However, they have been playing together for so long. Yes they have lost the finals, but won the lesser matches with ease with Biglia in there.

          I mean we have tried newer players like Meza, Acuna, Salvio. It did not work. I do not like Biglia very much, but what could go wrong from a 3-0 against Croatia? That was my thought 🙂

          You could have disagreed without curse word, or even ignore if you don’t know how to disagree properly.

  50. Sampaoli is on a mission to destroy Argentina and it’s reputation. Nigeria and Spain were his faults. Last 2 WC game are his faults.

    Have any of you watched the still photo just when Croatia began the attack for 2-0? The team was literally and evidently split into two. The offensive line of 5 close to Croatia defence and defensive line of 5 close to our D-box. It was a 5-0-5, in Maradona’s case it was atleast a 4-1-5.

    Do you remember how Sampaoli was running from one end to another in the dugout? I mean seriously? You can never find a manager who is more visibly stressed as this conman!

    Now he is doing it again. Salvio as RB. Mercado as CB when you have CL semi finalist in your team. You have to use a winger as fullback when you have a proper offensive fullback in Ansaldi?

    Even as a winger Ahmed Musa is better than Salvio and you bet on Salvio to stop him defensively?

    We defend as if a drowning man grasping for air.

    The defensive shambles have nothing to do with quality. It has everything to do with Sampaoli’s stupidity, incompetence.

    Those who are hoping for Messi finally being happy and perform. It might just happen, but what will happen when Nigeria scores a goal or two?

    Do you think Salvio, Mercado, Otamendi and Tagliafico will be able to stop Musa, Iwobi, Moses and Iheanacho? 3 of our 4 defenders are fullback. It’s Croatia lineup all over again, except Banega for Acuna and Armani for Willy. Do you that’s enough? I don’t think so. Nigeria will run riot again.

      • Why should they feel responsible for someone’s foolishness? Such behavior has to be discouraged. It doesn’t make you a bigger fan, all it says is your mentally sick.

        We all love Argentina, and we are all down. We express emotions in different ways along the realm of normality. But we should also love the life god has blessed you with, love your family and friends who remain and suffer from your stupidness.

        Anybody with such tendencies defientely suffers from underlying anxiety and or depression and needs to seek medical help. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE ADVERTISED BUT INSTEAD FROWNED UPON. ANYBODY WITH SUICIDAL TENDENCIES PLEASE GET THEM HELP!!!

  52. Sampaoli’s biggest mistake was taking risk with poor players. He should have played safe game like Sabella with these shit players.

    3-5-2 needs hyper active midfield which we saw in that Chile team. The wing backs and mids need to have two lungs to play that sort of game. Remember Vidal was everywhere on the pitch. That was the role Enzo & Meza had to play that day.

    We see how hard working Victor Moses is for Nigeria. As a wing back, he ran back and forth. How many times Acuna and Salvio ran back to help the defense? These two didn’t even help the midfield let alone defense.

    We are the worst team in this world cup. We have the worst players in many position. Our game is very slow. Probabky slowest in this world cup. Hence, it’s very easy to defend against us. Just close the channel to Messi.

    Our GK receives more passes than Messi. The only option our defenders have to pass is the GK. Its the problem of our mids as much as it’s our defs.

    Yesterday, Sweden threatened Germany in counter attack. They looked like scoring every time they went ahead. What did Low do in the second half? If 3 Swedish players were counter attacking,.6 of their players tracked back to defend with great speed. If it was us, it would be 2 people tracking back against 3 that too much slower than them. That’s the difference.

    We need a miracle. The system, players, attitude, commitment – everything must be changed for us to have any kind of game. Or the world cup is already over.

    • I saw one statistic that shows the speed of every team so far and Argentina are ranked around 30 of 32 they are extremely slow and seem to be in poor physical condition

    • Argentina players are very good watershed developed their eating habbit instead of playing skills. if their weight is a above 100kg how can they run.
      in Brazil average weight is 80kg to 90KG
      in German that same
      but we have acuna, salvio, enzo, aguero, higuain, banega.
      when you take di mari/locelso, two players are underweight

      • player speed is only one facet… the bigger problem is the speed with which they are passing the ball from def to attack and vice versa…at turtle speed there’s no way u will infiltrate tight defences… personally i think most of the problems lie with the midfield…the team against croatia was so silly they couldn’t even really counter attack and isn’t like croatian defence was really solid…

  54. if their is a problem in the group (not even sure how much true and how much rumor) there are three reasons for that:
    1. Players are disturbed by sampaolis problems with his assistant baccacecce(pardon my spelling), this started sometimes before world cup, for which aimar was about to replace bacaceecce but then I don’t know what happened.
    2. Players are annoyed at playing 3-4-3, they think team is more suited to 4-3-3 or 4-4-2.
    3. Players are annoyed at certain things like sampaoli practices whole weak with one team then suddenly changes before the match, like in last match with Pavon.

    • Anarchy was always the Argentina way. Unfortunately this Argentina Afa the players always. Always there where team of players that rule this team in favor of others. Its sad but true. And dont all get sad but the future is not bad because if you see all nations we again have the biggest number of talents no brazil no italy no germany no Nederland no england. Maybe spain. ICARDI DYDALA PAVON PAREDES LO CELSO GARRE AND MANY MANY OTHERS.

  55. Optimism at its best…!

    Argentina to beat Nigeria.
    Argentina to beat France
    Argentina to beat Uruguay.
    Argentina to beat Belgium.
    Argentina to beat Croatia and lift the trophy.

    What Croatia in final…! Yes, I want them back and defeat 3-0 in the final..!

    The path looks nice. Isn’t it?

  56. What happened against Croatia is blessing in disguise for Argentina. At least Armani getting his chance, no more 3man back line. Yes Argentina still do or die situation but got a 2nd chance if it happed in knock out stage then no more 2nd chance. So trust messi, Argentina is going to win back to back from now

  57. Le celso banega perez Messi in mid
    We need 4 midfielders
    Messi attacking
    With dybala and higuin up front
    With 4 defender
    There can’t be any other
    Certainly
    We need to control midfeild
    Can’t afford to have slow maschreno
    As defender or midfeild

  58. Question for all of you….
    Is it really so bad situation in the camp? Is it really true that there are clans in the team, that couch is over run by same oldies in the team, that messi doesnt speak to anyone, that he has serious problem with his wife, that is serious so much bullshit and thay are like dogs and cats ???? Someone serious respond. If any of this rumours is true than i am so dissapoint in albiceleste bevause we have still chance for glory.

  59. Nigeria are a good team
    Their results are better vs Croatia and Iceland than Us
    They beat us in November
    Sadly they will beat us 3-2 or a draw
    Especially with above line up

    He needs to play proper defenders not Salvio right back
    Needs to get Fazio in and lo Celso for Perez

    But again sampa is worried about Nigeria pace so putting Salvio there

    Very stupid

  60. What happened to lecelso who olayed so well in da previous games!! He seem to have played well vs Nigeria last time Argentina played with them… I can’t see any creativity in the midfield with perez🙄🙄🙄 If lanzini was fit lecelso would have played rite???

  61. It is still a rumor, It is a bit strange that it is already Sunday but the team has yet to practice a game of 11 vs 11.

    There are 2 players that never play bad for Argentina but rarely given the chance: Ansaldi and Fazio. If really the senior players choosing the line up instead of Sampaoli, I hope they will include these 2 because these 2 are among the last in Sampaoli’s pecking order.

    Di Maria’s wife posting on instagram a pic of smiling Messi (FINALLY SMILING) with her daughter which says “a friend of papa on and off the court”. It is his birthday. He needs to be happy.

    • The friendship of the ex WC 2014 squad is beyond what you think. I remember reading Messi or Aguero saying that they regularly whatsapping each other after the World Cup.

      Also anytime one of these players post something on their IG, it was always them (the ex WC 2014 members) who give likes or reply with positive comments. For example, Lavezzi or Fede Fernandez they give likes and comments to the senior players posts.

      The trio of MSN of Barca worked so good because they are also close off the court.

  62. sorry guys, what i wanted say which my last 4-4-2 formation including mascherano and dimaria was ofcourse was to put mascherano next banega in the midle like this which i think would be the line up if they go with straight 4-4-2 ?
    armani
    mercado otamendi tagliafigo ansaldi
    pavon mascherano banega di maria
    messi higuain/aguero
    please, let us finally score some goals and not let our opponent to score !

  63. Line up most probably Armani(1986-87) – Marcado(1986-87) Otamendi Fazio(1986-87)/rojo Tagliafico – mache Biglia(1986-87)/Perez – messi benega – Higuain(1986-87)

        • 1986-87 born spot person will be huge achiever messi failed because he haven’t turned 31, now messi will fire. One thing is certain 1986-87 born captain lift the world cup

          • Please please stop this nonsense that you make with every post. Predictions, cosmology etc suites astrologers to make money with your superstitions. Don’t go behind some self proclaimed Youtube astrologers words and get disappointed.

          • even India destroyed Pakistan last year champion trophy in group stage where Pakistan struggled to qualify next round but ultimately won the champion trophy 2017 because Pakistani captain Sarfaraz 1986-87 born where Virat born one year later 1988, had Rohit Sharma captain India world have won champion trophy. Virat lost 2finals in IPL where 1986-87 born Rohit Sharma and Devid warner won IPL. Champion luck is with 1986-87 born captain

          • This year SRH won IPL if Werner 1986-87 born captain led the team but 1990 born Williamson captaining reason 1981 born Dhoni won IPL. Remember Dhoni lost twice against 1986-87 born captain Rohit Sharma before.

  64. The game will be defined by what kind of day Banega has. If he is in his elements, no team can dominate this midfield. But if he has a bad day, we will be overrun easily. Of course this team is not ideal. Far from it. There are a few obvious changes one can easily suggest. But there is no point anymore. I think this is Messi’s team . If he is comfortable playing and winning with this team, we are good. But if they fail again, they will be judged. More than anyone in this team, Messi himself needs to step up.

  66. this team will face heavy defeat because of shit salvio, rojo (CB) and enzo perez(he doesnt have the guts, skills to pass or forward the ball move forward. this damn shit team should go out. I will pray for Nigeria if Argentina placed enzo, salvio, biglia.

  67. I would go with best clinical finisher in football world today and that is Higuain. The guy is on fire, just give him the ball and gets hat trick.

  69. I don’t know why we didn’t train set pieces at all? Our free kick and corner kick setup were terrible. Look at Germany, they knew that they would score with that free kick. That was preparation, professional preparation. I kicked my head when I saw our CBs move to opposite box waiting for a cross from the corner spot but the taker just did a short pass. Lame! Waste of energy and enthusiasm

    • Because sampaoli don’t like to prepare. He is clueless. How can he even get this job in first place ? His 3-4-3 line up almost gave me a heart attack. If we go to the next round, it will be cause of his tatics.

    • Very legit and good question. The Germans train on high calibre drills and no time wasting on socializing or chatting. This is culture thing, South American teams gather and waste an enormous amount of time joking and doing horseplay, let alone if they are friends and buddies.

    • We used to be deadly with set piece. Everyone should still remember Zanetti’s goal back in 1998. It’s not a cultural thing, it’s professionalism even though I can’t deny a fact that the German are always top when it come to being professional. But, at least, the players and staffs should treat it properly as doing their profession. Clueless!

    • Tata had great plan with Paraguay in WC 2010, Sampaoli’s Chile also played with some plans. When they lead Argentina, they all became dumbass? What a curse we have been having.

      • That is because Chile is not Argentina. To coach Argentine has more pressure. People melt under that pressure and when they do it’s usually over, can’t think right anymore. It may be better to hire a solid, unassuming, former player. BURRUCHAGA should be fine but then Sampaoli has this huge contract.

  70. well at least armani will finally between the post’s, but would this be enough cover to help him ?
    Personally i think ansaldi should get his chance and enzo and di maria should not be there masherano might be good help for the defense or either we wll see nigerians running constantly past him ? and what has di maria to offer us if in the the first game when pavon replaced him he clearly showed more passsion to and skill, but unfortunatly he wasn’t given more time than he should have!

    So again no lo celso and no pavon, i dont get it even Messi praised pavon ? But clearly he prefers di maria on the left and if that is the case then why not but pavon on the right and for me it doesn’t really matter which one of aguero or higuain we but up front only thing which matters is to get goals scored and not let the nigerians to score ! so then we should also play with 4 at back but ansaldi in the left or right it doesnt matter to me, just bring him on ! let otamendi either play with fazio or tagliafigo at middle and then put mercado on the right or maybe but tagliafigo on the left and let otamendi play with fazio in the middle which might be problem because of fast nigerians, but he played very good season with roma so it is not allways maybe necessary to be that fast ? But if he’s on the pith with mascherano who i higly doubt that will be dropped then there’s is allteady too not fast players on the pitch against fast nigerians !

    So this just my first and the last formation which i would personally choose for the last game, though i allready know that it aint going to happen ! Because i not really like to choose who should play or not, but clearly now the is enough of evidence to me who should not play and who we should maybe at least try, maybe for the very last time in this tournament ?

    so my line up will be 4-1-3-1-1 by giving Messi absolute freedom to move or not to move where ever he want’s because for sure we will see that happenning again or play straight 4-4-2 ?
    my preffered 4-1-3-1-1 would like this :
    armani
    ansaldi fazio otamendi tagliafigo
    lo celso
    dybala/salvio banega pavon
    messi
    higuain or aguero
    this very higly unlikely to happen because of masherano and di maria is not there !

    so if it is like it seems that theese 2 guys have play then i would go with same 4-1-3-1-1 Like this :
    armani
    mercado otamendi tagliafigo ansaldi
    mascherano
    pavon banega dimaria
    messi
    higuian or aguero

    if it will be straight 4-4-2 then i would prefer this :
    armani
    ansaldi fazio otamendi tagliafigo
    dyb/salvio locelso banega pavon
    messi higuiain/aguero
    which against is higly unlikely to happen because there is no masherano or di maria again !
    so again like it seems at the moment that they have be on pitch then i would choose this :
    armani
    mercado otamendi tagliafigo ansaldi
    pavon lo celso banega di maria
    messi higuain/aguero
    good luck with who ever plays and hopefully we will win at once and see what will happen next ?
    cant stop supporting argentina even i might not watch that game just to get more pissed again !

  71. I think it is not 4-2-3-1. Maybe 3-4-3 again?
    Mercado-Otamendi-Taglifico
    Salvio-Enzo-Mascherano-Dimaria
    —–Banega
    Messi-Aguero

    Willy, Meza, and Acuna will be replaced by Armani, Banega, and Di Maria?

  75. Calm down everyone.

    These are just rumours. Everyday there is a new rumour. So I will advise you all to take this news with a pinch of salt.

    Having said that, if I were in control of the team, this is the team I would field :-
    4-3-1-2
    GK: ARMANI
    RB: ANSALDI
    CB: OTAMENDI
    CB: FAZIO
    LB: ROJO
    CDM: MASCHERANO
    CM: BANEGA
    CM: LO CELSO
    CAM: MESSI
    SS: DI MARIA
    CF: HIGUAIN

    I’m willing to explain to anyone why I think this formantion is best.

  76. I usually do not say like this. But with Salvio as RB, we have no chance. Ahmed Musa is going to rip him apart. Salvio is ok for offense, but defensively he is nowhere to be seen. In last game, it was always Mercado. There was huge gap between him and Mercado which had been exploited by Perisic. Ahmed Musa is faster, stronger, in better form.

    What is the purpose of Ansaldi, Fazio in the squad?

    Even after Croatia match, I thought enough with changing of coaches, Sampaoli should stay. But now I am convinced otherwise. He is worse than Maradona. He must leave.

    • Who is selecting the players? As per reports, Sampaoli has no decision making power anymore. So it may be Tapia and Mascherano (senior players behind him)deciding.

      • You still believe the media? We have problems, media made it a mess. It began with Sampaoli’s sex scandal. This media campaign has begun right after Israel snub. One fake incident after one. This is how Israel operates.Do you remember right after Iceland draw, in press conference a journalist asked if Sampaoli thinks this is a curse as they snubbed Israel? Who asks a question like that? A paid agent acting as a journalist. Journalists are the most dishonest professionals in the whole world.

        Now, yes this is Sampaoli’s team. Inclusion of Salvio, Mercado and Tagliafico in the same XI is the proof.

        • Sounds logical. So many full backs can’t be friends club. Playing 3-4-3 all of a sudden can’t be friends club. Even I knew we were gonna suffer terribly as soon as I heard about 3-4-3 in training. And they blame Messi for rubbing his forehead.

  77. Argentina beat a sub 23 Ecuador with 7 players making their debut…..lol Messi is a lie to the albiceleste Jersey.

  78. Let’s just trust them.
    Nothing anyone can do this point.
    Maybe his idea is to start as many same person as the previous match so that it wouldn’t bring more confusion. I’d like to believe that this formation is better in the sense that the back is more solid with four, and Salvio does well in his position against Iceland (look at the stats), only difference against Iceland at the back is replacing Rojo with Mercado, hopefully this improve the miscoordination like shown in Iceland goal.

    Banega starting is way better than Biglia starting, but him and Messi will be isolated in the center, with more person guarding Messi, Banega’s role would be crucial. If he can’t do it, and Messi is isolated like before, it’s a really slim chance.

    One I’d love to improve if I were Sampa is starting Pavon from the start, and in his original position,many said he’s not ready.. How many minutes, again, he has on the field to make any impact. Against Croatia he’s out of his strongest position. Aguero is a better choice, still, to me, he’s one of a few who actually has a clinical finish (and the only goal scorer so far). Dybala in replacing Banega should be a good for 2nd half replacement, if things are not working for Banega.

  80. This formation will make sure Dybala won’t come as a sub. Unless they change the formation during the game..!
    If they stick to same formation, Lo Celso has a chance coming IN for Banega and Pavon coming in late for Di maria. The third change will be Higuain/Aguero..!
    Ahmed Musa should be contained. Can Salvio defend him? Salvio is fast but defensively weak. Maybe Salvio and Enzo will take care of Musa.
    Pace and physicality is the main strength of Nigeria.

  82. Just spent two hrs watching tyc sports and other Argentine outlets, this is very deep rooted. I never realized the magnitude but it seems like Messi deserves this.

    I hate Ronaldo cause of his arrogance, but at least he’s ok with who he is. Messi, is, confused….in denial, or very naive or ignorant or just a POS at the end of day. It’s all about the money and his opinion.

    God…maybe just maybe Sampaoli is a decent coach…. but there is no way around the Messi and Friends syndrome.

    ARGENTINA DESERVES TO LOSE AGAINST NIGERIA!!! AND THEY WILL IN SPECATCULAR FORM.

    The Messi era ends Tuesday. $5 Bucks says he plays for Spain for his last WC or doesn’t play another one.

    • I don’t give a damn about Ronaldo. This is not Messi vs Ronaldo! This is about Argentina and WC.
      Why Messi deserves this? Could help give logical explanation? Is it because he made us qualified in the first place? It is because without Messi we lost embarrassingly against Spain and Nigeria?
      Also, Messi won’t be able to play for Spain……not sure why I even try to explain to u.
      Messi and Argentina do not deserve fan like u. With u as a fan, who needs enemy…

  83. Salvio? All his name reminds me of is how he was watching the ball when Mandzukic was sneaking in behind to head wide a certain goal. This guy should’ve never made it to the wc.

  85. Sigh…
    We can press the repeat button.
    Salvio is no RB. Re-watch the matches. He is almost always too late. Play Ansaldi in that position.
    No LoCelso and no Dybala means that our strikers will have to drop deep to get the ball.
    Et cetera.

    • Why you take Ansaldi Dybala Locelso Fazio in squad ???
      If same players plays and failed time and again why not change them…..

      Locelso must start this game..If he plays bad no problem..Even biglia Enzo Perez plays bad..Meza failed..let’s try Locelso..
      What is his fault
      I think Locelso had a fight during WC preparation with anyone of messi’s friends ..that what suddenly he was out from starting xi though he features in training as starter…..especially as there is no Lanzini Locelso must have srarted……

      Keeping higuain does not makes any impact …

      And if higuain plays then there also no one giving cross to him …one one takes him as no 9

      No good tactics is there…
      I think bcoz of presence of messi everyone thinks that messi will do all the job…

      There should be plan b plan c

      Sampaoli seems that he had even no plan a

      • Higuain is actually being missed by our team. He is brilliant at holding the ball and realeasing it to any player running past him(Messi). He is also tall and strong. And he can score. We need him.

  86. Such bad players start

    Why not Lo Celso?
    Why not Pavon to Start?
    I don’t like Otamendi and Mascherano now
    They played really bad

    Those who have not played yet should start ..result will be same if those old guards starts

    • I read on many news websites that Sampaoli is no longer making the squad but the players(more importantly Messi) are making the squad and tactics. Is this true? I hope the players dont fuck up after taking matters into their own hands. That would be embarressing.

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