Argentina players on yellow cards at the FIFA World Cup

By
Roy Nemer
-
279
Javier Mascherano Argentina
Javier Mascherano playing for the Argentina team.

With Argentina having qualified for the Round of 16, all eyes have turned on the next match and the players who are on yellow cards.

While not looking too far ahead, no match at the FIFA World Cup is a guarantee. But should Argentina find themselves in the quarter finals, there are six players who were cautioned in the group stage and if they receive a second yellow, would miss the potential quarter final match agaisnt either Uruguay or Portugal.

Nicolas OTAMENDI, Gabriel MERCADO, Marcos ACUNA, Ever BANEGA, Javier MASCHERANO and Lionel MESSI are all on yellow cards. The first three having been cautioned against Croatia and the latter three against Nigeria.

All yellow cards are erased as of the quarter finals meaning a yellow in the Round of 16 for any one of those players and they would miss the quarter finals should Argentina progress.

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279 Comments

  2. France is good team and will not park the bus.

    i believe we should play that kind of game this time.

    i think it will be good idea to wait them and play in counter attack with fast players we have.

    Leo , Angel , Kun and Pavon if they find free space in front they can make serious damage to France.

  3. Team completed morning session with all players except Enzo Perez. He trained separately. He’s the only doubt in the 23 men squad.

    Sampoli is thinking to keep the same line up for France match..

    But rumours are there, Messi will be used as False nine again.
    If that’s the case Pavon will finally get his much hyped starting berth.

    Team will look like this, in that case :

    Franco Armani;

    Mercado, Otamendi, Rojo, Tagliafico;

    Pérez, Mascherano, Banega ;

    Pavon, Messi , Di Maria ;

    • If Perez is not fit, who will play?
      Lo-Celso?
      Acuna?
      Meza?
      How about Dybala?

      Or may be they will put Pavon in Perez’ place and introduce Dybala/Aguero/Higuain ?

    • Good lineup actually, no need of striker.we should not replace perez with pavon then midfield will become weak.It should be salvio or celso or meza/ biglia ( worst case)

    • I wonder who will take the place of Enzo in case he is injured. I do not want Meza/Biglia sincerely. Have you followed Meza closely enough to say that there might be some promise in him that the coach and seniors probably see ? I was no aware of him before. A lot of times in sports new players are blooded when coaches see promise and want to take a risk.
      At any rate i would like Lo Celso for this match simply because of the PSG heavy matchup. I would also hope Di Maria plays a good good first half.
      #fingerscrossed

  4. I will not change much from a winning combination.

    Last time it was :
    Armani
    Mercado Tagliafico Ottamendi Rojo
    Enzo Mascherano Biglia Di-Maria
    Messi Higuain.

    I will only potentially change Dybala for Higuan, either Acuna or Lo-Celso for Enzo, and possibly Fazio for Ottamendi.

  6. I think Fazio and Lo Celso will be used at least as substitutes in the France match. They have just fronted the players’ press conference for the team. I noticed Armani, Pavon and Dybala all appeared at press conferences and then came on in the matches after the conferences.

  7. These are comments from Lo Celso during a press conference:

    Giovani Lo Celso, midfielder of the Argentine National Team, expressed in the press conference that, beyond his substitution after having had many practices among the holders, his goal is to add from the place he should occupy. He has not had minutes so far in the Russian World Cup.

    “I try to contribute my bit from where I play, obviously I want to play, like any player, but I try to add on a day-to-day basis,” said the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, along with Federico Fazio.

    In addition, analyzed France facing the duel of the round of 16. “We know that we are facing a great rival, he has very good players, he is undefeated in the group stage, but we have our weapons and I think it will be a great match,” he said.

    Finally, Lo Celso added: “In the group stage we face different types of teams, France, with spaces and the speed that it has, can generate danger, but we are a respected selection, we will have to take the necessary precautions and exploit our means”.

  8. Hi, is there anyone from Singapore here? I am looking for fellow Argentinian fans to go together to watch matches and to cheer and shout for them.

      • Giovani Lo Celso, midfielder of the Argentine National Team, expressed in the press conference that, beyond his substitution after having had many practices among the holders, his goal is to add from the place he should occupy. He has not had minutes so far in the Russian World Cup.

        “I try to contribute my bit from where I play, obviously I want to play, like any player, but I try to add on a day-to-day basis,” said the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, along with Federico Fazio.

        In addition, analyzed France facing the duel of the round of 16. “We know that we are facing a great rival, he has very good players, he is undefeated in the group stage, but we have our weapons and I think it will be a great match,” he said.

        Finally, Lo Celso added: “In the group stage we face different types of teams, France, with spaces and the speed that it has, can generate danger, but we are a respected selection, we will have to take the necessary precautions and exploit our means”.

  9. Anyone knows spanish here?
    Is it true that the coach asked messi for substitutions? I can’t believe this.

    I do believe that messi motivated players in half time and asked everyone to attack without worrying about their positions.

    But making substitutions and line-ups is not a captain’s job.
    This also does not match messi’s personality.
    This is hard to believe.

    • The coach may just be a consultative coach. And Messi is a special player; the coach may just want to know the needs of Messi at that moment. Also, it could just be Sampaoli telling Messi of the impending change so he could adapt the game plan accordingly.

      • Consulatation and informing is OK.
        But I hope Messi isn’t in charge of formations.
        Messi should be in practice and training.
        That’s what he should worry about.

  10. I think Enzo – Masche- Banega Midfield has to start again, Enzo is a hustler and hard tackling physical player, He is technically not great, But he will be needed to hustle the physically strong French Midfield players. Enzo-Masche have to do that dirty work which Banega and Messi wont do, Even Higuain also will be doing it. Lo Celso is not a physically imposing player. Otherwise Salvio may can replace Enzo i guess(Not sure) We miss Lavezzi by the way, a monster. Enzo is the most similar player to Lavezzi.

    • Enzo is nothing like Lavezzi.. Enzo is a 50\50 player, positional awareness and links the back 4 to the top 3. Lavezzi is a hard working winger, better attacking, but mucj poorer man marking and tracking back.

      In any case, Enzo is hurt.. he wont be 100% vs France.. ww need Locelso.

      • Yupp Lavezzi’s decision makings was always bad , may be thats why he scores very few goals, But he was a monster, Who can run all match. Fast too. Enzo is definitely better disciplined player. Enzo was not even 100% for the last match too still he did reasonably well .Even in that case too i don’t think Lo Celso will be started, its strange that Lo Celso who featured heavily before WC and was a sure starter for us along with lanzini hasn’t even had a single minute in this WC. I think either Salvio or Meza will start if Enzo not fit.

    • I have seen most of psg games this years lo celso played midfield he was responsible for making the game but to destroy game of the other team too. One of psg best players last season.

  11. If we face PK shootout, who’s going to take PK?

    This is the players record of taking PK in their career:

    Messi 79/24 (79 goals and 24 saved)
    Aguero 39/9
    Higuain 19/7
    Di Maria 2/1
    Dybala 19/4
    Perez 4/0
    Banega 10/2
    Biglia 13/4
    Mascherano 1/0

    Notes:
    Other players never take PK in any official game without PK shootout situation.

    I know Rojo took PK in Copa America 2015 shootout and failed. Above record does not include any PK shootout situation.

    Another note is that Perez is a good PK taker but his last PK happened 3-4 years ago.

    So it is safe to say that our best PK takers are as follows:
    1. Paulo Dybala
    2. Ever Banega
    3. Sergio Aguero
    4. Enzo Perez
    5. Lionel Messi

    The likes of Giovani Lo Celso looks convincing but he never takes PK before.

    Mascherano should also be considered taking one as he scored for Argentina in our latest PK shootout.

    Gonzalo Higuain should not take PK.

    • So it means Higuain will start every KO matches and Aguero will come as a sub to make sure he will be there for a shootout if necessary..!
      Messi, Aguero, and Banega will be there probably. Dybala may come in for Enzo in KO. I think only one of them will be available for PKs. Who will be 5th? Mascherano??? We miss Garay there..!
      Higuain and Dimaria will be a risky choice. Can Salvio come IN for Mercado as our 5th taker??. I think he will..!

    • He is suited better as left back/winger role. Tagliafico is a better left back though. Argentina have no decent centerbacks outaide of Otamendi unfortunately.

  14. I would like to repeat the same team except Lo Celso for Enzo. I am pretty sure Lo Celso can do everything that Enzo does and a lot more. Can be the ideal partner for Messi on the right side of the midfield. I hope Sampa get him play in that position.

    Everyone bar Messi needs to improve their game, some less others more. Mascherano showed the other day that he is the best destroyer in the world and the #5 with worst passing skill (among elites) in the same game. I hope Masche doesn’t make any miss passes against France. Against France, he may not be able to retrieve the ball back like he did against Nigeria.

    I also want to see Dybala (instead of Meza) as a sub if we are looking for goals.

    • I’ve a feeling that with Mascherano, Banega & Lo Celso behind and DiMaria/Pavon on one of the wings and Higuain/Aguero at the CF, we can get the best out of Messi.

      My only wish is now see Mascherano, Banega & Lo Celso play behind Messi. I hope my wish comes true against France.

    • My preferred Argentina 11 vs Nigeria:

      ——————- Armani ———————
      Mercado | Otamendi | Rojo | Tagliafico
      ——— Mascherano | Banega ———–
      —————— Lo Celso ——————-
      Messi ————– | ————– DiMaria
      —————— Higuain ———————

      Subs:
      Pavon for DiMaria
      Dybala for Tagliafico (if we need goals)
      Enzo/Biglia for Lo Celso if we have 2 goals adv

      Notes:
      1) Mascherano as #5,
      2) Banega deep lying Play maker (la Pirlo),
      3) Lo Celso play maker also provide cover for Mercado on the right.
      4) Finally Messi in a free role but he can play in an advanced position due to Lo Celso’s presence.

  15. note:

    England is more likely to top the group and I want them to top the group to move to our bracket. Why?

    First of all: England just needs a draw to top the group as Belgium has more yellow cards than them.

    belgium coach already said that he will bench his key players excluding Courtouis.

    England will likely bench their key players too but there are only 2 ways for Belgium to top the grop: beating England and have a draw and make sure that England will eventually have more yellow cards than them.

    My real reason why I want England to top the group is that I don’t want them to move to the easy bracket. That way, they would meet easier opponents until the semi final where Spain is likely there.

    If they move to our bracket, they will meet Brazil likely in the QF which are 2 of my most hated teams going head to head with each other.

  16. Ever Benega is likely to join Arsenal. Arsenal are never a club for Argentines but that could change this season with Emery at the helm. They are also interested in Nico Gonzalez of Argentinos, who have already rejected an offer from Inter.
    Rodrigo De Paul could be heading to Porto and that means CL football for him.
    West Ham tried to sign Pastore but failed and now are closing in on Paving.
    Don’t know how Barcode is doing in the MLS but Benfica continue to keep an eye on him.
    Meza could be on his way to Spain with Elche being the favourites.

  17. it s quiete simple equation if messi will play 90 minutes or mmore as the first half against nigeria we will win otherwise it would be complicated
    and then we could talk about the team they have to be focused even if they score first because we have more experienced players for that sort of game. i mean we played 3 finals they had to be greedy after the first round turning so they must get that confidence messi , di maria higuain they have to prov that we need this cup

    • Actually it does not depend on Messi, but on other players giving Messi the passes he needs. Messi will be Messi but without good passes he is neutralised. We need players like Banega and LoCelso passing the ball to him at the right time.

      • Argentina team is built around Messi for Messi to perform. This scheme prevent other players to fully develop their collective game. If Messi is on fire, then it is great. If Messi is kept at bay by the opposite team and is not firing on all cylinders, then Argentina have no B plan (other players will still try to primarily involve Messi).

  18. Its really interesting how people here is thinking about our team and their current mission WC.

    We just managed to play a single good match from three. Bur people thinks we are strong now. It takes time and proper planning to play even better.

    France is a good team though they are not playing their best but they have a very tallented group. They win all 3 in their group and managed clean sheet also but it seems most people thinks we can beat them easily. They are thinking about Quarter funal already – lol.

    Germany is out so no team to eliminate us – lol. They played bad so team like S.Korea beat them by 2. We lost to Croasia by 3 – we should not forget that.

    Brazil is strong now. They have talent, they have the combination also but still Neymar failed to convert 3 super easy chance againg Serbia. And we still criticise Higuain for his missed chances. Will Brazil play without Neymar for thar!!

    Well people – support the team and let them play. We are to cheer them up so that they can win for us. Not to mount pressure so they melt and eliminate. But I do understand the love people have for team Argentina.

    We still have 4 finals to play and every team is better than us. We have nothing to loose so we will do fine. Hope team plays like they can…

    • France was not in a cleansheet. I think you forgot the match against Australia. Australia gave them good challenge. If not for own goal then france would draw that game. So I say, if Australia can challenge France then can’t Argentina win ?

      • Well for sure we can challenge them even we can beat them also, we have all the required talents we need. We should be focused – its time to think about France only not anything else. And I said they managed clean sheet, I mean in 2 match not for all the group matches 🙂

  19. Before the group stages we were both fearful and lacking in team play.

    We emerged from the grave in the group of death. So fear is not a thing anymore. We only have to get stronger as a team and move the ball forward together and with purpose.

    I don’t give a shit about sampaoli’s 11 or Mache’s 11 or your grandma’s favorite 11… because we just won with the oldest 11 ever fielded in a WC match.

    Myy favorite 11 is:

    any 11 that is in the field plays for/with the other 10.

    If that happens and a little bit of luck we will go far enough to matter. I don’t give a flying fiddle about who were playing either… they all can kiss my brown caboose..

    • Agree. From this moment it is a war. I believe every player has that in his heart, so whoever play will give his best.

      I’ve seen the evidence against Nigeria.
      If time come from an end, then an end it is. But never stop believing and trust the players will go until they break their leg. With as many experienced players in this squad I kinda have faith now.

  20. Against France

    We can go with—————-11

    ———-—-Armani ——————
    M.cado-Otamendi-Rojo-Tagli
    ————-Mascherano————

    Locelso——————Banega—-
    Messi———Heguin—agura—-

    France must be stay dip with this line up..

  21. Argentina vs France
    Armani vs Lloris (W: Lloris but by little)
    Mercado vs Pavard (Winner: Mercado)
    Otamendi vs Varane (W: Otamendi)
    Rojo vs Umtiti (W: Umtiti)
    Tagliafico vs Hernandez (W: Tagliafico)
    Mascherano vs Kante (W: Kante)
    Enzo vs Tolisso/Matuidi (W: Tolisso or Matuidi)
    Banega vs Pogba (W: Pogba)
    Messi vs Griezman (W: Messi duhhh)
    Aguero vs Giroud (W: Aguero)
    Di Maria vs Mbappe (W: Di Maria)
    [Mbappe is overrated imo]

    Overal, defense id say we’re even, in Attack we’re better, but we’ll lose the battle in the midfield which is crucial!

    But anything is possible! Beat France, and we can beat ANYONE!
    Vamos Argentina!!!!!
    🇦🇷🏆🇦🇷

  25. Fact is messi eliminated by Germany from every word cup, now Germany is no longer in the tournament means Messi lifting 🏆

    • Screw Germany and Low. Those arrogant pieces of shit can go lick their wounds after the ass kicking they got from South Korea.
      The only thing I will miss for laughs is Jorgy Low eating his boogers and smelling his own crotch on live television.

  26. To all people who think France is super stronger lol . Just watch recent games of France. Australia gave them good challenge , Peru did same and everbody know what Denmark did. So are we weaker than Peru you mean ??

    People here are too negative, coward and mentally screwed. Vamos Argentina.

    We will beat France 2-0.

  27. People in here make the same predictions a 1000 times and they are right once.
    “I was right!” “I was right” “I was right”
    the other 999 times they disappear from this blog never to be found until they think people have forgot what they predicted.
    Repeat.

    One rival less, This is the biggest news for us the team that knocked us out 3 World Cups straight is out.
    Chile are also out.
    Those 2 teams beat us.

    the other news is that we got a hard road to the world cup.
    hardest group
    1/8 france
    1/4 portugal/uruguay
    1/2 brazil/mexico/belgium or england/ japan or colombia or senegal
    spain,croatia and belgium/england in the othe bracket. it is the weaker one.
    It doesn’t matter, we must beat them all.

    • If we beat France, it will be Uruguay and Belgium. I can see Portugal and Brazil easily losing to Uruguay and Belgium. Still not an easy road but we are so unpredictable that if we get hot we can roll anyone and when we are bad we can lose to anyone. Our suffering will continue unfortunately.

    • I think the key here, to our benefit.. is thst teams can no longer play for a tie and teams now will see themselves on par with us.. so we should not confront any more parked busses, amd that is where we shine.. Messi will have more space. I am hopeful.

      • Uruguay and Portugal plays defensive/Counter. And Brazil plays counter too.

        We will keep facing park buses but this time they all are going to have better forwards and faster and skillful wingers than Iceland.

        • Croatia park the bus until Cabellero gifted them a goal. 4-5-1 is park bus formation and that’s how Iceland and Croatia setup against Argentina from the beginning..Argentina panic and got desperate after Cabellero gaffe which allow Croatia to take advantage of the situation.

        • But then ww had many issues and Messi wasn’t in a condition to play.

          Against France, Messi will be pumped up. Rest all players will fight hard. However, I don’t think we will have much space. Kante & Matuidi will make sure they leave no space and will try to cut the channel to Messi. But they won’t have the defensive organisation of Iceland & midfield control of Croatia.

          I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I want to meet Croatia in the final and show them what we are actually capable of.

  28. duongna: And Denelson also, this guy was once the most expensive player in European football..Remember Real Betis purchasing Denelson for a record transfer fee after the 2002 world cup? Denelson won the World Cup with Brazil back in 2002 but he never made a name for himself on the big European stage…Then you have Brazilian legends like Ronaldo, Romario and Bebeto who never won a UCL trophy but won the world cup with their country.

    • Denilson was purchased in 1998 four(4) years earlier by Betis for a Record fee not in 2002. it didn’t have anything to do with the World Cup.
      Don’t spread false information.

      • Ok, I stand corrected, you had time to check out Wikipedia, I didn’t. But my point still stand, Denelson was underwhelming during his stint in Europe..That’s the conversation here, not whose story is more accurate..

        • Denilson was a stud in that World Cup. I remember everybody saying he was the next megastar and that guy disappeared in thin air after the World Cup.

        • I can remember no need for wiki. I actually watched him,what you maybe didnt. He was asuper sub to keep the ball, absolute great on the ball, terrible in the tactically.
          We also had our flops,latorre, marinelli, …

  29. Whats up with all the fighting especially about Rojo? Who gives a shit other than he showed up big when he had to. I don’t give a rats ass if UTD dropped him or not if he is scoring goals for the Albiceleste. And neither should you if you are an Argentina fan.
    If they show up for Argentina, that is all that matters.

    And France couldn’t beat Denmark so before anybody gets a hard on for France, remember anything can happen in a game. It wouldn’t stun anyone if Messi put 2 goals on them or if we lost by 3 goals. Just hope we have a solid game and our guys are right in the head and we have a damn good chance of advancing.

  30. Flops of the tournament so far: (they can prove me wrong ofcourse)
    1. Pique : looked totally out of sorts in all the group matches.
    2. Lewandowski : didnt have good support but that doesnt hide the fact that he was so disappointing
    3.Coach: Sampaoli -no need to describe

  33. A defender specially CB should be feared and Rojo was feared in last game. He didn’t allow Nigerian forward to breathe. What this troll calling a penalty that would have a goal if his pace didn’t got us saved. We only exposed on counter. We need a proper diciplain game because french will be tricky. Plus we have to be clinical in front. French are real choker,look at last Euro. No denial they have great players but all of them are fashion icon and too soft to be honest. Our players has to be smart. This is a 50/50 game

  34. @batigol_cow whatever you want to be called, please stop trolling in Argentina website, your favorite team in yellow have their own website where you can post your opinions, thanks !!!

  35. Let me tell you this @Troll, Rojo was involve in both Argentina goals. On Argentina first goal, the Nigerian midfielder played a forward pass to one of his attacker, Rojo step in front of him and intercept the play, Rojo then burst forward to the halfway line, he then check his run, pass the ball to Banega in midfield who then made a beautiful assist pass on Messi goal. Shoulda, coulda, woulda! If Rojo tackle on Iheanacho was a bad one the ref would have called it a pk, this is the world cup not a game for children..Remember Neuer tackle on Higuain in Germany 18 yard box and Howedes two legged tackle above Zabaleta knee during the 2014 world cup final? Rojo was easily MOTM against Nigeria followed by Banega and Messi respectively. BTW, Rojo just sign a new four year deal with Manchester United!! Only Rojo team mates, Mourinho and Sampaoli opinions matter on this subject, you on the other hand is nothing but an online professional TROLL.

    • Thanks kid for the kind words. I’m honoured to be called a troll by you of all people, and a PROFESSIONAL one too. If I’m a troll, a professional troll what does that make you “head of the positive patrol”?

      Leaving all that aside. You were right once when you said Argentina will make it the semis last worldcup. I was wrong. I didnt think a team without a class goalkeeper could make it. Who would have thought Romero will be that decent in that worldcup.( Although some will still question the Nigeria 1st goal, Bosnia goal and the gotze goal;a better goalkeeper would have saved that).

      And coming to Rojo’s case, whatever he did good vs Nigeria got evryone surprised. Why? Coz he is shit and nobody expected of that from him. Why arent you saying anything about the Iceland match? Let us see how he will handle Giroud and co Saturday, eh.

      P.S : Why then he was not even the squad for Utd’s last series of matches let alone the bench?

  36. Yes, Rojo scored a great goal. Wonderful finish. Became a hero. But that doesn’t erase the fact that he is a shitty defender, one of the worst. He could have cost the side two penalties. The one high foot on Iheanacho could have given. Such careless and brain dead defending. The second penalty claim, he made a mess of the clearance.

    • Are you fucked in head or something. Go watch the game again. Rojo was solid. Even i wasn’t confident about him in CB but i am sure we have 2 good CB now. He was solid and confident.

      • Lol mate. If you win then Rojo suddenly is good centreback. Incredible! I guess you didnt watch the Iceland game and all the utd games he played for and you didnt see the highboot on Iheanacho and the messy clearance that almost cost us.

        • Well he ain’t God. Yes he was bad vs Iceland but he was solid last game. High boot? Mate stop wanking around with Neymar go play some footy. You need to learn a lot

        • Some players were made for Cup tournaments. Brazil won in 2002 with shitty midfielders: Kleberson, Ricardinho and Gilberto Silva. Anyone heard their names before and after that summer? They can be flop for their clubs for the entire season but they always perform for national team. Rojo is of that category. He was shaky some moments but his record in WC proves his value. If we measure WC players on their season basis, Argentina would have scored 100 goals in 3 matches.

    • Please give us a chance…. let us enjoy our shitty team. We are not going to your blog. Your team is good, fine; you gonna world champions, good for you. But at least let us enjoy that victory… PLEASE…

  37. @Kid Where are you? Where’s your post match analysis of Brasil?

    To me they were unconvincing and didnt put a lot of effort in any of the group stage matches except a little in the Costa Rica game. But that’s Brasil, they know when to up the game and we all know this Tite side’s capability. I assure you it’s gonna be a different brasil in the knockout faces. They’ll be unplayable. Will sweep aside the rest of the teams.

    And for France, Deschamps is uninspiring and they never looked like a team but out of sorts Argentina with Mascherano as the warrior and Rojo as a hero will be an easy route to the Quarter-finals. Giroud will swallow Rojo, Mbappe will get past everyone with ease and Griezmann will do Griezmann things. And for once overrated Pogba will shine playing against mighty Mascherano,the consistent Banega and Enzo Perez.

    • I’m pretty sure you were one of those plastic fans who predicted this shit side won’t go past group stage and will get hammered by Nigeria with shit players like Mascherano, Rojo etc.

        • Those are obviously not constructive criticizes. All the players you mentioned played with hearts and won us the game. No one is saying they are perfect. There is room to improve and the best team is the team who peak in the final match. I don’t say it’s Argentina but writing off our beloved team now is stupid.
          Mind you re-watch France matches and tell me what the mighty French players did that made them so formidable? They are a team to beat, no doubt but like us they have flaws and are improving. Whoever win this match will have high chance to progress to the final.

    • Brazil have a counter attacking setup they will struggle against defensive teams they don’t have any creativity in midfield.their midfield is quite mediocre

  38. Argentina must do proper workout for all defenders including Mascheranho and Enzo Perez on nothing but insane speed.

    Messi, Di Maria, Higuain, Banega, Pavon, Aguero must need to unitedly do more and more practice on fast accurate passings with quick shots with perfection.
    Di Maria and Pavon must need to improve in long pass and shots with perfection within short period of time.
    All Played well against Nigeria. But this opponent is more accurate on their passing. So midfielders and defenders need to show heart and control the game in midfield, that will automatically push France under tremendous pressure. And that will create more and more opportunities for scoring goals.

  39. Trick to defend against mbappe is physical challenge. You do not let him breathe, keep close contact and whenever he has the ball ,apply pressure.

    France is very poor in getting the ball out of defence when pressed high up. Lloris is a very bad passer. Their defenders and kante is not good at passing either. Only Pogba is somewhat good at passing.

    France is very good at attack through flanks with using their fulbacks.

    During counter attacks griezman works as the orchestrator. He releases the ball to wingers and fullbacks.

    Frances’s forwards don’t press. Actually their pressing is more individual than team effort. Kante is the real workhorse. Smart and skilled. Wins 4/5 tackles, 2/3 interceptions , committs 3/4 fouls each match.

    Their fullbacks are converted from cb, defensively good. Left back Hernandez is more aggressive in defending.

    How to defeat them? Press their backline and kante. Higuain is a must here. Di Maria must run his lungs out. I think Perez is needed, not to secure right flank but for pressing. However, lo celso could do similiar work , with added creativity. Our distribution duty rests on banega, I don’t want him to be alone in this task.

    Finally, shut down the flanks. Masche should take care of griezman.

    France manager is tactically inept. We must do the simple things properly.

    • Disagree on Kante mate. He is a cool customer with the ball. If you think that he is lousy passer,think about Mascherano. What he does when pressed; if Croatia did it okay what would France do?

      • Croatia was average and I don’t think Argentina would loose that match if caballero howler didn’t happened

  40. The team on G2 position (England/Belgium) will have the best chance to win this world cup.
    The team will face its first tough match in semi final against a tired Spain/Croatia. What a easy path!!!

    • No easy team in WC. In WC 2014, who thought Algeria would give Germany a run for their money? Holland needed 240 minutes to eliminate Mexico and Costarica. Switzerland held us until minute 117.
      Both England and Belgium are hyped with easy results from the match with Panama and Tunisia, probably the weakest teams so far. I am not surprised if Colombia or Senegal knocked them out.

  41. Against this French team, I would not be surprised if Argentina drops to a 4-2-3-1 look. Zone Marking is key as the French would try and attack the center, which they would perceive as the weakness. For Argentina’s attack, this is a good game from a double pivot standpoint, based on the French midfield defense.

  43. So far:
    (LEFT bracket)

    Uruguay vs Portugal
    Argentina vs France

    Brazil vs Mexico
    Belgium/England vs ? (anything is possible)

    (Right bracket)

    Russia vs Spain
    Croatia vs Denmark

    Switzerland vs Sweden
    Belgium/England vs ? (anything is possible) I hope Colombia

    • el p: its a business end and a tough draw for us but we have a good chance to advance vs France and i believe we can and will.
      im picking urg over port, spain over russia and a surprise being mexico over the yellow team 🙂
      the rest tba.

  44. Brazilian player like Paulinho and Coutinho play shitty for their Clubs (Barca) but when they play for their country, they are on fire unlike our strikers who are great for their clubs but awful for the National Team.

    • You are wrong, Coutinho was great for both Barca and Liverpool. Paulinho was decent until he ran out of steam after 90 games in a year and half without break.

    • That’s because Barca has better/smarter midfielders in their lineup than Paulinho and Coutinho in Rakitic, Busquets and Iniesta. The reason Argentina’s forwards have struggled is the lack of a quality midfield. Messi can focus on attacking the gaps in Barca, Aguero is asked to do much less in Man City than in Argentina and Higuain…is Higuain.

    • Most of your comments don’t make sense. Either dumb like above or ultra negative.

      Coutinho has been the best player after Messi since he joined. Paulinho silenced his critics with a great start which gave a lot of momentum for Barca. He got tired in the second half due to not having summer break. However I still don’t think he’s a Barca material. But he could be a good plan B.

  46. Are we in Brazil bracket if they top the group? I would rather face them in final than other time.

    • Brazil choose our bracket. If things go well, it is Brazil or Belgium/England in the semis.

      Switzerland is smart. They just want a draw. They are happy enough to be on another bracket which is much weaker. So far the other bracket has Spain and one of Belgium/England as the only strong teams there.

      So it looks like either Spain or Belgium/England will be in the final from their bracket.

      vs,

      From ours? Argentina/France/Brazil/Portugal/Uruguay/Belgium or England. One of these 6 giants.

      Willian’s work rate is amazing. He is all over.

        • Really?? That’s why he chose Aguero to play the crucial away games at Chelsea and Utd?!

          Anyone who has seen the city matches will tell you that City looked like a fluid Pep team whenever Jesus started over Aguero. Prime examples: everton away (one of city’s finest performances(esp in the 1st half)) and chelsea way.

          P.S : Aguero wasnt even used in the utd away game.

  49. I wacthed the 2nd goal versus Nigeria again. Aguero deserves credit for running into the box and drawing 3 Nigerian defenders to him, leaving Rojo free in the middle. I realise it is so important to get bodies in front when attacking so defenders will not know where the shot would come from. If it is just Messi or Aguero, it is much predicatble and so would be simpler to mark them out of the game. But if we do not have fit players who can join the attack while not compromising on defence, then we have no choice.

  50. According to L’Equipe, Blaise Matuidi will start as left winger vs Argentina.

    Griezman will occupy middle, Mbappe right and Giroud as CF. It will be 4-2-3-1 with Kante and Pogba as double pivot.

    • Mbappe is worrying. Sampaoli want to put Tagliafico on him? It will be his biggest test of his career.

      That means their left side won’t be as dangerous. Enzo Perez is not that needed.

      • Dont worry they worry about us too alot. Remember there central defence is play time for messi. For me this match is a dybala must play. It will chance the whole game. I saw the friendly we played against brazil that we won. Our midfield was very strong. Fast sort passes. If you but in this mix and banega that didn’t play in that game we overlap them

      • Trick to defend against mbappe is physical challenge. You do not let him breathe, keep close contact and whenever he has the ball ,apply pressure.

        France is very poor in getting the ball out of defence when pressed high up. Lloris is a very bad passer. Their defenders and kante is not good at passing either. Only Pogba is somewhat good at passing.

        France is very good at attack through flanks with using their fulbacks.

        During counter attacks griezman works as the orchestrator. He releases the ball to wingers and fullbacks.

        Frances’s forwards don’t press. Actually their pressing is more individual than team effort. Kante is the real workhorse. Smart and skilled. Wins 4/5 tackles, 2/3 interceptions , committs 3/4 fouls each match.

        Their fullbacks are converted from cb, defensively good. Left back Hernandez is more aggressive in defending.

        How to defeat them? Press their backline and kante. Higuain is a must here. Di Maria must run his lungs out. I think Perez is needed, not to secure right flank but for pressing. However, lo celso could do similiar work , with added creativity. Our distribution duty rests on banega, I don’t want him to be alone in this task.

        Finally, shut down the flanks. Masche should take care of griezman.

        France manager is tactically inept. We must do the simple things properly.

    • hmmm ok………. i put the news… one kerala fan died after we lost against crotia.. u said go and die… i dont know the meaning can explain to me….. we have to be united give support to the team…. who ever plays ……..

      • i said go and die cause i am frustrated on messi.because messi never show A leadership or ergency to win against croatia.i want to see that messi lifting the wc.

  52. We need to play very deep defense against France. To give absolutly no room for Mbappe and Grizemann to play one on one in counter attack. We have to have at least two more people in defense than France during their possession time. We need to keep our energy to OT and hopefully go to the PK shootout.

    Armani/Mercado Fazio Otamendi Rojo/Mascherano Banega Di Maria Enzo /Messi Higuain

    Possible sub:
    Banega -> Biglia
    Enzo -> Meza
    Higuain -> Aguero

    Fazio has to mark Giroud. Giroud is so tough for us to guard and he will be the key man to this match.

  54. Paulinho is an opportunist. He always manage to get goals for Brazil, but could not do anything against parked busses that Barca faced on quite a few occasions.

  56. Seriously?? Do anyone want to see Mascherano replaced for the next match. OMG. The guy who gives his heart out for the NT?? what do all expect . A human who is error free?? He is above 30 he will naturally be slow. No one can replace him among our current squad.

  57. i dont think its quarter.i heard the all yellow cards become zero in knockouts so we are in no yellows

  58. I feel Argentina and Messi had won 2 copas 2004/07/15/16 and a World Cup
    I wouldn’t care if they lost every match thereafter

    I’m glad Germany lost
    But least their fans got to experience wc and confederations

  59. Last time when a River Plate Goal was the ‘Numero Uno’ for Argentina, they won that World Cup. The year was 1986

    #JustSaying

  60. Forget the yellows. Every game is a final. There is no point in holding back. France is a much better side than Argentina though they have not clicked so far in the tournament. Kante bosses their midfield. Possession football with a high backline will play into the hands of Mbappe. Once he is through there is no argentine capable of chasing him down. Argentina needs to play real smart football without committing too many players in offence. Banega played well last game. scared that the other Banega might turn up next game .

  61. Love the green jersey , Germans!!!! ALLA 86!

    As much as it’s nice to hate on the Germans (and always lack of national German players)

    Their attacking prowess is on point. They had bad luck IMO. They could have easily pass had they defined their shots against Mexico, Sweeden, and S. Korea. But there ya go, 2006 Argentina should have probably beat 06 German with ease….wasn’t the case.

    I hope the fans don’t lose focus and become snowflakes….the players as well! It doesn’t have to be pretty they just have to play with heart and determined, no more being haunted by 2014,15,16. Get over it and play! F8$K DOUBT! EVEN if ARGENTINA LOSE SATURDAY I HOPE THEY LOSE WITH HEART AND DETERMINATION! NEVER MAKE IT EASY!!!! JUEGEN CON GARRA PIBES!!

  62. Last time when Germany failed to win the Group, A Latin American team with Light Blue & White striped shirt lifted the World Cup. That was in 1986.

    #JustSaying

  64. i just wished to face germany this time to beat them cause last wc except 2010 they had always won with bad referee s decision and especially for bad luck yesterday it seems that finally we reach the luck once
    that could really boost all our players i have a nice feeling france is the weakest team that we could face in 1/8 they had just big names it s more about buiseness that s it maybe griezman is a killer like muller so we dont have to commit errors in our defense
    we have to get our best mental they re very beatable we have to play as a team with great confidence and especially for our history against france

  65. I see many posters saying Mascherano to be dropped for France. He is the best midfielder in this team to break up the French midfield. And Lo Celso is not going to see the field unless there is a desperate substitution. The right game to have him the lineup was Iceland. That time is past.

    I am more concerned that there is no sub for Di Maria. He’s not in form and physical conditioning and is currently the weak point in his side.

    • I don’t think Masche will be dropped. There’s no replacement for him frankly. He is a leader who is a must in this squad to organise our defence.

      But frankly, he was so poor against Nigeria. Not just those miss passes. He was a complete flop yesterday. We won the match, that won’t change many things.

      • Flop.. hahah.. he was mvp. He made one bad pass in the early nervouse minutes and immediately won it back. The PK was soooo weak, literally every corner kick this cup has had more holding, the dude flopped and the ref bought it. Other than that Masch was a monster, he ate the field and his warrior spirit is contagious. He needs a sculpture erected.

  66. before wc many football media( includin goal-com) predicted that Germany is the hot favourite and they have real chance to win wc back to back even with so called there C team.but true is they are out.juchim low was over confident cause he won confederation with C team.

    • AI is most overrated thing ever! Stupid people think that AI will be able to solve all the problems. Lie, damn lie. The nature is UNPREDICTABLE. Einstein once thought that with all the variables, he would be able to paint the picture about the future of the universe. He admitted that was wrong and accepted that QUANTUM principles are what actually decide how things work, and they are UNCERTAIN!

  67. Some say because of the curse of the champion:
    France won in 1998, out in group stage of 2002
    Italy won in 2006, out in 2010
    Spain won in 2010, out in 2014
    Germany won in 2014, out in 2018

    But for me Germany lost because their youngsters (or their B team) are too good, too tempting as they won the Confed cup without the seniors.

    So then Joachim Low have too many options. He no longer relies on Ozil, Muller, Hummels as he was in the past. As the commentators today said, Ozil, Muller, and Hummels were benched for the first time in this World Cup in their last 5 major tournaments.

    Sometimes having too many good players can be a bad thing because the usage of your key players will then be limited because they might get substituted if they perform below expectation. In 2014, Germany never had that problem. Low knew who his starters were and his bench players. The starters played loose without worrying of losing their spots. The bench knew that they were there just to back up, that’s all. The roles of each player was clear.

    In 2018, Germany’s team chemistry that they had built for many years is ruined.

    Actually I see their problem similar to our problem. Germany and Argentina are 2 of very few teams that are still relying on their “golden generation”. We almost screwed things up the same way Germany does when Sampaoli also lost his trust on his senior players when he decided to bench 5 senior players against Croatia.

    Well I don’t care what Germany is thinking now, but whatever happens to them is a lesson for us. We could easily have been in their position as our situation is similar.

    Sometimes it is not easy to manage 23 good players like what Germany have.
    Sometimes it is better to have just several stars along with blue collar players.
    Too many dogs on one team can be not good.

    The only difference is all 23 players of Germany are really good (they won Confed cup). Our back ups are NOT good. I don’t think our back ups can win Copa America for example. They are average. It is just Sampaoli think that our back ups are better than they actually are. The world futbol experts/fans/commentators all question our back ups quality.

    Anyway, Di Maria can’t play 90 minutes based on his stamina yesterday. The problem is the only players we have who can play as left forward are only Pavon, Meza, and Acuna, and none of them are naturally left forward players. Pavon is better on the right. Meza is not ready. Acuna is too defensive minded for the left forward. Dybala? If Dybala plays, he must be on the right and Messi moves to the center and Pavon moves to the left.

    Sampaoli makes a mistake of not calling Perotti. He would have been a perfect Di Maria’s back up.

  69. One more relaxation for Argentina…!
    Germany wass always a problem for Argentina. I thought if Germany was not there we would have won many titles. They were a mental block for Argentina.
    Messi knocked out each time by Germany. Germany blocked Messi’s way to best ever.
    They made Messi cry. Maradona cry.
    Here we go…one contender down. Who’s next…. Brazil..?

  70. Still buzzing for the victory last night. Amazing to see Germany dumped out the tournament. I never believed in 2014 Germany were better than Argentina but a lucky chain of events (Brazil throwing the semi final away) gave the Germans more energy going into the final. Argentina were burned out. Hopefully this time fresh legs (lo celso) maybe can step in to take the heat off. I would love to see lo celso and Banega start in midfield. Lo celso might be better in attacking but I’m sure his stamina would allow him go box to box and also help cover Mascherano.

  71. This picuture of Masherano up there is a legacy. I don’t see lots of players in this spirit and for that alone, I don’t mind him be in starting line up.

  72. Latest news:

    Rojo shared what Messi said when leading the team at the tunnel. Messi told the team to relax and stay focused. Rojo said what Messi said inprired him.

    And guess what? It was Messi doing the “coaching” on the pitch. It was Messi, NOT Sampaoli who told Rojo (and even Mascherano) to go forward to attack Nigeria in the final minutes. Messi told the team to keep attacking no matter what.

    Source:

    https://www.tycsports.com/nota/seleccion-argentina/2018/06/27/que-le-dijo-messi-a-los-jugadores-en-el-entretiempo.html?utm_source=home&utm_medium=bloque&utm_campaign=instanciabledoble

    • And Sampaoli asked Messi if he wanted Kun in. I see a sad eyes Sampaoli in the post-match conference. The man is sacrificing his own ego for the more important goal, the Cup. Respect!

      • Yes, Sampaoli deserves a lot of respect and accolades.

        He could have left the team to throw us out in the dark. He has proved yet again that he has no ego.

  73. I want Brazil 2nd in the group and pair with Sweden as Sweden is very defensive minded dangerous team which can knocked Brazil out. Meanwhile Hummel miss three clear cut header.

    • VAR is not used consistently, it is more used to benefit teams than others. It’s another FIFA trick to save their favorites.

      • That may not be true otherwise Germany wouldn’t have been out Right?? Aren’t they Favorites, European, Rich country too??

        • Well they can’t favor you to the extreme when you are that shitty, but last game against Sweden in the last second were given a free kick next to the goal. How was that?

          • I think that was a freekick, And they deserved to win that day. Anyway i don’t think these rules are there to support any teams. Its different opinions by the way.

  76. Argentina’s dodgy team is out. I guess stars are lining for Argentina. We need to beat France and anything can happen.

  77. Where is that ”Batigol” guy? Do you want my post game analyst now on Germany? Ok, here it is, I said before this world cup that the current German team was weak with a bunch of overrated players from the BundesLiga..Werner? Brandt? Gomez? Hector? The overrated Kimmich? lol Hahaha..Kroos was the hero against Sweden and today the villain against South Korea. Germany is already the flop of the tournament..My condolence to the German people. All those people betting in La Vagas are now regretting wasting millions of dollars..lol

    • Well I too thought Germans after that winner against Sweden will be unstoppable till semis, My mistake. Apologies We thought Germans are safe and we are in trouble but now its vice versa. Frankly speaking i wanted the Germans to be alive to take out Portugal And Brazil too now who will beat them both?? I hate those 2 teams at any cost. (Add England and Spain too , Not a fan of Belgium and France too) I wish Italy was there.

    • Lol.Chill mate. I didn’t ask you for the German team analysis and didnt say anything about Germans in my comment. It was all France and Brasil. What’s your take on Brasil now?

      P.S: Germans going out was actually a blessing for them or their weak defence wouldh ave got ripped apart by the Brasilians and would have got more than a revenge for that Belo Horizonte demolition.

  79. My team against France

    Armani
    Mercedo Otamendi Rojo Taglafico

    Biglia

    Lo celso Ever banega Di Maria

    Messi Higuain

    Mascherano must be dropped. If anyone can connect with sampaoli plz urge him to do so.

  80. Sorry… but please indulge me… up till now, what’s the next best to ARG qualifying for the second round?
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    GER being dumped out in the group stages!!!

  82. Our fullbacks are best when defending. Mercado and Taglafico are good.Di maria is not consistent so I think in 442 we can use Ansaldi as left midfielder.He has played in Torino 352 formation. Can he play in 442.I mean is this position demands same set of skill?

  86. Mascharano will definitely get another yellow card, in all 3 games he’s committed silly fouls in silly areas. He’s also suppose to be protecting the back 4 but he’s not doing a very good job.

  88. If I am not mistaken, Germany is still out even if they win 1-0 because as of now all Sweden Mexico and Germany have the same points and exact same goal difference (if Germany score 1).

    So it is the yellow card rules. Red card is -5 or something.

    So Germany has to score 2 OR Mexico has to score one against Sweden, or else… BYE germany.

  89. Being a destroyer what mascherano actually destroyed in Croatia match.had he cause any threat to Croatia 3 goals.same like he won’t be able to do anything against France too. Rewatch all three match if he has done anything good to be in the team rather than killing the speed by too many touches and a predictable passes. He will pass the ball to straight to you when you give him he won’t mind if you are not in good position to receive the pass .He pass it just to ensure that his pass counted by statistics man.fucking shit. Messi love him for his one or two long pass to him. Messi do not know that pig is just destroying his career.

  91. Only four of the six are worrying imo.
    Messi, Banega, Otamendi, and Mercado. Acuña I could care less, he won’t play another minute this World Cup anyway, and Mascherano if he continues to play like he did yesterday, best he gets another in order to have Lo Celso or even Biglia in his spot.
    I doubt Enzo will play the next game as he was the first player to be subbed off.

    Against France, I would deploy the same 4-3-3 with just two changes:

    Armani
    Mercado-Fazio-Otamendi-Rojo/Tagliafico
    Di Maria-Lo Celso-Banega
    Messi-Aguero-Dybala

    -Take Higuain out for Aguero, as he really didn’t do anymore than Aguero would do, other than miss ANOTHER clear opportunity on goal.
    -Dybala for Di Maria on the LF position as Dybala provides more of a threat, and we need our BEST to play against France!
    -Mascherano is more of a liability than an asset now, so Lo Celso in his spot (but that will probably never happen)
    -Di Maria in the place of Enzo, to add more creativity in the midfield!
    -LB between Rojo and Tagliafico, tough decision.

    I truly believe we could beat France. France BARELY edged out both Australia and Peru, the same Peru we dominated in Qualifiers but unfortunately surrounded by dead wood Messi couldn’t score against them.

    Vamos Argentina!!!
    Hasta El Final!!!
    🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🏆🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷

    • Mascherano did miss a lot of passes. But he more than compensated for the same by his tackles and interceptions. And most importantly with his attitude.

  92. Can we take Mascherano out? What do we think? He is a fighter and can break up counter attacks before they start, but he was so inaccurate with his passing, and more or less negated his defensive ability by giving the ball away repeatedly. I liked the 4-4-2. There needs to be a stable formation for this chaotic team. But can we switch out Mascherano for Lo Celso? I don’t know why I’m asking – it’s not like it will happen. If he is replaced, it will most likely be by Biglia, right?

    If 4-4-2 continues I would like to see Pavon start on the right and Di Maria on the left. Di Maria messed up a lot but he is also a threat that opposing teams have to think about. Then sub Dybala on for him. And obviously Aguero over Higuain.

      • Ya, sure. I like a potential Lo Celso Banega pairing – both being creative. Who knows what they’re thinking though. I hope the euphoria the team is experiencing after the win does not cloud an analysis of Masche’s performance. I mean, he was worse yesterday than he generally is, and you wouldn’t expect his passing to be so terrible two games in a row.
        No clue moving forward!

    • I agree France is a good team. What did they do this world cup that we think we cannot beat them. They couldn’t even beat Australia and only had luck. Columbia almost beat them in a friendly

      • Of all the big teams France appears the most vulnerable. They are talented but unsure of themselves – and their coach is no genius. We will have to suffer their pace in attack and versatility in the midfield. But who knows! Pressure is on them not us.

    • France 1-1 USMNT (under-23 it appeared)
      France 2-3 Colombia (at home and leading 2-0)
      France 2-1 Australia (last minute goal)
      France 1-0 Peru (Peru stood they’re ground)

      France look very shaky and don’t convince at all!
      Like Germany weren’t convincing last WC, but beat France and suddenly gave their people reason to hope, Argentina WILL beat France and give reason for all Argentinians to hope and Dream!!!

      Vamos Argentina!!!!!
      Then hopefully it’ll be Uruguay vs Argentina, where we’ve beat them once, we’ll beat them again.
      Or the mouthwatering matchup of Portugal vs Argentina🤤

      Vamos Argentina!!!!
      HAsta el final!!!
      🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🏆🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷

    • And they said Germany is going to play against Brazil.. Nothing has been easy in this world cup except in a couple of groups.

  94. The Mascherano yellow card and pk against Nigeria was a stupid call from the ref. Imagine that same type of pk call going the way of Argentina? You would be hearing and reading all sorts of conspiracy theories on how the referee and FIFA gifted Argentina a penalty call against Nigeria. The Nigerian player was falling over on Mascherano by himself despite Masche putting his arms around the player. Look at the size of that dude compare to Masche? Nigeria pk was really soft and unnecessary. Yesterday I saw fighting spirit in the team that was lacking for some times. Normally players head would be down in the 85th minute but the team showed fight instead of waving the white flags. People here are looking for the perfect team and the perfect game which will never happen at the World Cup. I’ve never seen a team who went on to win the World Cup playing seven perfect games without issues and drama on the pitch.

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