Argentina have another advantage that hasn't been brought up yet. In the past, there were many ego's in the team and never seemed to play like a team. Under Scaloni, who's got the respect of the entire squad, they seem a very cohesive bunch with Messi being the clear captain and Rodrigo de Paul being his number 2. The squad hasn't just said they would run the extra miles required, but have also shown it in their 35 games they haven't lost.
Romero, Otamendi and Martínez are all world class CBs, Romero has killed it with Tottenham, Otamendi is a Benfica legend and Benfica are doing insanely well, and he's a team leader for the Argentinian defense, and Martinez... well we know what he's been doing in Man Utd
@@jonathana6943 bruh they literally beat Brazil, the literal best team in the world right now, in a Copa America final a year ago, and they've only been getting better ever since. Otamendi was THE star CB of Argentina in the 2014 World Cup run, a run in which Argentina relied heavily on its defence. And he has only gotten better since then. I think he's the worse of the 3 but he's still got the most experience and the most composure.
Given his current form it could be Romero and Lisandro Martinez instead of Otomendi and I would be very confident in that backline. Them finally finding a good right back post Zabaleta has also helped.
Yes with Licha, Cuti in starting XI Foyth,Otamendi,Pezzella in the bench Full backs like Molina,Montiel,Tagliafiqo,Acuna who might not be top class but they in fit the system perfectly . In a whole they are one of the most defensively strong sides out there
I would imagine right now you’d want a Lisandro Romero CB partnership. To me that’s a pretty perfect back 2. They both have great aggression and speed, can both tackle, can both win aerial duels, and their weaknesses are perfectly matched to each others strengths.
Studying abroad in Buenos Aires right now. Messi is treated like an absolute god on earth. You cannot spend an hour, let alone a day, walking around without seeing Messi/arg ads. The hype is unreal and I have never seen anything like it. Was working out in a gym today and at least one out of every 3 people was wearing a Messi jersey. Real excited for this team
@@dariogutierrez6716 he def hasn't, he is playing in a good totenham but their defense is their weak point and he is carrying it, with a more solid defense and more experience he could definitely be better
Only thing I disagree is Cristian Romero not being a world class defender. He's been a beast, always keeping his cool and having perfect timing while defending. Also, unlike previous times, Argentina now has more depth in the squad if you look at the players in the bench and they are more united as a group than they ever were in probably the last 10 years.
Despite being brazilian I have to admit that this Argentina team is very strong. The weak point would be, as you pointed, the defense, but still I think that surviving the supertalented Brazilian attack and the superagressive Equatorian side is enough to prove them as a not so weak point
Claramente no es el punto debil la defensa. Mientras Emiliano Martinez, Otamendi y Romero estaban en cancha nunca recibieron goles. Si querés buscarle un punto debil sería la "falta" de individualidades al nivel de Francia o Brasil
The real weak point is the RB, the CB today are in great form and definitely make the top 10 in the world. LB is nos that elite either but still solid with Tagliafico in a quite decent level
@@elenfermero5156 No recuerdo una defensa Argentina que haya jugada major que la actual en toda mi vida... especialmente si le sumamos el impacto del Dibu.
@@gamble777888 but lately Sevilla has been terrible and Acuña hasn't been in his best form, thats why I put Tagliafico over Acuña, he is probably the best LB in the Ligue 1
In Saudi Arabia we say: hard work pays off, never underestimate your opponent. That goes to that lady who said playing against Saudi Arabia is like practice. Adios amigos!! From 🇸🇦 with amor 💕
Considering the form and chemistry Argentina is definitely among the top 3 contender s of the WC. Teams win you world cup great individual talents don't . Argentina has a solid team combination and a successful and technically good management and biggest thing is they are the most united team out there
This is fun to check after the tournament because 1) 7:06 and 2) how Zealand actually got something right in that Messi does not need to carry the entire attack by himself but it wasn't Lautaro Martinez, it was Julian Alvarez who was there to help.
I wish we could have an Argentina Portugal final, it would be great to have a Messi vs Cristiano game in the most important tournament in the end of their carreers
I would love Messi to win this World Cup and then retire. undisputed goat and probably the other thing haters can call upon. we did an ep on World Cup vs UCL... most would disagree with us though
It would be a little bit unfair for some keepers (like Dibu fe) becausd AV defence is doing terribly and he recevies a lot of shots per game, making it imposdible to get clean sheets
It's probably the most complete albiceleste have had in years, for years I felt the lacked a competent goalkeeper and central defenders, Emi Martínez, Lisandro Martínez,Sergio Romero and a reinvigorated Otamendi, (trust me they have great chemistry and play a bit differently for Albiceleste than they do in club level) have fixed that imo, they also have a nice mix of good young players in Julian Alvarez and Enzo Fernández and good older players with a lot of experience, the only position that concerns me would be the DM, Guido Rodríguez is decent but not world class like some other teams have, it's definitely a very promising team with a good depth, I've got hopes they can make some waves this tournament
Small clarification: 1970 was actually the only time we didn't qualify on the field, on previous occasions AFA declined to participate for political or whatever other dumb reasons. And of course our defense is world class, Brasil couldn't score against us in the last three match ups, for example.
No disrespect, Zea, obviously you can't know every detail on every team, that would be impossible, but I would like to add some facts to this WC preview of Argentina: Argentina has the longest unbeaten streak in the world right now, with 35 matches, 2 less than the longest unbeaten run in history which is 37 from Italy. Also, Argentina won the Finalissima against Italy crushing them 3-0 like it was nothing. In terms of analysis, the perspective in Argentina is that Lionel Scaloni, head coach of the national team, has created a great locker room environment, positive energy and a high quality team, with great players in every position, a team that understands how to play every match, with high cohesion between them and outstanding bravery. Otamendi and Romero are playing at their peak level together and Di María has been sensational in his last matches for Argentina, with an absolutely great goal agains Brazil in Copa America final as a highlight. Let's hope it's enough to lift the trophy once and for all...
Messi made it fo the WC Final with a midfield of Enzo Perez, Lucas Bliglia and Mascherano. That alone should count as 2 Brazil world cups or something like that in terms of value.
Yea but like mascherano was a solid cb, also had di Maria and prime lavezzi, also higuain and aguero for support, with otamendi and caceres and romero (gk) among others. It ain’t much but it’s still a solid team that surrounded him
@@rantsrus2845 that guy is bluffing but so are you Aguero was mostly injured ,Prime Lavezzi isn't the most dangerous player you can think of, Higuain lost them the final, Otamendi+Caseras wasn't nearly world class . And who even Romero was before and even after world cup ??!
The only thing that could mess with our chances at the WC is injuries. We have a few injury prone players such as Cuti Romero, Paredes and Di María. Other than that, i think we have our chances to go all the way
Argentinian here, love your vids Zealand, tho that comment about Cuti and Otamendi not being that good is pure bogus, they've never been scored a goal when they both played together with Dibu in goal
People need to sink that in for a moment. The two main cb with the current goalkeeper never conceded a goal. Never. Dibu Martínez hasn't lost a match with Argentina yet. Argentina received 4 goals in the last 18 games. Last time Argentina lost a game was 40 months ago. They are going to break the record of 37 games undefeated next week. All under the amazing management of Scaloni, a young coach with no previous experience, no even in clubs. This seems to be the last World Cup for Messi, who's only 7 games away from his 1000th match. It's crazy, this is way too perfect. The last dance. It needs to happen.
Not to be that guy but we don't roll the R when it's a single R in the middle of a word. We only roll the R if it's a single R at the beginning of a word ("Rico", "Raro", "Respuesta"...) or if its a double RR in the middle of a word ("Carro", "Barro", "Susurro"...) :)
@@auroradarg daaaamnnnn... but you are being that guy... im pretty dissapointed you carry my name being this negative... who made you like this? And if you would have read this part 'pretty spot on', it means he almost got it but not quite... Plus being from the States its a very good pronunciation... Bring positive thing into life, dont be 'that guy'... Cheers my friend!
not a single goal was scored on Argentina when Otamendi and Cuti were on the field, and they have lisandro Martinez, Defense is a strong point for them now, it hasn't ever really been the case.
The trio of Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero and Otamendi have not conceded a single goal in all the time they've played together, so that comment about how Romero and Otamendi isn't a good center back pairing is a bit shaky to say the least
Argentina has arguably the best defense in the world. Romero x Otamendi simply does not concede. They also have Martinez as a sub! Not to mention hugely talented FBs like Molina, Acuña and Tagliafico!
@@tirodeesquina6458 feels like they kept trying to play their game to get quick pick passes while SA adapted. I believe they'll pull it together vs Mexico and Poland tho and make it out of groups.
Argentina junto con Brasil son los máximos favoritos a ganar la Copa Del Mundo, en especial Brasil, detrás vienen las selecciones Europeas como España, Países Bajos, Francia, Dinamarca, Croacia, Alemania, Portugal, Bélgica y sin ser europea Uruguay, aún así la vara está muy pareja entre las selecciones competitivas y potencias, gran análisis.
I dont get the fact that the defense is a weakness. It is not about names, it is about a system and the way they play toghether. This defence almost does not concede goals. It does not matter that their defenders are not in the top europe clubs. They work perfectly toghether. On the other hand, teams like France and England with "world class defenders" have been conceding goals left and right
Maybe only looking at club performances Otamendi and Romero at the back might not hold up, but playing together they've never conceded a goal. Plus Lisandro Martinez is in great form and can easily slide in for either player when needed. You don't get to 35 games unbeaten with a weak defense and while on paper European's defenses look better, none have anywhere near as much chemistry as Argentina's.
I would disagree that Romero is a weak link in the defense of the team. If anything, Acuña and Montiel are probably going through a worse moment as players than he is, and Romero has wonderful chemistry with both Otamendi and Martinez in the center position. The weak link of the team is in their right back position. Romero has done good for the team in the center and has rightfully gained the trust of his teammates because of it. He may not be as good a defender as Lewandowski is an attacker, but he is by no means a subpar defender.
i disagree with the no pressure thing you say. They come from a successful COPA campaign, are on a most games unbeaten for a national team ever, it's Messi's last chance for a WC. The pressure has never been higher for them.
