Can Lionel Messi repeat Mexico '86 and etch his name in history?

 

Argentina’s dominance in world football

Argentina has always dominated world football. It may not be adequately reflected in their World cup trophy cabinet which is a little less appealing compared to their other counterparts but Argentina have always been very consistent in the competition. They have managed to be among the last eight almost every single time they have qualified.

Their success record can be a true reflection on the class of players they have produced throughout history. Along with Diego Maradona, who is regarded among the best to play the game, one cannot deny the exhilarating brilliance of Mario Kempes,Gabriel Batistuta, Daniel Passarella and Juan Riquelme just to name the few.

Always having plenty of talent at their disposal they have adopted a very attacking approach to the game. And this World Cup they are trying to live up to that reputation.

 

The ‘favourites’ tag

A much touted Argentina side has entered the World Cup as one of the hot favorites to lift the trophy. Led by arguably the best footballer of this generation, Lionel Messi, pressure is upon them to once again reclaim history.

But what has changed in this particular side from the last time around? Argentina just barely managed to qualify during last world cup and weren't among the top contenders . Their qualifying campaign was far from convincing and they suffered some heavy defeats under Diego Maradona.

After bowing out of the tournament suffering a heavy 4-0 loss against Germany, there was much debate as to who would further take on the La Albiceleste. The responsibility was soon handed to one of their former  stars Alejandro Sabella. And  Sabella has lived up to the expectations  and has delivered where it  matters.
 

Where Diego Maradona failed, Sabella succeeded.

One thing in which Maradona failed miserably was to get the best out of Messi for the national side. Despite creating almost all of Argentina's goal last world cup, Messi couldn't register even a single goal in the competition . And this is where Sabella has made a difference. Since he took charge, Messi has looked more like the Messiah of Barcelona. His goalscoring for his national side has become phenomenal. Argentina finishing on the top of the CONMEBOL group has much been a result of Messi’s  excellent form.  He was the top scorer for his side in the qualifying Campaign where he managed to score 10 goals. Including the three group games so far, it is interesting to note that Argentina haven't lost any of their last 25 games in which Messi has played and he has scored 24 goals in those 25 games.

It may not always be a very good tactic to create a team around a single man but when you are talking of someone of Messi's caliber it may well be worth taking the risk. Clearly it has been evident so far as when Messi has delivered the whole team has looked fruitful.

Messi is probably at his best right now. He is enjoying is role as the captain leading from the front and relishing his qualities playing just behind the striker which is his natural position. He is distributing key passes, creating chances and most importantly scoring goals. Vital goals. His goals have made the difference so far and he has single-handedly led Argentina to the quarter finals.

How long he could keep up with this may be a question to ponder but it would be a surprise if he stops delivering ,the kind of form he is in. He could achieve a whole by himself  with his performances but he definitely needs some support.The attack has looked really disappointing for Argentina. The untimely injury of Sergio Aguero has further added to their woes. While it may be noted that Aguero didn't look much in shape when he was playing, maybe he could have done a little better than Lavezzi who was supposed to provide something different with his pace and work rate. He too hasn't created much threat along with Gonzalo Higuain who seems to have lost his form quite a bit.

Angel Di Maria has given a bag of mixed performances but he too looks far from his best. His innumerable crosses have been quite threatening at times and he has worked hard to stretch the defence with his consistent runs. But he is also falling a victim of lack of support  as his contributions are not being converted. On a lot of occasions he has looked to combine with Lionel Messi to create openings and so far only they both seem to be working hard.

In the midfield  Gago and Mascherano have been doing a decent job if nothing special. The Argentina back four for a change have looked more of a team . Zableta , Federico Fernadnez, Garay and Marcos  Rojo have developed a good understanding and they all have had a good season being the first choice defenders for their respective clubs. Rojo in particular has excelled in going forward. Sergio romero has looked a little shaky at the goal but  he has also made some excellent saves. The Argentine defence can definitely prove tricky for the opposition to break down.It would be a mistake to underestimate them.
 

Can Messi repeat Maradona’s 1986 feats?

In these circumstances it would be crucial to see how Messi  leads his comrades. There is hardly anytime left now to group together and fight as a team. The only thing Argentina can hope now is to leave it all to their Captain and see how far he can go on to create his magic and at the same time find assistance  of some sort. It can eventually prove a lot to handle and this is not how teams generally succeed. But such is the rare class of this man that he has always proven his critics wrong and marched on.

There have been innumerable matches where Messi has made it possible for his side to grab victory and he has always stepped up on big occasions. Now  finally finding his mark for the national team he may as well go on to achieve what almost looks quite unachievable.

Only Diego Maradona has managed to achieve such a feat and  Messi so far has performed like Maradona. But even the great legend required some of his teammates to create history. Practically if you look at it, majority feel that the Messiah would be unable to deliver on his own and would require some support. But there are also a small amount of people, dreamers as you may say and a rather lot from Argentina,  who feel he doesn't any. Only time will tell and the dream is on. Wait for Messi.