Copa America 2021: 5 reasons why Argentina will struggle in the tournament
Copa America 2021 kicks off on the 13th of June and a star-studded Argentina team will fight it out with the top American national sides for continental supremacy. This is the 47th edition of the storied competition and it will take place in Brazil.
Argentina is the second most successful team in the tournament, having won the title 14 times. But the last time they won the Copa America was way back in 1993. Despite having some of the best players in the world on their side over the years, La Albiceleste has consistently come up short in the competition.
It has been a testing season for Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who is coming off a difficult season with Barcelona. Copa America 2021 could very well be the last time he plays in the continental tournament.
Though they still have a talented squad, Argentina's chances of winning Copa America 2021 look rather bleak. Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Argentina will struggle in the tournament.
#5 No home advantage for Argentina after Copa America 2021 venue was shifted to Brazil
In the face of rising Covid-19 cases in Argentina, FIFA were forced to look for another venue for Copa America 2021. Alejandro Dominguez, president of CONMEBOL, consulted the Brazilian government to see if they would like to host the tournament. Brazil's president, Jair Bolonaro, approved the request to host Copa America 2021 immediately.
Argentina have struggled at the Copa America for close to three decades now and would have been hoping to make the most of the home advantage this time around. However, they have been divested of that opportunity and will need to fight it out in the land of their biggest rivals in football.
#4 Argentina attack lacks cutting edge
Despite having some brilliant attackers on their side, Argentina have struggled to make the most of their opportunities. In fact, their goalscoring return in recent times has been rather pedestrian given the talent they have at their disposal.
Their most recent outings came in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Despite squaring off against relatively weaker opposition, Argentina weren't able to produce dominant performances. They beat Ecuador 1-0 and Bolivia 2-1. Lionel Scaloni's third win in five World Cup qualifiers came against Peru.
They played out two 1-1 draws against Paraguay and Chile. In each of the five World Cup qualifiers, Argentina were able to create a lot more chances than their opposition. But they were not able to apply the finishing touches to it.
Argentina have tested out various attacking combinations and formations but none of them have so far brought out the best in their players. They will be wary of carrying that form into Copa America 2021 and will need to be more clinical if they are to eke out positive results against the best teams in the tournament.