FIFA World Cup Qualifying: Argentina 1 - 0 Chile: 5 Talking Points

Oh good lord, how bad was that? Argentina and Chile played out one of the dourest matches of what has been a rather exciting South American edition FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign as the hosts eked out a crucial 1-0 win thanks to a penalty from... who else, Lionel Messi. With so much on the line for both sides, more was expected from the match, but it failed to deliver on the hype and the promise.

In the context of South American qualifiers, though, this has had an overreaching impact, with Argentina moving up to relative safety (for now).. this is what the standings look like currently after each team has played 13 games:

1. Brazil – 30 Points
2. Uruguay – 23 Points
3. Argentina – 22 Points
4. Colombia – 21 Points
5. Ecuador – 20 Points
6. Chile – 20 Points
7. Paraguay – 18 Points
8. Peru – 15 Points
9. Bolivia – 7 Points
10. Venezuela – 10 Points

Here then, are the key talking points from the match-night:

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5. Edgardo Buaza’s gameplan? “Let’s hope Messi does something today”

For a nation with as rich a history in the sport as Argentina, for a nation that is bestowed with such amazing football talents as Argentina, it is a crying shame to see their team in such a pitiful condition. The players may have united to blockade, and boycott, the press for saying what they term ‘deragotory things’ about them, but there has been no evidence on the field of play that suggests that they have the walk to take it up against the talk.

Bauza’s men looked utterly confused out there, and the lone scraps of magic on show arose when Messi got the ball – the little magician was everywhere on the pitch, and with Bauza’s starting XI a little top heavy, he spent more time near the centre circle than the area where he wrecks most havoc, outside the opposition penalty box. At times Biglia, Mascherano and Messi appeared to be a flat midfield three.

Edgardo Bauza seems to lack any sort of discernible strategy or gameplan when it comes to his team, and the effects are clearly evident on the field of play