"Bad games are going to come at some point we are going to get through them" - Argentina superstar Lionel Messi makes bullish claim ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
In less than a week, Lionel Messi will lead Argentina to this year's edition of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. They reached the final of the 2014 World Cup, which Germany won, but Messi sees a resemblance between the current squad and the 2014 squad.
Speaking to Argentina-based newspaper Ole (via News18), the Paris Saint-Germain playmaker said:
“I feel a lot of similarities between this group and the one at the 2014 World Cup. It is a group that always, whatever the match, plays with the same intensity and concentration and I think that is very important. And we know that we are going to fight for [the title] but we are not thinking that we are going to be champions from the outset as Argentines think."
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Lionel Messi also stated that La Albiceleste aren't considering their unbeaten streak of 35 games in all competitions as they head into the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He added:
“Beyond the fact that it is a nice statistic and a record that we can achieve if we reach our objective, it’s not something that we are thinking about. I’m sure the bad [games] are going to come at some point, and we are going to get through them. This group is prepared for that. Hopefully (the difficult games) won’t be so bad and we’ll advance."
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The forward also stated that the Argentina squad would avoid any hype regarding the team. Messi continued:
“In terms of pressure, I think we have to isolate ourselves from everything that people are experiencing. Although we have great hope, we are also realistic… We have to know that it is a World Cup, that it is very difficult and every single detail is important."
Lionel Messi leads Argentina to his fourth FIFA World Cup
Having won two World Cups in their history, Argentina will be looking to add a third trophy to their cabinet. The biggest trophy in world football has long eluded Messi, who has had an illustrious career at the highest level, and he will be looking to change that.
They will face Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland in the group stage, and are widely expected to go into the knockout stages with relative ease. However, they will need to be at their best if they are to get to the zenith of the FIFA World Cup, as they once did in 2014.