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AmanHussain
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Russia 2018 has been a rude awakening for the finalists of the last edition. Germany started with a setback and need to quickly get their act together. Argentina are in deep trouble following the embarrassing defeat against Croatia. Even if they win their last match, they will be at the mercy of others.
I had said that the first two games, especially the second, would be difficult for this Argentine side. European opposition, state of the team, questionable strategy and over-reliance on Leo Messi – there were many reasons. Somewhere in my heart, I was still hoping something would happen. Sitting there and watching the dream crumble was sad. To see the addition of ‘no fighting spirit’ to the list of problems made it worse. In 2002 we had failed to qualify from the group, but not surrendered like we did in this 0-3 defeat.
I know fingers will be pointed at Leo and his inability to inspire the team. He was subdued and not brilliant, as we expect him to be all the time. Missing the penalty proved costly against Iceland. Versus Croatia, he could not make an impact. He tried, yet his moment never came. It was disappointing. But football is not a one-man game. It never was, even when I led Argentina to triumph in 1986. One of the reasons why Leo was ineffective was the lack of quality around him.
Giving credit to Croatia, we can ask what our team was doing. Why didn’t we have a steeled combination two matches into the World Cup? Why was the there no resistance in the midfield? Why did the defence look shaky every time the ball came near the penalty box? What was the goalkeeper thinking when no went for a chip instead of clearing the ball? There are no satisfactory answers.
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