This is how Argentina arrives at Qatar 2022: Messi says he is not a favorite 5:23
(CNN Spanish) --
Wednesday, August 8, 2018, La Alcudia, Spain.
Argentina becomes champion for the second time in its history of the traditional COTIF Sub-20 tournament, in the midst of a turbulent organizational reality of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) after the poor performance of the senior team in the World Cup in Russia, in the who was eliminated by France in the round of 16, in the midst of a scandal over the broken relationship between the players and the coaching staff headed by Jorge Sampaoli.
That title, with youth with little or no participation in the first division, can be marked as the genesis of what, four years later, is the absolute Argentine team that excites everyone with raising the World Cup again, this time, in Qatar.
Lionel Scaloni, current coach of the albiceleste team, was the driver of that youth team that established itself in Spain, whose participation was in doubt until the last moment due to organizational problems.
And that title allowed the former player of Newell's, Estudiantes de La Plata and Deportivo La Coruña (team with which he won a League, a Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups) to lead the senior team, at a time marked by decades without official titles.
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First interim and then ratified, Scaloni took charge of the Argentine team amid widespread criticism from the world of Argentine soccer, who pointed out (not without arguments) his lack of experience to lead the team.
It is that the man born in 1978 in Pujato, in the province of Santa Fe, had no history as a coach.
He had only been part of Jorge Sampaoli's coaching staff as an assistant in Seville in Spain in 2016, and in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
However, quietly and with work, Scaloni was able to mold a new Argentine team, gradually building a team with which Lionel Messi felt comfortable and not "maximally responsible" for its operation.
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The Copa América 2019, qualifiers and pandemic
After a series of friendly matches at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019, the Argentine team had its first great challenge in the Copa América that was played in Brazil.
The team was in full reconstruction, with the absence of several "historical" members of the golden generation commanded by Lionel Messi, who had been protagonists of the runner-up in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
In that Copa América, the team went from minor to major and began to show some signs of what the coach was looking for.
They passed the first phase with many doubts, finishing second in group B with just four points, with a single victory against the weak Qatar (invited to the tournament).
In the quarterfinals, they eliminated Venezuela with a clear victory by 2-0 and fell in the semifinals against the host by 0-2, in a match that was much more even than expected.
Finally, they took third place by defeating Chile 2-1, in a match that had the peculiarity of expelling Lionel Messi after a dispute with Gary Medel.
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After that Copa América, Argentina faced a series of friendly matches that showed that the coach was molding the team to his football idea: a 4-0 win against Mexico, a 2-2 draw with Germany in Dortmund, after being two goals down in the scoreboard, and a victory against Brazil by 1-0 ended up ratifying Scaloni as coach of the albiceleste team.
The covid-19 pandemic put the entire world on pause, leaving Scaloni's team without competition for almost a year.
And the return to activity coincided with the start of the South American Qualifiers, which began in the best way: two wins and two draws in the first four days of the road to Qatar that were played at the end of 2020.
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Another long break would lead to two other matches for Qualifiers (two draws with Chile and Colombia) and the start of the Copa América, which due to covid-19 was played again in Brazil, without an audience (it was originally scheduled to be organized by Argentina and Colombia jointly).
Beyond moments of good level and an unbeaten record that continued, few believed that Scaloni's team could win the long-awaited South American title, which had been elusive for Argentina since 1993. However, and again from minor to major , the albiceleste team ended up shouting champion in the mythical Maracaná stadium against Brazil (1-0 with a goal by Ángel Di María), in a milestone that was celebrated throughout Argentina.
It was a special triumph for Argentina, but particularly for Lionel Messi: the considered best player of all time by many had only added frustrations with the Argentine shirt, including defeats in the World Cup finals in Brazil (against Germany) and in the Copa del Rey. America of 2015 and 2016 (against Chile).
The night of the Maracana ended up catapulting the "Scaloneta", and the idyll between the public and their team returned to levels that had not been recorded for a long time.
Comfortable classification to the World Cup and historical undefeated
After the triumph in Brazil, Argentina had the closing of the Qualifiers ahead of them, which always had them in the World Cup qualifying zone but, at that time, they still had to ratify it.
And boy did he do it.
After a goalless draw against Paraguay, they won against Uruguay (3-0), Peru (1-0) and Uruguay again (1-0 in Montevideo).
The new match against Brazil ended goalless and the unbeaten record was extended with victories against Chile (2-1), Colombia (1-0), Venezuela (3-0) and Ecuador (1-1).
Argentina finished second in the Qualifiers with 39 points, undefeated, and with the ticket to Qatar assured.
Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María along with their teammates pose with the trophy after winning the Copa América Brasil 2021 final between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracanã Stadium on July 10, 2021 in Rio de Janeiro.
(Photo by Buddha Mendes/Getty Images)
After the end of the qualifying round for Qatar 2022, Scaloni's team achieved a new official title by beating Italy 3-0 in the Finalissima, which faced the champions of America and Europe.
With a great Lionel Messi but a better collective performance, Argentina had the last clash against a power before the World Cup, despite the fact that Italy failed to qualify.
Argentina, champion of the "Finalissima"
After that final, Argentina thrashed Estonia 5-0, in a match that served for Messi to extend his myth by scoring the five goals of the match.
Two last friendlies played in September with separate wins 3-0 (against Honduras and against Jamaica), stretched the streak of games without defeats to 35, which was only two games away from the absolute record that belongs to Italy, which was without lose over 37 matches between October 2018 and October 2021, when they fell 2-1 to Spain in the Nations League semi-finals.
The challenge of the World Cup in Qatar: candidate with identity, but low profile
Since winning the World Cup at home in 1978, the Argentine team always appears as a candidate before each competition.
However, this time that previous favoritism is based on a specific issue: a team built over time, based on hard work and without depending exclusively on the inescapable figure of Lionel Messi.
Scaloni managed to build a team that bases its strength on collective play, on personality and on knowing in depth both its virtues and its defects.
It was a silent job, even against the criticism that intensified from the beginning of the cycle and that was only silenced with the victory in Brazil.
Unlike all the national teams in which Messi has played since 2010, Scaloni's team does not depend on the PSG footballer, but inserts him as one more piece (key, but not dependent), in a team that is convinced that each one of its members is important.
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The Argentine team arrives in Qatar with practically a team (and a squad) defined.
The goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez gave him the security that he had not achieved in Russia 2018. "Dibu" was almost unknown to the Argentine public, since he was acquired by Arsenal from England when he was just 16 years old and had not played a single game. minute in local soccer.
However, based on his personality and great saves, he managed to win the position without question and establish himself as one of the most beloved footballers by fans.
The defense has achieved a key solidity for the team's game, fundamentally supported by the defenders Cristian "Cuti" Romero and Nicolás Otamendi, who combine hardness in the mark but also ability to get off quickly.
The full-backs are, perhaps, the positions that still do not have defined starters: Nahuel Molina and Santiago Montiel on the right, and Nicolás Tagliafico and Marcos Acuña on the left are vying for the two places in Scaloni's 11th.
In the middle, the decision to support Leandro Paredes as a central midfielder despite not being a classic brand number 5 is another of the coach's hallmarks, who also had to overcome various criticisms.
The player who emerged from the youth teams of Boca Juniors is another of the key pieces of the albiceleste team, combining removal, play and medium-distance shooting.
Another of the key pieces of the Argentine midfield is Rodrigo De Paul, who became one of the emblems of the Lionel Scaloni cycle.
The Atlético de Madrid player is the "motor" of the team, with the personality of a captain, reaching the goal and "scraping" when the matches demand it.
Both De Paul and Paredes are the two footballers with the most appearances in the Scaloni cycle: they participated in 41 and 40 of the 48 matches, respectively.
To that solid and compact game, Argentina added a goal.
With an average of almost two goals per game, Scaloni's cycle has Lionel Messi as the top scorer, with 23, followed by Lautaro Martínez, with 20. Between both players they scored 43 goals, almost half of the 90 that the national team has since the current coach took over.
Messi, in search of total idolatry
Gone are the days when Lionel Messi was inexplicably criticized by the Argentine public.
Defeats, resignations and returns marked the relationship of the "Flea" with the albiceleste shirt.
However, and even almost unexpectedly, everything changed after the chaotic World Cup in Russia and the arrival of Lionel Scaloni.
The coach knew how to "carry" Messi, almost paternally, understanding the moment of the relationship between Messi and the Argentine team in that 2018, which dragged the defeats in three consecutive finals and a 2018 World Cup that, perhaps, showed the worst version of the current PSG player from France.
The title of the Copa América in Brazil meant an eternally awaited release for Messi, and the beginning of the definitive idyll with the Argentine public.
Lionel Messi kneels emotional after winning the final match of the Copa America tournament against Brazil at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, on July 10, 2021. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images)
Messi is the captain and the soul of the team, but the team is not "messidependent".
That is, perhaps, the greatest virtue and the greatest achievement of Scaloni as a manager at the head of the Argentine team.
Lionel is happy in each call, he put the Argentine team ahead of the club, and that is one of the great advantages that the team has in the run-up to the World Cup.
There is another unavoidable fact: at 35 years old, Messi knows that he will face his last World Cup in physical and footballing fullness.
Although his age and professionalism could allow him to play in the 2026 tournament, he would already be at the end of his career.
Therefore, everything seems to indicate that Qatar will be Messi's last chance to win a World Cup and, thus, definitively surpass Diego Maradona as the most important player in the entire history of the Argentine team.
Argentina's rivals and the possible path to the final
The draw determined that Argentina is part of Group C of the Qatar World Cup along with Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland.
A priori, an area in which the South American team is the favourite, although recent experience shows that they cannot be trusted.
The debut will be on Tuesday, November 22 at 5 ET against the Arabs, the rival that appears as the weakest in the area.
The situation is similar to what happened in Russia, when Argentina played its first game against Iceland, absolute debutant in the final phase of the World Cup, which made it seem like a comfortable victory for Messi and company.
However, the tie at 1 was a total surprise for everyone and, also, marked what would be the tumultuous Argentine path through that tournament.
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The second date will be Saturday, November 26 at 2 pm ET against Mexico, a rival that due to proximity and history appears as the most difficult and the one that aspires to achieve, along with Argentina, one of the two places in the round of 16.
The "Tri" is commanded by none other than Gerardo "Tata" Martino, who directed Messi and company for two years, in a cycle marked by good play but by two painful defeats, both against Chile, in both Cup finals America in 2015 and 2016.
The closing of the zone for those directed by Scaloni will be four days later, on Wednesday, November 30, also at 2 pm ET, against Poland.
The Europeans have Robert Lewandowski as their top figure, the relentless scorer who left Bayern Munich behind in search of a new challenge in Barcelona in Spain.
However, apart from their goalscorer, they don't have much to show for it, and their recent results aren't too auspicious: the Polish team failed to make it out of the Euro 2021 group stage and finished last in their zone with only 1 point, behind Sweden, Spain and Slovakia.
And in the Qualifiers, after finishing second in their group, they played the playoffs, in which they benefited from the disqualification of Russia due to the war in Ukraine, and ended up defeating Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden 2-0 in the match. who gave him the ticket to Qatar.
Gerardo Martino, today coach of Mexico, along with Lionel Messi, at a time when "Tata" was coach of the Argentine team.
(Photo: JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images)
In case of qualifying, Argentina will face one of the members of Group D, made up of France, Denmark, Australia and Tunisia, so if certain results are given (that one classifies first in its zone and the other second), there could be a new meeting with the French in the round of 16, as happened in Russia.
Already for the quarterfinals, and always bearing in mind that it is a prediction, Argentina could meet Spain, while there would be a South American classic with Brazil in the semifinals and a rematch with Germany in the final.
But that is part of the speculation and, as history marks it, the World Cups usually surprise with unexpected results and protagonists.
The truth is that the Argentine dream in Qatar is firm, with a team (third in the FIFA ranking) that managed to build its own identity based on work, a low profile and with soccer players who are very committed to the project.
As if that were not enough, it has Lionel Messi who seems determined to leave everything in what would be his last chance to win a World Cup.
Thus, the team led by the Lionels (Scaloni on the bench; Messi on the pitch) dreams that on December 18 they will find him lifting the long-awaited World Cup at the Lusail stadium, to give all Argentines and historical end of the year.
Argentina's recent matches
Argentina 3-0 Jamaica (September 27, friendly)
Argentina 3-0 Honduras (September 23, friendly)
Argentina 5-0 Estonia (June 5, friendly)
Lionel MessiWorld Cup
