For the past fifteen years, Argentina has been the dream of any football fan, especially those who love video games like FIFA or PES.
For one good reason: an offensive sector that makes you dream with a Lionel Messi constantly surrounded by big names, offering a depth of bench almost unparalleled on the gaming planet.
But from the screen to the field, the reality is much less fantastic.
From this wealth, the Albiceleste has extracted nothing on the world level, except for a final lost against Germany in 2014 after extra time (1-0).
In 2018, during the World Cup in Russia, the Gauchos lost in the round of 16 against France (4-3) leaving Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala on the bench, while Sergio Agüero only made his entry 25 minutes from the end to reduce the mark in stoppage time. Incomprehensible choices, including even in Argentina.
And today, this golden period, on paper, seems to belong to ancient history….
To face Paraguay (on the night of Thursday to Friday) and Peru (on the night of Tuesday to next Wednesday) in qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina appealed, in attack, to the 'inescapable Messi, as well as Joaquin Correa, Lucas Alario, Nicolas Gonzalez and Lautaro Martinez.
Not enough to make a Playstation or X-Box player dream.
Injured, Agüero, Messi's great friend, was not called up and at 32, he hardly represents the future.
Short of competition, Paulo Dybala was left at the disposal of Juventus Turin while Higuain turned the page of his selection by joining the Miami club this summer.
As for the Parisian Mauro Icardi, he is both injured and… more necessarily desired in the albiceleste jersey because of a complicated relationship with the real boss of the team, Messi.
Icardi off, Dybala to the limit
The Barcelona striker has indeed created a vacuum around him in selection, in a sometimes tyrannical way.
The Blaugrana star doesn't appreciate criticism, or simple questioning, especially when it comes from within.
Thus, when in November 2018, after scoring his first goal with Argentina against Mexico, Icardi declared that he had "already known the selection in the past and there was not so much friendship and comradeship, ”the ax immediately fell on him.
And since then, he has not played again with the Albiceleste.
Everything but a coincidence.
A fate that Dybala could also have known, guilty of having confided, before the 2018 World Cup, that he had "trouble evolving alongside Messi."
A confidence which had resulted in an interview, anything but friendly, with the Blaugrana, the latter then affirming: “We discussed.
He spoke the truth.
At Juventus, he plays in the same position as me, we are looking for the same areas ... When we played together in the national team, he was more shifted to the left, which he is not used to.
It's more difficult for players like us to play on this side.
So I understood what he meant. ”
And Dybala to utter a big sigh of relief ...
Still, these two examples remain symptomatic of Argentina's difficulties.
Summarizing, the situation is clear: either the attacker takes a vow of allegiance to Messi, or he forgets the selection.
Hence, today, an offensive sector that no longer sells dreams.
Of course, at 23, Lautaro Martinez won at Inter Milan and continues to improve.
Admittedly, Joaquin Correa, very fine technically, is doing a very good job at Lazio Rome serving Ciro Immobile.
But in the past, never a Lucas Alario - who has not yet reached the bar of 10 goals scored in a season with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga - or a Nicolas Gonzalez - who played in the German second division in Stuttgart there is still a few months - would not have integrated the Albiceleste so easily.
Except that none of them will overshadow an all-powerful Messi in the selection.
Towards a Correa-Alario duo against Paraguay?
This is also the case for coach Lionel Scaloni, on an ejection seat in the event of a verbal slippage concerning the Barcelonan and the puppet role.
A football dictatorship that has many drawbacks.
The main one of which should come from the match against Paraguay: what is left when Messi is absent?
This could be the case on the night of Thursday to Friday due to an ankle problem, as could Lautaro, in delicacy with his right thigh.
Argentina could suddenly align in attack a Correa-Alario tandem a priori tasteless.
But for years and years, the Gauchos have failed to secure any title, including in Copa America, with all their stars.
So who knows if they will not succeed with just the largest of them accompanied by infantrymen won to its glory?
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