Argentina have started their Copa America campaign positively by winning two games on the trot. So if that’s the case? Why does the headline suggest otherwise? Well, that’s because while Argentina sure has secured 6 points and Quarterfinals qualification, they haven’t done it with ease and certainty. The World number 1 ranked team have usually won their matches with confidence over the last 4 years. Having just two losses in the meantime. But things seem to be changing for the World Champions. Neither of La Albiceleste’s victories in this year’s edition of the Copa America have been convincing.
Starting their campaign against Canada, Argentina won by 2 goals to nil. But the scoreline could’ve been much different with chances going astray at either end. Up against Chile next, Messi and Co. dominated the match in the first half. But they failed to score any goals, missing a couple of opportunities but mostly because of the Chilean defence. In the second half, the script continued as before, with a singular twist. The Chilean attack had started posing the defending Copa America champions with a real threat. Three stinging shots, three goal-scoring opportunities, were all denied by Argentina’s goalkeeper and so often their saviour, Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez. In the dying minutes of the match, Lautaro Martinez shot the ball into the back of Claudio Bravo’s net from close range to give Argentina the lead in the 88th minute. The ball swung in from the corner and played a short game of ping pong bouncing off the bodies inside the penalty box before making its way to Lautaro Martinez who had the space to get the shot off quickly.
So what might be the reason behind Argentina’s unconvincing wins? The World Champions are not playing the style of football befitting their title. And the reason behind it might boil down to the simple fact that they are no longer as hungry as they used to be. The intensity in their game without the ball at their feet seems to have dropped. The patient buildups and quick counters don’t feel like they provide the same threat anymore. The goal-hungry nature of the team seems to have dropped. While all these factors are quite minor in the large scheme of things, it is these factors that help differentiate between a team of champions and a good team. The mistakes Argentina made against Chile and Canada didn’t come back to bite them. But the same can’t be said about top sides like Uruguay, Colombia and Brazil. Any mistakes against them might prove fatal. Messi and co. need to inject themselves back with the Argentinian grit, passion and zest that has made them stand apart from others in recent years. That’s the only way La Albiceleste will be able to retain the Copa America.
