I don't really know much about this but apparently Messi abused the linesman and has been banned for 4 games. That would mean that Messi is virtually out of the World Cup Qualifiers. Think this is too harsh since FIFA usually does 4 match bans in cases of violence. And this being told the players and team hours before their match is a bit slow on FIFA's part.

Messi took argentina to the world cup final on his own and to copa america final, his teammates are just garbage.

Messi took argentina to the world cup final on his own and to copa america final, his teammates are just garbage.

This is the problem, that I tried to point out. No team can play in a World Cup final with only one amazing player and ten garbage.

@Golazo Argentina is more than just Messi, the problem is that it seem like Argentina don't reallize that... They clearly need a better manager who can bring all of those individual strength together. Not say, everything is alright because Messi will make it work. Thats my opinion on the matter anyway.

@Chelsea8

Messi is blessed with one of the best international teams in the world. He contributed almost nothing after the group stages aside from that one assist to di Maria against Switzerland. I watched every single Argentina game minus the first one during the WC. Messi was invisible for more than half the games. This is not to take credit away from Messi. This is to prove that Argentina is a good team, and people shouldn't attribute their 2014 runners-up medal to Messi when in truth it should be attributed to the whole team.

This isn't 1986 or 1962. The only times one player was so good that they outshone anyone else on the team was Maradona and Garrincha. Not even Pele was able to reach a World Cup final without an outstanding team. Messi was just the best player on a very good national team (just like Sneijder in 2010!).

@Chelsea8: he didn't exactly single handedly took them to the final nor the Copa Americas, that's very exaggerated. History will always remember only the winner, Messi failed 3 times

@Dynastian: I disagree, Messi is NOT blessed with one of the best international team in the world. FAR FAR from that, again, mate you haven't looked at my response on your previous post. which I must emphasize again: Argentina has full of GOOD STRIKERS, very mediocre midde-field, if not, one of the worst, and terrible defense except one or 2 good position. It's up to the coach to make the best out of it just like any team (counter often works best). That's again, he isn't blessed with anything.

The managers of Argentina has been as SHIT as anyone can imagine. (I feel the same with England)

He took Argentina to the knockout stage and disappeared. that's true. But anyone watched that game again the Netherlands will know, both team played extremely shit football, almost there was NO attack, both defended, Robben, Snijder didn't even have any move, the whole games were just people marking people. It IS absolutely not like, all other of this teammates played amazingly while he sucked. NO ONE contributed anything special (especially those big names), the whole team was packed as an unit. That's IT.

The amazing strikers (on paper), have proven time and time again how much they have failed when going on national duty. And let's say even if they did well, without proper mid, they simply can't do much.

A better evidence is their qualification campaign when Messi play and didn't play. The qualification for the last world cup, he was their best player and they qualified way before the last round. And let's have a look at the simple stats of this campaign when he didn't play... number says it all.

Same go to Portugal and Ronaldo (Ronaldo couldn't do much if the tactic was to defend) if some of you think Im bias.

Argentina without Messi is worse than Sunderland

@Dynastian: I disagree, Messi is NOT blessed with one of the best international team in the world. FAR FAR from that, again, mate you haven't looked at my response on your previous post. which I must emphasize again: Argentina has full of GOOD STRIKERS, very mediocre midde-field, if not, one of the worst, and terrible defense except one or 2 good position. It's up to the coach to make the best out of it just like any team (counter often works best). That's again, he isn't blessed with anything.

Conceding goals is not usually Argentina's problem. Nearly every issue they've run into from the world cup, to the copa, and now the qualifiers, has been scoring. One look at their roster says this shouldn't be the case, and blame can go anywhere from the strikers to the management, but leave the defense out of it.

@Emobot7 I totally agree, they just hide behind Messi.

@Dyn

He contributed almost nothing after the group stages aside from that one assist to di Maria against Switzerland. I watched every single Argentina game minus the first one during the WC. Messi was invisible for more than half the games. This is not to take credit away from Messi. This is to prove that Argentina is a good team, and people shouldn't attribute their 2014 runners-up medal to Messi when in truth it should be attributed to the whole team.

exactly, aside from the 90 minutes screamer against iran or something , messi was invisible. Rodriguez deserved Best player at the WC14 , or A German like muller, or neuer not messi.

@Golefty Muller should have got it, even Messi himself thought it was wrong if I remember correctly... :S

Personally I would have given it to Hummels.

Kroos would've had my vote tbh. He was very good that WC.

@Sun: kinda agree, thats what I want to mention, they dont create that much of chances, their mid isnt good enough, the passes from the back isnt good enough. When they do have chances, those good striker just missed them. I was laughing at how Higuain was such a noob in front of the goal... they are not a great team at all.

For the best player of the W14, definitely wasnt Messi. There were a few better players. Messi himself looked confused. But its not the point, the point we were discussing is how much mediocre Argentina is, and especially now... they sucked even more. Please watch their games... its embarrassing to see the manager with his squad and tactic.

@Golefty: uhmn, the actually took Argentina to the knockout and then disappeared. One of the game later was against the Netherlands, and imagine with all the stars of both teams, it was ome of the most boring match to watch. So I dont think we can blame him for disaapearing, every players disappeared in that game.

I thought anyone of Kroos, Robben, Muller, James, and Mascherano would have been worthy. Neuer would get best keeper award regardless, so it would be kind of wasteful to give him best player unless he was well and truly the best player BY FAR (which I genuinely don't think he was). I would probably have given the award to Mascherano (if not, then Kroos).

Having Messi in your team is enough to make any weak defense look world class, the energy and the tactical awareness needed to stop him defensively prevents any team from being exposed...
Thats the abcd of Football best way to defend is to attack...
2ndly, there were 3 other players pretending to best World Cup players, Neuer yes obviously and Robben even more obvious... Messi was not less deserving it and imo had the worst team of the 3, if we stop watching goals and judge performances as a whole with the tactics and the IMPACT, let goals to youtubers...

A small example, in a chess game, when you sacrifice your queen to win the other queen and gain a position where you can checkmate the opponent in next 2,3 moves with your fool. Doesnt make the fool more important than the queen...

When you have a player that needs zonal and individual approach making a team play 2 lines of 4 near their box with not much space between them, when he prevents 4 or 5 players from crossing midlefield line...
If he is neutralized, that mean that opposition put the energy and the number to do it, that is tactics 2.0, you give yourself less chances to attack but you make sure you neutralize main rival strikeforce and try to be clinical in the few chances you got...

Thats having Messi in your line up, if he is in super sayan mode, there is few things you can do to avoid being hit.

Now those who looks to aging Zabaleta-Dimichelis paired to Rojo And i cant even remember the fourth with Romero as keeper is the best defensive line up ever and think they didn't take 7-1 like Germany due to their brilliance, okay we just don't watch the same sport or at least we don't look to it the same way...

Having Messi in your team is enough to make any weak defense look world class, the energy and the tactical awareness needed to stop him defensively prevents any team from being exposed...
Thats the abcd of Football best way to defend is to attack...

That's why Barca's defense is so good right

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yPcvzX5t6gk

He disappeared vs Belgium ? This is the problem with modern football fans, a tap in winner in a game because the ball came to your feet and you are voted Motm in highlights, HE WAS MOTM IN BELGIUM GAME. And Motm in 6 games out of 7 but yeah just scandalous

That being said, Neuer and Robben were also deserving best player of tournament, not scandalous at all to see one of them lifting it. I would have given it to Neuer, singlehandedly quicked France out of the tournament. And saved Germany for an early exit vs Algeria with a world class Cb display...

Germany always had good midfield, the big difference was world class defence and prime time Hummels, Boateng,Mertesacker. Basically 2002 Germany had Ramelow for example...

@Sunflash exactly that's why we were statistically best defense in Europe for years with the line up you know, poor Pique, a cdm playing as a Cb And many stupid defensive line ups.

Do you think we have the best defense in the world ? Statistically yes. But on paper it's laughable to think it.

before this lacklustre argentine era, what we had before was always midfield, maradona being the greatest example. and stronger defense, zanetti for example. real leaders. now all we have is girly strikers that are scared to play for their country in case they get an injury...ex. dybala. bring in icardi, i swear all this guy wants in life is to play for his country.