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What's the story?
Former Scotland international Steve Nicol is of the opinion that the limited on-field chemistry between Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero is hurting the Argentina national team.
In case you didn't know...
Lionel Messi's Argentina scraped through to the quarter-finals after they beat Qatar 2-0 last night with goals coming in from Lautaro Martinez and Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City hitman scored late into the match assisted by Paulo Dybala to help Argentina qualify for the knockout stages.
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They started the tournament on a very poor note after losing out to Colombia in the opener and then played out a 1-1 draw with Paraguay. The match against Qatar was a must-win tie and the South American giants managed to get a result in their favour, even though the display was a very uninspiring one.
The heart of the matter
In an interview with ESPN FC, the former Liverpool player harshly criticised the duo who have been brilliant for their clubs all season long consistently for years now.
"They've set their own bar low," Nicol said when asked about the result.
"When was the last time we saw them playing well as a team? It's all about mistakes from the opposition or individual goals.
"Aguero was by far the best player on the field against Qatar, but regardless of the opposition, Argentina always let you down.
"You're always expecting that because they've got quality they're going to produce it, but there's nothing going on with any of them.
What's next?
Argentina play Venezuela next in the quarterfinals of the tournament. There's a lot of homework needed to be done both in terms of tactical astuteness and also the on-field chemistry if Argentina is to qualify for the semis and eventually the finals. This is one of the final chances for Lionel Messi, who has achieved everything at club level with Barcelona, to lift a trophy in his national colours.
