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Following on from their lethargic display in the 2-0 defeat to Colombia on Matchday 1 in Group B of the 2019 Copa America, Argentina took to the field at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte needing victory to strengthen their case for qualification.
However, that did not happen as another insipid showing saw them record a stalemate with Paraguay, which is sure to further deflate hopes of Argentines that their 28-year wait for a major trophy is going to end anytime soon.
The draw leaves Los Albiceleste rock bottom of their group and any result bar a victory on Matchday 3 against tournament visitors Qatar on Sunday would see them eliminated from the first round of the Copa America for the first time in their history.
Coming on the heels of their women's national team showing great heart and determination to claw back from 3 goals down against Scotland and snatch a 3-3 draw, this was a match which their male counterparts were expected to win to regain confidence.
However, Argentina failed to do so and this would pile further pressure on them for the rest of their stay in this tournament. In this piece, we shall be having a rundown of three reasons why Argentina failed to get victory in the match.
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#3 For the umpteenth time, they were very disjointed
Even in the days when Argentina had a quality team with world beaters within its ranks, they were never quite able to pull off the seamless and precise pattern of play associated with the best teams, with their team looking like a bunch of individuals rather than a team.
This lack of teamwork has cost Argentina dearly in tournaments past, but their play so far in the Copa America has undoubtedly been the worst of the lot.
They were poor and lacked cutting edge in the opening fixture against Colombia but took their lethargic play to all-time lows against Paraguay.
In a match against a team ranked 26 places beneath them and whose only renowned player in the current squad is 25-year-old forward Miguel Almiron of Newcastle, Argentina failed to pull their weight and were flattered to get a draw.
They had plenty of possession in the first half but failed to put this to good use, with their only shot on target in the opening 45 minutes coming when Messi directed a freekick comfortably straight at Gatito Fernandez.
Bar a brief period in the second half, Argentina were totally clueless on how to break the Paraguayan backline, resorting to frustrating sideways passes and generally looked like a team devoid of ideas.
Teamwork always thumps individualism any day anytime in sports and for as long as Argentina continue to put up lethargic and individualistic performances on the field, their wait for a major trophy is bound to go on.
#2 Once again, Lionel Scaloni showed his tactical ineptitude
After their embarrassing World Cup exit at the hands of France last summer, Jorge Sampaoli was relieved from his duties as national team manager.
As his replacement, the AFA (Argentine football association) turned to one of his backroom staff to replace him and it was not for a spoil of options, as the terrible state of Argentine football meant that the coaching job is almost a poisoned chalice which everyone abstains from.
The match against Colombia was Lionel Scaloni's first competitive match as a manager and he showed that he was way over his depth, as one of the most brutal and unforgiving international tournaments in men's football gave him a baptism of fire.
Things only got worse against Paraguay, as the 41-year-old made the brave decision to drop two of his most experienced and distinguished players in Sergio Aguero and Angel di Maria in place of Lautaro Martinez and Rodrigo de Paul.
It is safe to say that this bold call did not exactly work to plan while his two other changes from the match against Colombia - Roberto Pereyra and Milton Casco failed to make an impact with the former being hauled off at half-time while the latter arguably put in a worse showing than Renzo Saravia in the first match at right-back.
The pairing of Lautaro Martinez and Sergio Aguero for the first 20 minutes of the second half provided the aforementioned spark and it was off a shot by the Inter forward that his nation won a penalty.
However, in baffling scenes, Scaloni withdrew the 21-year-old for Angel di Maria in the 61st minute and it was no surprise that the team lost its bite after that substitution.
The last time Argentina had a coach this tactically inept was when the legendary Diego Maradona took the reins for 18 months between 2009 and 2010 and much like his whirlwind tenure, Lionel Scaloni's could also end up in disaster.
#1 Paraguay were simply the better team and deserved more
While they might have been the underdogs on paper and heading into the fixture, La Abiroja defied the form book with their performance in the match against Argentina.
They maintained their tactical solidity to ensure their opponents rarely threatened their goal while goalscorer Rafael Sanchez and Matias Rojas were the anchormen in midfield with Miguel Almiron providing the link between attack and midfield.
Their cause was, of course, helped massively by a very poor Argentina, but that is taking nothing away from Paraguay who had been poor themselves in their opening fixture against Qatar.
In total, Paraguay fired eight shots at Franco Armani's goal of which half were on target which was one more than Argentina managed and would deservedly have taken all three points but for a fine stop by the River Plate goalkeeper from a Derlis Gonzalez penalty in the 62nd minute.
On the overall balance of play, Paraguay were good value for their draw; although they deserved more and would head into their final group fixture against Colombia with renewed vigor while Argentina would play Qatar not quite knowing what to expect.
