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Argentina have reached the finals of a World Cup for the first time in 24 years but they have looked far from convincing in their journey so far. They have got this far in the tournament purely on the magic of Lionel Messi and the brilliance oftheir supreme orchestrator in midfield, Javier Mascherano.They have failed to live up to their attacking traditions and have relied on a strong platform provided by the midfield and defence to prevail in the knockout stages. They will definitely start as second favourites to a German team who areback to their dominant bestat the right stage in the competition. LaAlbiceleste have proved to be solid and tight at the back but they will need to be at their best to stop a German juggernaut, that will be their toughest test yet.The final will definitely end up being a game between the might of the German attack and the resilience of the Argentinean defence. But, Argentina will also have other avenues to spoil the German party in the epic final tonight. Lets take a look at the SWOT analysis of Argentina ahead of what promises to be a humdinger of a final.
#1 Strengths
The midfield and defensive stability offered by key players for Argentina have made them one of the most difficult teams to beat since the knockout stages have started. In Javier Mascherano they have one of the most destructive defensive midfielder who has been able to shield the defence brilliantly and is able to start a counter attack once he gets the ball. The back four have been able to match Mascherano’s heroics by bring the meanest in the knockout stages having not let in a goal in 330 minutes of football played till now.
La Albiceleste have one of the best attacking combination of Messi, Higuain, Aguero, Lavezzi and Di Maria (if he is fit). Plying their trade in Europe’s elite leagues, these players are capable of crushing any defense individually or together on their day. They are supreme finishers, extremely quick, can dribble past opponents and can win one-on-one situations with ease. Sabella would be hoping to have his attackers at their firing best as they can easily ruffle the German defence which have shown time and again to be vulnerable to quick attacks.
However, La Albiceleste‘s biggest strength lies in the knowledge that they have a certain Lionel Messi in their team, one of the world’s best who can change a game with a moment of brilliance. Messi has been highly influential in this campaign and has been the go to man whether being the creative outlet or scoring goals in crunch situations. He has been their driving force and has prevailed in matches even when he was double or triple marked. Argentina’s hopes rest on the shoulders of the diminutive No.10 of carrying his team to a victory for one final time.
#2 Weakness
One of Sabella’s biggest concerns would be the inability of his team to score goals despite boasting of one of the best scoring talents. They were not at their scoring best in the group stages scoring 6 goals of which Messi scored 4. In the knockout stages they have managed to score only 2 goals providing a glimpse that if Messi fails to score the whole team tends to fail in front of goal. Higuain, Lavezzi and Aguero in spite of plundering goals for their respective clubs have failed to live up to the expectations of providing goals for the team.
Against Netherlands they failed to string any meaningful attacks but against Die Mannschaft they might find it even more difficult to create any chances. However, they will have a few situations to score goals in the final and if they fail to take their chances as they have proved till now, Die Mannschaft might very well hurt them for their inefficiency.
Despite being their biggest strength, La Albiceleste‘s biggest weakness is also their talismanic captain, Lionel Messi. The whole team counts on Messi to be at his supreme best to provide game changing moments, creating and scoring goals. If Messi fails, the team in general may not be able to play well and if it happens they might very well be steam rolled by the German blitzkrieg. This over reliance on him might bring about Argentina’s downfall.
#3 Opportunities
The high defensive line employed by Loew’s Germany might very well be an avenue for La Albiceleste to exploit. The defence of Germany has been flappable especially when teams like Algeria, Ghana and to some extent USA counter attacked them. The pace of Messi, Higuain and Di Maria (if fit) could exploit this German weakness by getting in between the lines and behind the defence either while setting up an attack or while counter attacking.
Another area where Argentina could also cause some problems would be attacking Germany through the left flank. Benedikt Howedes is not a natural left back and he has not looked comfortable against players with pace, dribbling and movement of the ball. Also with Ozil in attack and who doesn’t track back quickly there are spaces left exposed for either Messi or Lavezzi to cause damage.
#4 Threats
The epic final between Germany and Argentina might very well come down to the ability of La Albiceleste‘s midfield and defence to cope with the pressing and energy of the Detuschland’s midfield. In the semi final against Brazil, the midfield trio of Germany with their continuous pressing and ability to exploit the spaces dismissed the hosts into submission. Sabella would want to ensure that his Argentinean side are not caught out in the midfield like their South American counterparts.
With Di Maria most likely to not start the final, the onus will be on Perez to move inside and support the midfield duo of Mascherano and Biglia to stifle the attacking threat of Khedira and Kroos. The only way to do this would to defend deep and cut out spaces which serves as an avenue for German to utilize and set up their attacks. Another thing that Sabella would want out of his midfield would be to move the ball quickly and onto the feet of Messi to nullify the pressing threat.
Another threat that Argentina would have to be wary off is the switching of positions and movement of the ball by the German attackers. La Albiceleste‘s defence looked extremely shaky throughout the group stages but they have definitely been more organized in the last three games. However, Die Mannschaft’s attack is a different entity altoghether and the constant menace offered by Ozil, Muller, Klose and Kroos would be something that the defence might find hard to contend with.
