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2. No Messi, No Party
Was there a bigger Talking Point than Lionel Messi getting banned for 4 matches on the eve of one of Argentina’s toughest WC qualifiers? Yes, Yes, it’s only Bolivia, and they are not much by the way of opposition away from home, but at home, in that rarified air you can find only 4+ kilometres above sea level, they are one of world football’s toughest tests.
Four days previously, Messi had been the be-all and end-all of a dour Argentina victory over an even dourer Chile, and Argentina sorely missed their talisman in Bolivia, as they slipped from 3rd to 5th in the South American qualifiers. Just to drive home the point, this is what Argentina’s record looks like with and without Messi.
With Messi: Played 6 Games; Won 5, Lost 1, Scored 9 goals and conceded 4 (15 points out of 18)
Without Messi: Played 8 Games; Won 1, Lost 3, Drew 4, Scored 6 goals and conceded 10 (7 points out of 24)
Quite frankly it’s ludicrous that Edgardo Bauza cannot eke out any results from a bunch quite as talented as this. And he has three more matches (out of four remaining qualifiers) to manoeuvre without the services of Leo Messi. This is looking increasing depressing from an Argentine point of view.
