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Just 8 years after the debacle at the World Cup in South Africa, Argentina again suffered humiliation at the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Like Diego Maradona, like Jorge Sampaoli. Both times, the Albiceleste have gone into these World Cups with the favourites tag around their teams as they looked to end the nation’s trophy drought (the last trophy was the Copa America in 1993).
However, both managers’ tactical ineptitude has contributed to their teams being torn apart by better organized, better coached European teams. While Maradona’s Argentina were ripped apart 4-0 by an upcoming German side led by Joachim Low, Sampaoli’s 2018 version just put up a shambolic display in a 3-0 hiding by Zlatko Dalic’s superb Croatian team.
Certain members of Sampaoli’s playing squad have covered themselves in excrement with their performances in Russia so far and with the equally incompetent Argentine Football Association (AFA) almost certain to sack the manager (if he doesn’t resign), wholesale changes will be needed.
Players like Javier Mascherano and the calamitous Willy Caballero are already on their way out as Russia 2018 was already scheduled to be their last involvement as national team players
Here are 5 players who should never again be invited to play for Argentina:
#5 Eduardo Salvio
What exactly is the point of the Benfica wide man? Is he a winger, a wingback, an attacker or what exactly? Such is the complexity of the issue that Sampoali’s decision to include the 28-year-old in his team was met with consternation by the Argentine public.
This is mainly due to the fact that the ex-Atletico Madrid youth player has done nothing either at club level or at the national level to justify his inclusion in an Argentina team that should have hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.
In the two games at the World Cup, the words to use to describe his performances are anonymous and disappointing as he did nothing of note in the draw against Iceland and the nightmare against the very accomplished Croatia.
An average player who has looked good in fits and starts for a club notorious for selling its quality players every season, surely a team like the Albiceleste can do better than him.
#4 Nicolas Otamendi
How Pep Guardiola managed to get to 100 points with Manchester City despite having Otamendi as a first-team regular is something along the lines of a modern day miracle.
The 30-year-old was a rock at Valencia alongside another famously skittish centre-back: Shkodran Mustafi, they inspired Los Che to a 4th-place finish in La Liga. This led to a £28.5 million move for the Argentine centre-back to the Etihad.
To show just how great Guardiola’s work with Otamendi was, he was named in the PFA Team of the Season for having a stellar campaign in the 2017-2018 Premier League season.
Away from the Catalan genius’ well-structured team set-up, the real Otamendi has shown up at possibly the worst time for Argentina. Slow, ponderous, rash and uninspiring, he was at the heart of the Argentine defence that was rubbish during the World Cup qualifiers.
This rubbish was carried into the friendlies with the 6-1 mauling at the hands of Spain in March - a portent of what was to come. He was below average against an Icelandic team that could have hurt the Albiceleste with a little more ambition.
The final straw, however, was last night’s farce against Croatia as he failed in his primary duty as the team’s most central defender and was at fault for 2 of the three goals conceded (should have been sent off for his petulant kick at Ivan Rakitic's head).
Given his age, it is too late to believe he has anything to offer; Argentina would be better off saying Gracias!!!! and keeping him away from the national set-up forever.
#3 Sergio Aguero
This may sound a tad harsh; however, it will be difficult for even the most ardent Aguero fan to say his time at the national side has been anything but disappointing.
Much was expected of the Independiente lad following his breakout season in the 2002-2003 season. Great things were expected of El Kun and his fellow gold-plated generation players following Argentina’s triumphs at youth level winning the U-20 world title in 2005 and 2007 and Olympic gold in 2008.
Diego Maradona’s former son-in-law has been phenomenal at club level for Independiente, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, banging in an astonishing 317 goals in 558 matches.
His tally of 37 goals in 86 matches for his nation sounds like an okay record but masks the fact that for too long, he has never delivered for his country and has had to be carried by the brilliance of players like Lionel Messi.
In too many games for his country, he has failed to affect play as he has stood passively and shown little of the hunger and fight he routinely displays in Man City colours (his abysmal performance at the 2014 World Cup a case in point).
Of his 37 goals for the nation, 20 have come in international friendlies while in 10 World Cup matches, he has only scored once. The much berated Gonzalo Higuain has been far better and with players like Mauro Icardi and Lautaro Martinez waiting in the wings, Aguero’s absence would not be missed.
#2 Angel di Maria
Real Madrid supremo Florentino Perez has made a number of gaffes in his time as the president of the world’s most successful club. Getting rid of di Maria (for the sum of £59.7 million) was not one of them.
Another member of the gold-plated generation of exceptional Argentine talent (at youth level), it seemed during his time at Real Madrid that the 30-year-old native of Rosario would be the world-class winger the national team has been crying for.
However, the last meaningful thing that di Maria has done for his national team was to score the goal that beat Switzerland (last minute of extra-time) in the 2nd round at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
His decline has been as rapid as it has been alarming as he never truly settled at Manchester United under Louis van Gaal and jumped ship just a season later to PSG where his time there has been rather forgettable.
In his nation’s desperate hours of need (the Copa America final in 2015 as well as during the World Cup qualifiers), he was nowhere to be found and was among the many underperformers whose terrible performances have somehow flown under the radar.
He was abysmal against Iceland in the team’s opening World Cup match and was rightly dropped for the disaster class against Croatia.
A new generation of Argentine wingers: Rodrigo de Paul, Lucas Ocampos, Cristian Pavon, Lucas Janson among others are emerging, the di Maria train has run its course and is of no use to anyone in the national set-up anymore.
#1 Lionel Messi
One of Argentina’s greatest ever players, for too long, the weight of expectation on Messi’s shoulders to have a Maradona 2.0 effect on the national team’s fortunes seem to have weighed him down.
One of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, his time with the Albiceleste has been one of the occasional highs and terrible lows with the humiliation by a Luka Modric-inspired Croatia in the latest episode.
For too long, the Barcelona legend has been maligned by certain portions of the Argentine press/fan base and been falsely accused of not turning up for his country (a lie that his stats put to shame).
In hindsight, he should have stuck to his guns and stayed away from the national set-up following the Copa America Centenario debacle but his desire to prove his doubters wrong overrode what was a very logical decision.
His missed penalty against Iceland was the low point of what has been a miserable campaign for the Argentine where he has looked slow, not affected play as much as he can and has been man marked at every point in time.
His time with the Albiceleste has seen him play in some of the worst tactical set-ups in the history of international football.
Surrounded by inept teammates, dull-witted coaches and with the added pressure of the team’s captaincy, he may have hit 64 goals in 124 matches (he is Argentina’s leading all-time goalscorer) but it is one that will go down as disappointing for a player of his quality.
Paulo Dybala looks primed to fill the role (he too has struggled with the tag of the new Messi), it would be in Leo’s best interest to leave the incompetence of the Argentine national set-up behind whatever the naysayers may believe.
