Lionel Messi at the Copa America
Lionel Messi has been a permanent part of the national side for over a decade, and is now the fourth most capped player in Argentina’s history, ahead of the likes of Simeone, Batitusta and Maradona, though they all outstrip him in silverware, which he has yet to win for his country (Olympic gold, aside). This will be his seventh major international finals.
For Messi, there have always been excuses. Legitimate ones, at that.
Poor Higuain finishes to clear cut chances in the 2014 and 2015 finals might just be the difference between Messi winning all there is to win for Argentina and being a bottler who doesn’t replicate his best for his country.
Tactically, Argentina attempt to get the best out of Messi by replicating the 4–3–3 formation that he excels in for his club, but in practice this has not quite worked. To their credit, Tata Martino and Alejandro Sabella before him have had a good defensive record, out of frankly average options at the back.
But this is a result of a conservative approach; to compensate for having a slow backline, they drop much deeper than Messi’s Barcelona teammates do. As a result of this, he has to pick up the ball much further from the goal, and often gets crowded out in midfield — this was done masterfully by both Chile and Germany, and even semi-successfully by the likes of Iran. Without occupying the same pockets of space, Messi isn’t able to influence the game to his usual degree, though has still put in some good performances at the last two major tournaments — carving open Paraguay in the Copa America semis, in particular.
At the top level, this is something that Argentina must solve, or Messi as an individual must adapt to. If it’s the same approach again, he must make sure he isn’t shackled as he was by Germany and Chile in the last two finals.
Argentina haven’t won a major trophy since the 1993 Copa America. This year’s tournament represents something of a bonus ball for a generation of players gone thirsty. After losing out to the hosts of 2015, Chile, chance (a one-in-every-hundred years chance, in fact) has served the squad and coach an opportunity to get it right, just one year later.
It’s something that’s been said for as long as Messi has been the best player on the planet. This is his moment. 2010. 2011. 2014. 2015. 2016?
The Centenario edition of the Copa America is something like a lite redux of last year’s tournament, where many countries aren’t taking it as seriously due to the celebratory, one-off nature of this edition.
Brazil are in the mire of Dunga’s abominable helm, talisman Neymar rested for Olympic glory on home soil. Reigning champions Chile are finding their feet after the resignation of their coach, Bielsian disciple Jorge Sampaoli. Uruguay will be starting without Luis Suarez and have been sold out by a bonkers schedule, totalling over 4000 miles of travel in the group stage alone. With the home advantage, USA might have offered a challenge, but have grown stagnant under Klinsmann since the last World Cup.
Colombia look likely to offer the sternest test, but by and large, make no question — this is Copa America: Easy Mode.
Arguably France aside, no country playing in the two tournaments either side of the Atlantic this summer has so much at stake between winning and losing.
Argentina face an uncertain immediate future. 2018 onwards looks likely to have a great generation of players — those who won Olympic Gold in their youth in 2008 — no longer at their absolute peak. Messi, Aguero, Di Maria, Garay, Gago, Romero will be the other side of 30. Mascherano older still.
International glory is something integral to Messi’s legacy. It will, rightly or wrongly, be a black mark against his name should Argentina win nothing under his captaincy. This really is his moment. No more excuses.
This article might be null and void…
*originally I’d planned to include this in a piece about “senior players to watch this summer” , but given this one was 500% longer than about any other player, and he’s considerably younger than the others, I thought it’d be better as a standalone piece. That article will be up shortly.
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