Why Argentina is Still Going to Win the World Cup
Lionel Messi and Argentina remain an elite team, despite their recent loss
Following their astonishing loss to Saudi Arabia, Argentina has already been counted out by many as a championship contender. Lionel Messi and Argentina were one of the favorites to win the World Cup prior to the match, but after losing to what should’ve been an easy team to beat, it seems that they have no chance to win the ultimate trophy.
Messi has had a historic career and winning the World Cup would cement his GOAT case. But every time he gets close, he always ends up so far. In the last 20 years, the sight of Lionel Messi’s face buried in his hands has become familiar.
Argentina is also a superstar team, even without Messi. In their previous 36 games as an international team they hadn’t had a single loss. Additionally, they won the Copa América without Messi having to score in the championship game. All of this points to them being the clear favorites to win the World Cup, but once again they seemingly have fallen short.
The question now remains: how can Argentina bounce back?
A first game loss does not mean the end of the world for a team. A prime example comes from Spain in the 2010 World Cup. Despite losing their first game, they were able to come back and win the whole tournament. This, however, does not mean Argentina will have it easy. They still must play near perfect if they want to attain the trophy.
This loss may end up helping the team. After not being beat in 36 games, the team may have gotten complacent. This shock might help them realize the effort they need to put in, no matter who they play.
Moreover, Mexico and Poland ended up drawing, which opens up a race for the top slots from Group C. Even if Saudi Arabia were to top the group, Argentina can qualify by beating Mexico and Poland. Two wins, that’s all this team needs to make it past the first round.
Once the team is able to make it past the first round, their loss to Saudi Arabia won’t mean a thing. After then who knows what happens? This year seems different from the past, where this Argentina team actually has the talent to support Messi. On the contrary, just having Messi on your team alone makes it great. If his play improves, Argentina may be unbeatable.
Here is why Argentina will still win the World Cup. Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below.