Argentina’s early exit is indicative of systemic rot
KAZAN: Jorge Sampaoli looked a shadow of his usual upbeat self when he addressed his final press conference following Argentina’s 4-3 defeat to France on Saturday.
The loss ended a campaign that had looked far from convincing since they began against Iceland.
A dysfunctional midfield and a shaky defence did little to help build on one of the world’s finest attacks as Sampaoli’s side managed just one win — a laboured 2-1 victory over Nigeria — in four games in Russia. “I am convinced that Argentinean football has very, very good players. And very, very good young players; so we will have to work on them to be one of the first teams in the world again,” he said.
Over the past couple of weeks, Sampaoli has faced criticism for his tactics. His failure to get the best out of Lionel Messi, whose playing position never emerged from a fug confusion, has also seen Sampaoli face the wrath of fans and the media back home. But while La Albiceleste’s exit will most likely result in Sampaoli’s removal, the rot goes far beyond him and the Argentina senior national team.
Argentina’s struggles during the World Cup qualifiers highlighted the squad’s lack of balance. In contrast to some of the other football superpowers, Argentina had little to show for barring their attacking players.
For years, apart from supplying European clubs with some of its best striking talent, the country’s production line of elite midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers has suffered decay.
In Russia, Argentina brought the fourth oldest squad among the 32 teams with an average age of 29.3. Of their 23 players, 14 were 30 or above and only three below 25. While the experience of the team was never in question, the fact remains that this was an ageing team, one in decline, as it tried to add to the country’s two World Cup titles.
“The street was always our school, which had the great virtue of teaching us the trade, giving football a cultural weight and developing and celebrating players who were different. But the street as a formative stage has gone and no one has known how to replace it with an educational model like those in countries such as Germany or Spain,” was how 1986 World Cup-winning star Jorge Valdano described the fault in Argentina’s player conveyor belt in The Guardian.
Perhaps the most damning indictment of Argentina’s fall from grace can be found from their recent record in international youth competitions.
Argentina had failed to qualify for the U-17 World Cup in India last year after being knocked out in the first stage of the South American Championship, where they had finished fourth in a fiveteam group. They did make it to the U-20 World Cup, qualifying as the fourth best team from the continent. In the main tournament, Argentina crashed out after losing their first two group games, to England and South Korea.
There will be a post-mortem in the coming weeks as Argentina looks back at one of its lowest points in the sport in recent years. But a long-term overhaul may be needed for the two-time world champions to find their feet again.