End of the World for Messi
SAUDI SHOCK SHOWS EVEN GREATS CAN’T WIN ALONE
I COULDN’T believe what I was watching when Saudi Arabia defied the odds to beat Argentina earlier this week. For me, that’s among the greatest upsets of all time.
I know exactly what it’s like to be on the receiving end of one after losing at Wrexham with Arsenal in the FA Cup in 1992.
But I can put my hand on my heart and say we played well that day. It wasn’t one of those games where people can say we didn’t fancy it or that we shied away.
It was a bit like Argentina really, we missed chance after chance and then crash, bang, wallop. You’re behind and you’re beaten.
Argentina conceded two goals just after half-time but we conceded right at the end of the game and still had a disallowed goal after.
I’ve always said ‘fair play to Wrexham’ because we weren’t bad that day.
They stuck in there and got their luck right at the death.
Argentina had 30 minutes left to score a goal and turn the game around but they never looked like doing so.
I really thought we would be looking at a cricket score after they went 1-0 up inside 10 minutes.
With all due respect, I was adamant Saudi were the whipping boys in Group C.
There’s not many teams that get beat like that when they have one of the best players in the world playing for them.
Argentina aren’t great and to the people that say they are one of the favourites, Messi never won the World Cup at 27 and he never won it at 31.
He’s not going to win it at 35 in a worse team. I really just don’t see them winning it at all.
I still fancy them to go through because I watched the other two teams, Mexico and Poland. They were dire. The problem is, it becomes pressure football after losing your opening match.
If you don’t win this game you’re out. That’s the problem Argentina have now, I think they’re up against it.
They only seem to look good on paper now. Angel Di Maria was pure class once upon a time but he’s getting older now.
They’re now a one-man team, it’s virtually impossible for Messi to do it all on his own.
You need players around you and the prime example of that is watching Poland.
You’re talking about one of the best centre-forwards in the world in Robert Lewandowski but it’s pointless him playing. It’s just a waste of time.
It doesn’t matter where you play – from the World Cup down to park football on a Sunday morning – you’re only as good as the players around you.
Messi is now a one-man band and he wants space. But if he isn’t going to get that, I don’t see what he is going to bring to the party.