He wasn’t in the team in their pathetic defeat to Croatia.
What about Messi? The GOAT you goat.
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Lads using the fact Di Maria was dropped against Croatia for being dog shit versus Iceland as a plus 
Dog shit v Iceland
Dropped against Croatia
First sub off v Nigeria
You’d have to have a notion about football to get into that conversation. Which you clearly dont.
You’re slating Di Maria and giving Messi a free pass for being utterly useless. Even an utterly shit footballer like yourself would have been better than him today.
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Argentina chopping and changing managers like Jesus Gil used to do at Atletico Madrid is the root of this team’s problems.
Sampaoli has one idea of how to play. That’s the furious pressing game of Bielsa. That’s why he was able to do well with Chile, because i) Chile had the players to play that way, and ii) because he was continuing on what they had been doing for several years.
Argentina don’t have the players to play that way. The defensive pace is glacial. The midfield is slow.
Upon taking over Sampaoli soon became aware he couldn’t play the way he wanted. But he had no other ideas and that’s why the players wanted him out. I think he tried four different formations in four games. He literally didn’t know what he was doing and was completely winging it. He tried his original preferred style against Croatia and it ended in disaster. Argentina came into this tournament like a Leaving Cert student who had done one night’s study hoping the right questions would somehow come up. Predictably, they didn’t.
Argentine managers have had success in Europe and elsewhere. Pochettino, Simeone, Valdano, Bielsa. Tata Martino has managed Barcelona. Pekerman has done well with Colombia. Carlos Bianchi was for years the national team amanger in waiting but never got the call because Julio Grondona didn’t like him. The root of this team’s problems stem from Martino’s departure after the Copa America final defeat on penalties in 2016. Since then it’s been total confusion.
The other problem is the lack of success at youth level. The Argentine FA have fucked up for well over a decade now in terms of structures and the well is beginning to run very dry.
Messi could still play in 2022 as a sort of Pirlo-esque playmaker, but his chance is probably gone, bacause there is fuck all coming through.
Argentina has by a mile the greatest football culture in the world, but it is in for a lost decade before it gets its house in order.
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Not having any defenders who can defend is the root of Argentina problems. A Daniel Passarella, Jose Luis Brown or Javier Zanetti would come in handy.
Having a talisman who shows leadership and doesn’t disappear would help too.
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How many chances do they want to give? I mean he’s meant to be the greatest in the world, the greatest of all time. He plays like a showpony, capable of bits of magic but mostly anonymous.
Messi looks like a chap who’s sick of football at this stage.
He played some lovely passes today when players around him actually got in decent positions. His ball for Auero’s goal was inch perfect. Sadly, there wasnt near enough quality around him.
His job is to put the ball in the net mate, something he has failed to do now in playoff games in four (4) World Cups.
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Jesus.
Pogba has excellent English for a frog.
Much stronger and I specifically flagged this possibililty earlier in the tournament.
I’ll compare the teams to a generic, makey up World Snooker Championship which covers the 1988-2018 period.
Germany are Stephen Hendry 2000 - eliminated in the first round by Stuart Bingham as defending champion.
France are Ronnie O’Sullivan circa 1999. Outrageously talented, but you question their heart and whether they have the bottle to go the whole way.
Argentina are Jimmy White 1998 - past their best, still capable of doing something brilliant, but you know they’ll ultimately fade and break your heart.
Switzerland are Peter Ebdon. Dour, capable of going deep in the tournament, can bore teams into submission.
Sweden are Graeme Dott. Even dourer and capable of boring teams to death even more than the Swiss. Their last 16 clash will be a re-run of the 2006 Crucible final.
Spain are Mark Williams 2018. Attempting to make a glorious comback after some years below their best. You know they have the class.
Brazil are John Higgins. Proven tournament winners, don’t have as much flair as they did in yesteryear, but still the team to beat.
Colombia are Paul Hunter 2001. They likely get ready for a match by having sex with an attractive woman. Tremendous entertainers and capable of taking anybody out but you suspect they’ll fold when it really matters. Their players also have a good chance of dying young.
Uruguay are Ken Doherty 2003. Grinders who have won a big tournament before, don’t have the talent of others, but have the belief, the safety game and the pedigree, are organised and capable of seriously rattling the cages of the bigger boys.
Portugal are John Parrott 1991. Jammy cunts undeserving of winning the big one, but hard to beat.
Mexico are James Wattana 1994. Nice team, but very flakey.
Croatia are Neil Robertson. Very talented, lovely ball control, but flatter to deceive.
Belgium are Matthew Stevens. Very talented but another one whose temperament will fail them when it matters.
England are Ding Junhui. Carry the expectations of whole nation only to wilt under the pressure. Could go deep if they get a good draw.
I can’t think of anybody in snooker to compare Russia to, they’re like a dodgy winner of a one day cycling classic circa 1994.
Japan are Mark King. Likeable but making up the numbers.
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I agree with that too. Roberto Ayala is the last great Argentine centre back. But even a Pablo Zabaleta-type player might have stopped either of the second or third French goals.
Unreal.
Are you finally giving up on Jimmy winning the big one?
Jimmy White 2019 will be a very different animal to Jimmy White 1998.