FIFA World Cup 2018 Preview: All eyes on Lionel Messi as Argentina clash with Nigeria
Embattled Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli said on Monday that his side will show the 'best version' of itself against Nigeria in a match that could see the 2014 World Cup runners-up eliminated from the 2018 tournament.
Argentina go into Tuesday's contest in St. Petersburg with just a single point after drawing with Iceland in their opener and losing 3-0 to Croatia in their second game. To have any chance of advancing from Group D, the Celeste must defeat Nigeria, who have 3 points.
"We have to make our goal five games to reach the final. Tomorrow will be the first final," Sampaoli said during a press conference at Saint Petersburg Stadium ahead of the showdown with the Super Eagles.
The coach offered no clues about the roster for Tuesday's game, though the presence of back-up goalkeeper Franco Armani at the press conference suggested he may be picked over error-prone starter Willy Caballero.
"No matter who plays tomorrow will have the obligation to give until the last bead of sweat so that Argentina will go through," Sampaoli said. "We don't have any alternative and I am sure this is how it will go. Tomorrow, I am sure that they will see the best version of Argentina at this World Cup," he added.
With team captain Lionel Messi visibly unhappy following both of the first two matches, media outlets have reported that players went over Sampaoli's head to the Argentine soccer federation to demand changes in personnel and tactics.
Facing a tidal wave of criticism for his team's performances and amid reports that senior members of his squad were longer willing to follow their coach, Sampaoli refused to dwell on the past. "I can't clarify situations that don't exist. When we finished the last match I took responsibility for the loss," he said. "I am the coach so the next day I started to think about how we can win tomorrow as a team."
Messi was marked out of the game in the 3-0 defeat by Croatia, touching the ball fewer times than Argentina's goalkeeper. Although Sampaoli did not reveal his line-up, he said he would change the team to get his talisman more involved.
"That match was complicated for Messi because the structure of the game didn't favour him," he said. "He didn't get a lot of balls from centre from midfield. We are going to try and improve that. Messi will touch the ball a lot more. Tomorrow we need to play with a lot of heart, with strong structure. We need to establish what our team needs, which is security."
(Inputs from Reuters)
from Daily News & Analysis https://ift.tt/2twpqL8
No comments: