Online Reporter
WINNING back-to-back World Cups is tough. Italy did in the 30s, and so did Brazil in 1958 and ’62.
Both times they won the second tournament in their home continent.
It means that next year Argentina will be trying to do something that has never been done before – retain the World Cup thousands of miles from home, in a different continent and hemisphere.
It is a big ask. But coach Lionel Scaloni has every reason to be pleased about how his team are building towards next year’s tournament.
The Scaloni story is remarkable. The one-time West Ham right-back landed the Argentina job after the 2018 World Cup – with no previous senior coaching experience – for one main reason.
He came cheap. No one expected him to last long.
Instead, he brought a long, dry run without a title to a thrilling end. Argentina won the 2021 Copa America, their first senior trophy since 1993.
And at the end of the following year came the big one, the Qatar World Cup.
The secret of his success lay in finally getting the best out of Lionel Messi in a light blue and white shirt.
On and off the pitch, the little genius became the leader of the gang, surrounded by his fan club.
Messi was then 35. Could he really do it all again in 2026, when he turns 39 during the course of the competition?
It seemed unlikely. And he has yet to give a 100 per cent definitive answer on whether he will play in the tournament. But things have gone so well for the national team that his presence next year appears ever more probable.
His obvious worry is that he might not be able to do himself justice. So it helps enormously that there is not so much pressure on him.
The 2026 model Argentina will not have to be the Lionel Messi show. Last year Argentina won another Copa America, beating Colombia in the final. He went off injured during the game – and the team arguably improved in his absence.
They cruised through World Cup qualification, finishing nine points clear at the top of the table.
And of the 18 rounds, Messi only started ten. Twice he came off the bench.
He was the team’s top scorer. But, unlike in previous campaigns, the side did not suffer in his absence.
The best performance, a 4-1 thrashing of Brazil, came without him. Messi obviously cannot be replaced by one man, but the Atletico Madrid partnership of Thiago Almada and Julian Alvarez is looking very promising.
Argentina, then, have found ways to win without Messi. This does not mean that Scaloni has no worries. Angel Di Maria, who has made a triumphant return to Argentine football with Rosario Central, retired from the international game after last year’s Copa America.
Consistently outstanding on the big occasion, his capacity to surge through opposing defences has not been replaced. The great hope was Alejandro Garnacho, but the Chelsea winger has not developed as hoped.
And the defensive unit is a cause for concern.
Argentina’s back line collapsed under pressure in the knockout stages of the Qatar campaign, almost costing victory against Australia, Holland and against France in the final.
No new world-class defenders have emerged. The defence is essentially the same as Qatar -meaning that there is still a place for Nicolas Otamendi, who turns 38 in February. The former Manchester City centre-back will have to be replaced for Argentina’s opening World Cup game – a red card in the last qualifier means that he is suspended.
Opportunity could be knocking for Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi as the left-sided centre-back.
History says that it can’t be done, and there must surely come a time when Argentina pay a price for defensive problems.
But, with beautifully fluid passing when their game hits rhythm and with Messi alongside some confident, emerging talent, there is a chance that they might become the first team ever to retain the World Cup outside their own continent. – Sun
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