Cubarsi and Gavi wanting Cristiano Ronaldo’s jersey and admitting he’s the best ever
They are finally free from the shackles of that Barcelona “Messi is the best” spell they did on them at the academy
The good thing about this Cape Verde performance is that they have given every remaining team a template for slowing down Messi and Argentina’s attack.
The key is to deny Messi access to Zone 14. They constantly crowded the central space in front of the box, blocked passing lanes into his feet, and forced Argentina to circulate possession into wider, less dangerous areas. Once Messi couldn’t receive between the lines facing goal, Argentina lost a lot of their creativity and became far more predictable.
Scaloni’s system is designed to maximize Messi in those central pockets, so if you can cut off that supply, you naturally reduce Argentina’s chance creation. The only thing is that, that committing so many bodies centrally leaves you vulnerable elsewhere. You need exceptional defensive discipline, compactness, and intensity for 90 minutes because one lapse is all Messi needs.
The blueprint is there now. The question is whether stronger teams can execute it while still carrying enough attacking threat to punish Argentina in transition.
This is not being cheeky though, this is Shithousery. Let’s not mince words.
If the ball had gone in, they’d have counted the goal because they always favor him, and it would have been an unfair way to knock out Cape Verde.
This is the same guy who ‘escaped’ a clear red card.