NEW DELHI: Following Argentina's 1-1 draw in opposition to Iceland of their opening fixture of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, soccer legend Diego Maradona has cautioned his team forward of their second tie in opposition to Croatia. Argentina are rallying round captain Lionel Messi as the South American giants get ready for their the most important Group D conflict on Thursday.
ALSO READ: Argentina and Messi seeks redemption in opposition to dangerous Croatia
Croatia will have secured a very important three issues of their 2-0 win in opposition to Nigeria of their opening recreation, but their temper can rarely be described as euphoric. They came into the tournament below a cloud, with captain Luka Modric charged with perjury in a corruption scandal which has rocked Croatian soccer. Maradona, then again, writing in his column for TOI on Thursday, discussed that regardless of the off-field issues surrounding Croatia, Arentina must come out higher ready.
ALSO READ: 'Don't blame Messi', pleads Argentina boss Sampaoli
"You need better planning and an improved performance to beat a pedigree team like Croatia. It will be a different game because Croatia will not camp around the penalty box. They have creativity in the midfield in Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, who are experts at controlling the flow of play," Maradona wrote.
"The Balkans have always possessed class and you can see a dash of it in this bunch. They are experienced players who know how and when to attack. Mandzukic is a dangerous striker and even against Iceland, there were holes in Argentina’s midfield, visible especially on the breaks. Where the newcomers failed to take advantage, Croatia might not."
Maradona called the Iceland outcome a "disgrace" and warned trainer Jorge Sampaoli he would now not be capable of go back to Argentina with an identical performances. Adding to the sense of unhappiness, Messi's missed penalty was accompanied via 11 unsuccessful photographs, the most in a World Cup recreation with out go back via a unmarried participant since Italy's Luigi Riva in 1970.
"I said before Argentina's opening match that Iceland wouldn't be easy opponents. The debutants were expected to defend with all their might and they did. But I was still expecting Leo Messi & Co to pull it off. If you want the trophy, you should be able to break this kind of resistance. It was disappointing to see their performance," Maradona added.
"Against teams that play for a point, chances don't come often. If you miss, you pay for it and that's what happened to us. The penalty at 1-1 was a golden opportunity and Leo wasted it. He couldn't deliver on that occasion, but I don't hold him responsible for the draw. It was a collective failure."
Despite the solitary point in opposition to Iceland, Argentina can take solace from a efficiency which saw them muster 26 photographs and have 72 consistent with cent ownership in opposition to Iceland. Sampaoli is reportedly taking into account a number of changes for the sport, including drafting in young forward Cristian Pavon for Angel Di Maria for extra creativity up entrance. Similarly in midfield, Paris Saint-Germain's Giovani Lo Celso could get started as Argentina search extra attacking options, in all probability at the expense of Lucas Biglia.
"Our forwards will get more space, since Croatia will not play a completely defensive game. Coach Jorge Sampaoli has to calculate accordingly. Leo and Sergio Aguero are his best scoring options and both will be heavily marked. This opens up space for a third attacker. Di Maria didn't look good against Iceland. If fielded, he must use the width in the attacking third to create room inside the box. There is talk of Paulo Dybala coming in. I think he should," Maradona pointed out.
"Better coordination and organisation in defensive areas is vital and things have not looked good on this front under Sampaoli. They allowed Iceland a few looks on goal and to stop Croatia in the midfield, Javier Mascherano and Ever Banega have to shoulder a lot of defensive responsibility. The 4-2-3-1 formation works as long as things are compact in the middle and Mascherano has to play a leading role. Pressing up for goals, they can't afford to leave gaps for Croatia to sneak in. I’m not losing heart. It's time for supporters to back La Albiceleste."
ALSO READ: Argentina and Messi seeks redemption in opposition to dangerous Croatia
Croatia will have secured a very important three issues of their 2-0 win in opposition to Nigeria of their opening recreation, but their temper can rarely be described as euphoric. They came into the tournament below a cloud, with captain Luka Modric charged with perjury in a corruption scandal which has rocked Croatian soccer. Maradona, then again, writing in his column for TOI on Thursday, discussed that regardless of the off-field issues surrounding Croatia, Arentina must come out higher ready.
ALSO READ: 'Don't blame Messi', pleads Argentina boss Sampaoli
"You need better planning and an improved performance to beat a pedigree team like Croatia. It will be a different game because Croatia will not camp around the penalty box. They have creativity in the midfield in Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, who are experts at controlling the flow of play," Maradona wrote.
"The Balkans have always possessed class and you can see a dash of it in this bunch. They are experienced players who know how and when to attack. Mandzukic is a dangerous striker and even against Iceland, there were holes in Argentina’s midfield, visible especially on the breaks. Where the newcomers failed to take advantage, Croatia might not."
Maradona called the Iceland outcome a "disgrace" and warned trainer Jorge Sampaoli he would now not be capable of go back to Argentina with an identical performances. Adding to the sense of unhappiness, Messi's missed penalty was accompanied via 11 unsuccessful photographs, the most in a World Cup recreation with out go back via a unmarried participant since Italy's Luigi Riva in 1970.
"I said before Argentina's opening match that Iceland wouldn't be easy opponents. The debutants were expected to defend with all their might and they did. But I was still expecting Leo Messi & Co to pull it off. If you want the trophy, you should be able to break this kind of resistance. It was disappointing to see their performance," Maradona added.
"Against teams that play for a point, chances don't come often. If you miss, you pay for it and that's what happened to us. The penalty at 1-1 was a golden opportunity and Leo wasted it. He couldn't deliver on that occasion, but I don't hold him responsible for the draw. It was a collective failure."
Despite the solitary point in opposition to Iceland, Argentina can take solace from a efficiency which saw them muster 26 photographs and have 72 consistent with cent ownership in opposition to Iceland. Sampaoli is reportedly taking into account a number of changes for the sport, including drafting in young forward Cristian Pavon for Angel Di Maria for extra creativity up entrance. Similarly in midfield, Paris Saint-Germain's Giovani Lo Celso could get started as Argentina search extra attacking options, in all probability at the expense of Lucas Biglia.
"Our forwards will get more space, since Croatia will not play a completely defensive game. Coach Jorge Sampaoli has to calculate accordingly. Leo and Sergio Aguero are his best scoring options and both will be heavily marked. This opens up space for a third attacker. Di Maria didn't look good against Iceland. If fielded, he must use the width in the attacking third to create room inside the box. There is talk of Paulo Dybala coming in. I think he should," Maradona pointed out.
"Better coordination and organisation in defensive areas is vital and things have not looked good on this front under Sampaoli. They allowed Iceland a few looks on goal and to stop Croatia in the midfield, Javier Mascherano and Ever Banega have to shoulder a lot of defensive responsibility. The 4-2-3-1 formation works as long as things are compact in the middle and Mascherano has to play a leading role. Pressing up for goals, they can't afford to leave gaps for Croatia to sneak in. I’m not losing heart. It's time for supporters to back La Albiceleste."
Maradona Exclusive: Lack of support for Messi could trouble Argentina
![Maradona Exclusive: Lack of support for Messi could trouble Argentina]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
June 21, 2018
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