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Are Argentina on paper easily the best internationl side in the world??


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Old 09-07-2016, 20:37
Thomas007
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I was looking at todays great international sides, many are impressed with France in this tournament, clearly the best side in the euro's, a lot of them are at a good age (Pogba, Kante, Griezmann etc all born in the 90s) but I still don't know how many truly "great" world class sides there are in international football at the moment, not many IMO.

For me however, on paper, there still one side that stands that is heads and shoulders above the rest on paper, and its not even close, and that definitely Argentina. Their strongest XI, with their respective ages:

GK - Sergio Romero (1987)
DF - Pablo Zabaleta (1985)
DF - Nicolas Otamendi (1988)
DF - Ezequiel Garay (1986)
DF - Marcos Rojo (1990)
MF - Angel Di Maria (1988)
MF - Javier Mascherano (1984)
MF - Javier Pastore (1989)/Erik Lamela (1992)
MF/FW - Lionel Messi (1987)
FW - Sergio Aguero (1988)
FW - Gonzalo Higuian (1987)

Here are infact there respective goal tallies this season for Messi, Aguero and Higuian:

Messi - 41
Higuian - 38
Aguero - 29

So total combined goals for the 2015/16 season across the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A was a whopping 108 between the three of them, That's their forward line! Not exactly playing in sh1t leagues either.

In addition they have Mascherano (easily the best holding midfielder when played there), world class wingers like Di Maria, defenders playing for top English sides etc. Argentina are a huge mystery to me as to why they haven't cleaned up the international scene, , aka like New Zealand at Rugby (ok a bit of an exaggeration). But they haven't won ANYTHING to date. That team is so frigging good they could win the Champions League.

So the big question is, do they start as favourites for the 2018 World Cup? Despite winning F all to date? Pay attention to their birth years as well which I listed, look how many of them will cross the 30+ boundary by then. Most of them will. Argentina don't have much coming up underneath either. But what an insanely talented forward line they have.
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Old 09-07-2016, 20:45
owen10
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They had that team at the last World Cup and they still could not win it

The reason why Argentina dont dominate like the way New Zealand do is because you have not got that many good teams in Rugby Union like you have in football and thats why football is more competitive and thats why it is harder to win a World Cup
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Old 09-07-2016, 21:43
Xela M
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They are bottlers
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Old 09-07-2016, 22:11
Xela M
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Argentina may have the strongest players on paper, but they are never in form at the same time. Most of them don't turn up, are out of form or injured during major tournaments. For instance, I have never seen Aguero play well for Argentina (I haven't watched the Copa America this year though).

They could/should have won the World Cup in 2014, but Di Maria decided not to play in the final and Mascherano was really the only player who played superb throughout that campaign. Messi was fine and did score important goals, but he got scared in the final and never turned up (unlike Schweinsteiger or Ozil who both rose to the occasion).
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Old 10-07-2016, 00:02
batdude_uk1
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Has Messi un-retired from international duty? Or is he still retired from that?

As that could seriously affect their chances at the next World Cup.
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Old 10-07-2016, 00:05
Thomas007
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Has Messi un-retired from international duty? Or is he still retired from that?

As that could seriously affect their chances at the next World Cup.
This thread was written on assumption that he isn't going to retire. No way will he give up the chance of winning a WC, the most glaringly obvious omission from his CV.

He just threw his toys out of the pram after the Copa America debacle, both Messi and Ronaldo are obsessed with being the best ever, he knows a World Cup would be massive for his legacy.
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Old 10-07-2016, 00:09
Mandark
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Truth is that there are no outstanding international teams. Some countries have good sets of players on paper (including Enfland) but they struggle to play as teams in tournaments. So,e countries have limited players but can play well as a team, such as Wales and Iceland. But as I've trolled, sorry argued before, club football is where high quality competitive play is at.
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Old 10-07-2016, 00:19
owen10
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Truth is that there are no outstanding international teams. Some countries have good sets of players on paper (including Enfland) but they struggle to play as teams in tournaments. So,e countries have limited players but can play well as a team, such as Wales and Iceland. But as I've trolled, sorry argued before, club football is where high quality competitive play is at.
I think France, Germany and Italy have been only top nations to play like a team at the Euros

Spain did not play like a team
And the less said about England the better
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Old 10-07-2016, 00:41
Xela M
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Truth is that there are no outstanding international teams. Some countries have good sets of players on paper (including Enfland) but they struggle to play as teams in tournaments. So,e countries have limited players but can play well as a team, such as Wales and Iceland. But as I've trolled, sorry argued before, club football is where high quality competitive play is at.
France doesn't play like a team? Germany doesn't play like a team? Even Argentina plays like a team.

And let's not pretend that we saw some high quality football in the Premier League last season
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Old 10-07-2016, 00:45
owen10
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France doesn't play like a team? Germany doesn't play like a team? Even Argentina plays like a team.

And let's not pretend that we saw some high quality football in the Premier League last season
Of course we saw some high quality football in the Premier League last season, but only from Leicester City as all the other top teams were shit
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Old 10-07-2016, 01:35
Eurostar
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Eloratings have Argentina as the No.1 team at the moment and quite comfortably so the answer may well be yes.
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Old 10-07-2016, 09:25
Jokanovic
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Paper maybe, pitch no.
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Old 10-07-2016, 10:59
DUNDEEBOY
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I think France, Germany and Italy have been only top nations to play like a team at the Euros

Spain did not play like a team
And the less said about England the better
First three named are all better than Argentina
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Old 10-07-2016, 12:03
Eurostar
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Paper maybe, pitch no.
I think Argentina have improved since the last World Cup though, winning nine of their last ten matches and handing out a few hidings to decent teams.
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Old 10-07-2016, 12:24
Jokanovic
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I think Argentina have improved since the last World Cup though, winning nine of their last ten matches and handing out a few hidings to decent teams.
But losing again in the final when it ultimately counts.
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Old 10-07-2016, 12:49
Eurostar
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But losing again in the final when it ultimately counts.
Well, officially that was a 0-0 draw and they had twice beaten that (very strong) Chilean side in the last four months (including away from home).
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Old 10-07-2016, 12:59
aurichie
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They were consumed by nerves in the Copa final. It was hard to watch.
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Old 10-07-2016, 13:27
Jokanovic
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As were their penalties
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Old 11-07-2016, 09:34
snukr
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Wether they're the best is debatable, but if they are, they certainly aren't "easily the best", if they were they would have won Copa America and without extra time or penalties.
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Old 11-07-2016, 11:25
gemma-the-husky
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they aren't even the strongest in S America, are they?
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Old 11-07-2016, 11:26
DUNDEEBOY
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they aren't even the strongest in S America, are they?
Agreed chile are better than them
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Old 11-07-2016, 11:27
gemma-the-husky
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Argentina means "silver". maybe that's why they come second a lot.
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Old 11-07-2016, 13:02
Eurostar
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they aren't even the strongest in S America, are they?
They didn't 'lose' to Chile though, penalties are merely a way of deciding who lifts the trophy. If we look at the three results between the two this year, two wins for Arg and a 0-0 draw, then we could say, yes they are a better side than them.
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Old 12-07-2016, 03:25
Thomas007
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Wether they're the best is debatable, but if they are, they certainly aren't "easily the best", if they were they would have won Copa America and without extra time or penalties.
Originally Posted by gemma-the-husky
they aren't even the strongest in S America, are they?
This is the reason why I used the words on paper, not a simple up front question, "are they the best".

I'm talking about terms of their overall potential, as if in if you could work with one international teams players as a manager, who would it be, I would argue on paper Argentina offer the greatest potential.

Are they results wise the best team in the world? No of course not, I don't agree that they should be the number 1 ranked side in the world either.
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Old 13-07-2016, 09:05
Jim_McIntosh
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Germany, Spain and France would be at least in the argument as well.
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