FIFA World Cup 2018: France confident as Argentina seek turnaround.
Against one of the best midfields, onus on Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli to get strategy right.
Lionel Messi will have to find his best form if Argentina are to stand any chance of beating France in the FIFA World Cup 2018 round of 16 match on Saturday. (REUTERS)
The Bauman Street in Kazan is one of the busiest areas in the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Dotted with restaurants serving Tatar delicacies, it also houses some of the city’s most popular pubs. Not surprisingly, it is one of the most popular tourist spots.
Two days before the first pre-quarterfinal of the World Cup between Argentina and France, only a handful of fans in white and blue were seen. By Saturday though, the landscape will change drastically. Argentine fans have been omnipresent this World Cup. Come Saturday 5pm, they will be expected to once again outnumber their rival fans.
On the pitch though, Argentina enter the fray as underdogs — an unusual situation for the last World Cup runners-up. After an unconvincing group stage, meeting France is one of the last things Jorge Sampaoli’s side would have wished for.
A win here though will surely erase Argentina’s initial struggle and reestablish their title claims. It’s easier said than done though. The 3-0 loss to Croatia in Nizhny Novgorod had exposed Argentina’s midfield for its lack of strength, forcing Sampaoli to bring back Ever Banega to his starting eleven in the 2-1 win against Nigeria.
With France possessing one of the best midfields, Sampaoli is expected to again start with a three-man central midfield. Against Nigeria, Argentina had started with a four-man backline but resorted to a three-man defence after conceding a second-half equaliser.
This is the conundrum that Sampaoli has to solve while strategising against France. A four-man defence could provide him with a stable three-man midfield with Messi at his favoured position of a free-floating role to its right.
This post is from https://www.hindustantimes.com
No comments:
Post a Comment