Key analysis: Messi's Argentina in pursuit of history at Qatar
This Argentina side confirmed their footballing credentials by winning last year's Copa America and by beating Brazil in the final on their home ground - the packed Maracana in the heart of Rio de Janeiro - they only further proved just how serious they are.
Ahead of this World Cup, it's safe to say that Argentina fear no one and Leo Messi (35) will be doing his best to emulate Diego Maradona and deliver his nation the ultimate joy just as Diego did back in 1986.
The previous World Cup (2018) ended in complete disaster for Argentina, after which Jorge Sampaoli lost his job as national team coach.
He was temporarily replaced by his then-assistant Lionel Scaloni (44), who later got the chance to lead the national team to the 2019 Copa America. By then, he was no longer just the interim coach. He led the team to a third-place finish and then to the top of the podium two years later with their impressive win last year.
Now, as the youngest coach in the World Cup finals, Scaloni is preparing Los Albicelestes on their quest to lift the most important trophy in world football. And it must be said that his preparations have gone very well to date.
Unless the Argentines fall to an unlikely defeat in their final friendly match before the tournament against the United Arab Emirates, they will arrive at the World Cup on the back of a 36-match unbeaten run. The last match they lost was in the semi-final of the aforementioned 2019 Copa America.
Assuming they beat the UAE, their first group-stage match (against Saudi Arabia) will be a chance to equal the record for the number of consecutive matches unbeaten by a senior national team - a record which currently belongs to Italy and stands at 37. That run ended a month after Italy won Euro 2020.
Strengths
As befits a leading World Cup favourite - Argentina do indeed have many strengths. For many years now, when one thinks of the Argentine national team, Messi and the Albicelestes' outrageously strong offensive line comes to mind.
This time it is no different. A few years ago, the Argentine attack was made up of Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel di Maria (34) or Gonzalo Higuain. Some names have changed, but the attacking depth remains the same.
In Scaloni's current squad, Messi and Di Maria are primarily responsible for the offensive duties but so too is the lethal Lautaro Martinez (25). He and Messi each scored seven goals in the qualifying campaign.
However, it is not just the strikers who make their presence felt on the pitch. Argentina's strengths also lie in midfield, where their creative hub maintains possession well and creates plenty of chances for the front three.
During the World Cup qualifiers, Giovani Lo Celso (26) and Rodrigo de Paul (28) were the go-to men in the team in this respect. The former notched five assists, but unfortunately, has been ruled out of the tournament with injury. The latter had three assists, and was among the top players in South America in this metric.
With midfielders who are comfortable with the ball at their feet and regularly show off their creativity, it is easy for Argentina to take control of matches. During the qualifiers, they recorded a lower ball possession percentage than their opposition in just three games, and yet still managed to win all of those matches. Scaloni's side keep hold of the ball wonderfully and patiently look for a route to goal.
In Messi's earlier years of playing for the national team, the problems with Argentina were mainly defensive. The further away from the strikers, the more the level of the players seemed to drop, culminating with the goalkeeper. In recent years, Argentina have lacked a sure pair of hands between the sticks, a world-class keeper.
Scaloni has gone to great lengths to find the best option in goal and, after trying eight keepers, he's settled on Emiliano Martinez (30). The Aston Villa player had a great last season at his club, which he also carried over into the national team. In the World Cup qualifiers, he recorded six clean sheets and achieved the highest rate of shots stopped by any goalkeeper in the competition. The performance of Martinez and the defence as a whole will be vital to any success Argentina may have in Qatar.
Weaknesses
The Albicelestes travel to Qatar in the midst of a 35-match run without a defeat, during which they won the Copa America. In addition to that, they have Messi in their squad, one of the best footballers in the history of the sport. That speaks for itself.
If it were easy to find any weaknesses in the Argentine team, they wouldn't be one of the favourites to win the tournament, which they are.
The only significant weakness to speak of is the injury to Lo Celso, who will miss the World Cup and was a very important figure for the national team in the qualifiers. This single issue should not be seen as a major weakness for the team as a whole, however, his absence is a loss.
If there was something to complain about, it would possibly be the history of finals involving the Argentine national team in the Messi era. Copa America 2007, World Cup 2014, Copa America 2015, Copa America 2016 - Argentina were in the finals of all of these competitions and yet Messi could not win his coveted first trophy with the national team right up until 2021.
That history of near-wins suggests that perhaps mentality issues and leadership skills in the most important matches are their true weaknesses as a team.
Ideal XI
Emiliano Martinez - Nahuel Molina, Christian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico - Guido Rodriguez, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo de Paul - Angel di Maria, Lautaro Martinez, Leo Messi
If the strength of a squad can be demonstrated by the quality of the substitutes, then the fact that Argentina regularly have Paulo Dybala (29) and Lisandro Martinez (24) sitting on the bench tells you how impressive they are.
As mentioned, in recent times, Argentina have had its biggest problems in goal and central defence. It's been difficult to find players to match the quality of the likes of Sergio Romero, Ezequiel Garay and Martin Demichelis who appeared in those crucial positions in the 2014 World Cup final.
Admittedly, they still lack absolutely top-class players in these positions, but both the current form and the age of Emiliano Martinez and Cristian Romero (24) prove that, both in Qatar and in the years to come, there should be no critical issues in defence.
In Lo Celso's absence, the midfield does indeed look a little weaker and more of the playmaking responsibilities will have to be shouldered by De Paul but you can also always count on Messi dropping in deep to collect the ball as well.
There are, as you can guess, no problems in attack. Argentina has always been renowned for its superb strikers. Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez (22), who plays for Manchester City, show that there should be no lack of firepower in the future, either. They are both, of course, led by the legends who are still the real heartbeat of this team - Messi and Di Maria.
The Messi narrative
In Argentina, it is said that time is not measured by months or years, but by the World Cup.
The country lives and breathes football but the last time they could truly call themselves the best country on earth was in 1986, the tournament in which Maradona scored his famous Hand of God goal against England.
For many young fans, these are merely prehistoric times and blurry sepia images. But just as time is measured by World Cups in South America, so too is legendary status.
Messi is now 35 and this is undoubtedly his last chance to achieve something at a World Cup finals that will cement his name as equal to the likes of Maradona and Pele. The same can be said of Cristiano Ronaldo (37). Winning continental titles was huge for both Messi and Ronaldo but winning a World Cup would surely elevate either of them to the ultimate historical podium.
The question of which players are the greatest of all time is inextricably connected to national team performance. In Argentina, the answer to that question is Maradona and then Messi - in that order. If Messi can give the country what they've been waiting for for 36 years, perhaps that order just might flip around.
Prediction
The Argentines were lucky and avoided a difficult group draw. After 35 matches without a defeat, there is no way Scaloni's charges will be frightened by Group C rivals Poland, Mexico or Saudi Arabia.
In addition, the schedule has worked out well for them in that they are starting against the team from Asia. This should give them a comfortable start to the tournament, in which they should end the group stage with all nine available points.
Expect them to go far in the tournament, maybe even all the way.
