The famously tough South American qualification process almost claimed a massive scalp but Argentina scraped into this summer’s tournament after a campaign in which they employed three different coaches.
The reality is that despite having several top-quality players, were it not for Lionel Messi, they would not be in Russia at all.
Argentina head there in poor form and still smarting from an embarrassing recent 6-1 friendly defeat by Spain.
Argentina’s 2018 World Cup Group Matches
Argentina vs Iceland, 16 June 2018, 2pm UK time
Argentina vs Croatia, 22 June 2018, 7pm UK time
Argentina vs Nigeria, 26 June 2018, 7pm UK time
Argentina 2018 World Cup Squad
The imbalance of talent in the squad is startling with Messi supported by an embarrassment of riches in the forward areas, while quality further back in the field is worryingly lacking.