In less than twenty hours, the semi-finals between Argentina and Croatia will begin. Assuming Argentina can lead 2:0, can they win the game?
Croatia's performance in the last knockout stage is already amazing. In this competition, they continued to maintain this tradition, and they staged equalizers and penalty shootouts in both rounds of knockout matches.
The current Argentine team must first overcome a psychological hurdle for teams with this characteristic. If the score is behind, the game will be extremely difficult. You can refer to Portugal against Morocco; if you lead 1:0, you are still worried about ordinary opponents, let alone Croatia; if you lead 2:0? We specifically discuss Argentina's 2:0 difficult situation.
In the five games in Argentina, except for the first game Saudi was troubled by offside and did not score the second goal, the next four games showed a 2:0 lead.
played against Mexico in the second game, and it was not until the 86th minute of the game that the second goal was scored. It took a short time to deal with this scene and no major problems occurred.
The final match of the group stage Polish , scoring the second goal in the 67th minute. Argentina used his idle midfield ball control to eliminate the remaining twenty minutes, but don't ignore one background, that is, Poland needs to maintain a score of 0:2.
Eighth finals Facing Australia, which is slightly inferior, the Argentinian took a 2:0 lead in 57 minutes. Because of inconsistent tactical thinking, the leading Argentine team often has disconnection between front and back courts. Australia seized the opportunity and scored a goal in the 77th minute. After that, Argentina's goal was in full swing, and it was difficult to find an offensive endorsement in the frontcourt. Under extremely difficult circumstances, Argentina finally passed this level without any danger.
quarter-finals, opponent is the "uncrowned champion" Dutch team. In the 73rd minute, Messi scored the second goal of Argentina. Unexpectedly, the Argentine team collapsed instantly as if they were possessed by Caddy , and they suddenly seemed to be unable to play football. Under the Dutch attacks one after another, although Messi changed his previous defensive intensity, the Dutch team still maintained a high-pressure posture in Argentina's backcourt.
The panicked Argentine players rarely organize effective counterattacks, and even the defense is full of loopholes. Unnecessary fouls are everywhere. The Netherlands tied the score by buzzer. Fortunately, there was a short adjustment time before overtime, and Argentina did not face the test of whether it would continue to be confused. After the score of
was tied, the talent of playing football returned to the Argentine players. After spending more than twenty minutes calmly and terrifyingly, Argentina launched the "ultimate offensive." The Dutch team faced challenges again in front of the goal. After the post rejected Argentina, the two sides started a penalty shootout.
Based on the above analysis, the Argentine team is the worst at controlling the situation of leading 2:0. Croatia has twice equalized one goal behind, and 1:0 is obviously not possible.
In football matches, the biggest difficulty is what to do if you lead. Group projects require that the players on the field be unified in their thoughts. The choice between offensive or defensive strategy in football games is something that has never been encountered in other sports.
Some of the Argentine team, which believes that "offense is the best defense", will still adhere to this belief. However, the Argentine team's counterattack lacks a shooter who is intimidating against the opponent's goal. It is difficult to support the defensive team by just making a sound and not laying eggs. The limited support for the defender in the midfield and frontcourt has caused the defense to make repeated low-level mistakes under continuous high pressure and make unnecessary fouls in dangerous areas.
Argentina team chose to defend comprehensively, avoiding the strengths and making the weaknesses, and the shortcomings are Messi. Messi has limited contributions to the defensive end, and the Argentina team is equivalent to self-destruction. In the game against the Netherlands, Messi showed a rare defensive hardness, but his "spontaneous" participation in defense has limited contribution to the overall situation. It shows just an attitude. How to solve the 2:0 lead situation is a major issue facing the Argentina team in this cup.
I wish the Argentina team good luck!
