Argentina is attempting to convince that they’re contenders for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after some questioned the squad after their 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening match.
However, the South American nation did get back on track on Saturday with their 2-1 win over Mexico, but pundits are still hesitant to get back in the Argentina boat.
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder and Fox Soccer analyst Sacha Kljestan explained why he needs to see other players on the Argentina national team need to step up. Lionel Messi requires support if they want to be considered a contender for this World Cup tournament.
“It cannot always be Messi,” Kljestan said on the postgame show. “[Angel] Di Maria has to step up. Julian Alvarez or Lautaro Martinez has to step up. Are we ever going to see [Paulo] Dybala in this tournament? Like, somebody else has to step up in the attacking third.”
"Who else is going to step up. It cannot always be Messi."
Our FIFA #WCNow crew give their takeaways on Argentina's win over Mexico ⬇️@JimmyConrad | @SachaKljestan | @DaMarcusBeasley pic.twitter.com/lplkOJhiHg
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 26, 2022
Argentina doesn’t need to win against Poland to advance to the knockout stage, but a draw does set up a matchup against France, which isn’t ideal. Les Bleus knocked out the South American side in the 2018 World Cup Round of 16.
Defeating Poland would secure first place, but a loss would likely eliminate them depending on what occurs in the Mexico-Saudi Arabia fixture.
