No one wants to face a giant. On Saturday the smallest country ever to qualify for The World Cup faces one of the biggest teams from South America and one of the world’s greatest players. Lionel Messi is not the only think Iceland will have to focus on, however.
Argentina had to scrape to qualify for 2018 scoring just 19 goals in 18 games and going through three different coaches in the process. They qualified largely on the brilliance of one man. Lionel Messi again and again showed his quality. The run up to the tournament has been a mixed bag, beating Italy and Haiti handily but losing miserably to Spain. Now they face Iceland and a team that has no real star and nothing to lose.
Iceland plays as a team with discipline and efficiency. That is how they qualified and how they have proved their quality. They seem a lock to be everyone’s second favorite team of the tourney. Iceland’s coach Heimer Hallgrimsson once served as the island country’s dentist, but he has taken his team far. This is a team that defeated England in the European Championships in 2016. Do they have another stunner in them?
Players to watch for Argentina: Lionel Messi is the obvious choice. There is not another player in the world game that has the technical ability of Messi. His skill with the ball is unparalleled but he is not alone. Angel Di Maria combined well with Messi during the qualifiers and was used in a number of different formations. Look for those two to combine as much as possible. Sergio Aguero and Nicholas Otamendi will also show why they are so highly valued in the Premiere League. Argentina has attacking options to spare but their Defenders can be suspect at times. Iceland will try to hold off the offensive onslaught and find quality times to counter and take advantage of mistakes.
For Iceland, Gylfi Sigurdsson has class and ability but the Everton man has not played since March with an injury. His success will be a big part of Iceland’s fate in the cup. Aside from his quality, this is a team that plays as one. Each player knows their job and they know it well. They are precise and execute well. There are no real stars but a group of quality role players.
It is hard to see Iceland knocking off Argentina but a small rock can take down a giant. One small goal by Iceland could see them with a huge upset of a world power. Argentina will need to establish their quality and prowess early. The longer they let Iceland gain confidence, the more dangerous their game will be. Iceland has no expectations placed on it in this game and therefore nothing to lose. If Argentina do outclass Iceland then their job is to limit the damage and look for second place in the group with a win over Nigeria or Croatia. Both of those teams are much smaller giants.
