Concern in Argentina: Scaloni faces three problems

Although the Argentina national team has reached the 2026 World Cup Round of 16, the coaching staff led by Lionel Scaloni is not entirely satisfied with the team's performance.

A difficult victory against Cape Verde exposed the weaknesses of the reigning world champions. Now, ahead of the decisive match against Egypt, Argentina must resolve several key issues.

The pressing is not working as expected

According to Diario Olé, the aspect worrying Scaloni the most is the team's pressing system.

Argentina's players are not pressing quickly or organized enough after losing the ball. As a result, opponents are able to escape the pressure and launch rapid counter-attacks.

Scaloni expects a much more active, intense, and cohesive pressing from his team.

Ball possession is there, but sharpness is lacking

Although Argentina controls the ball for long periods and organizes positional attacks, most of them do not end in dangerous situations.

The team is struggling to increase the tempo, break through the opponent's defense with unexpected passes, and quickly change the direction of attacks.

For this reason, Argentina's attacks sometimes appear monotonous and predictable for the opponent.

All solutions are still expected from Messi

Another serious problem facing the coaching staff is the team's excessive reliance on Lionel Messi's individual skill.

Especially against opponents who sit deep in defense, Argentina looks to its 39-year-old leader for the main attacking solution.

While Messi continues to create decisive moments, Scaloni wants to distribute attacking responsibility more evenly among other players. Otherwise, opponents could neutralize Messi and limit the entire team's attacking potential.

Cape Verde gave Argentina a tough time

The 'Albiceleste' had a much harder game than expected against Cape Verde in the previous round of the playoffs.

The winner was not decided in regular time, and the Argentines only triumphed 3-2 in extra time. This match showed that the team still needs to work on pressing, developing attacks, and defensive balance.

The next test is Egypt

The Argentina national team will face Egypt in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 on July 7.

The match will start at 21:00 Tashkent time.

Egypt is a disciplined team in defense and dangerous on the counter-attack. Therefore, if Scaloni's charges repeat their previous mistakes, it will not be an easy walk in this match either. Messi is there, but the entire plan should not rely solely on him.