Bereft of confidence and en route to damnation, Argentina should be thankful to still have a World Cup hope
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The first thing to say is that it could have been a lot worse.
In Barranquilla, some 3,300 miles north of Buenos Aires, Paraguay were doing their neighbours a solid, dramatically coming from behind to beat Colombia – a result that squished the South American qualifying group together like a wheezing accordion.
On another day, that news might have raised a few smiles at La Bombonera, but not on this occasion. No Argentina fan was really in the mood for cheer of any kind after sitting though 90 more minutes of spectacular drudgery that left their team clinging to the precipice of Russia 2018 by their finger nails.
Beat Peru at home: it doesn't sound like the toughest task in the world, even allowing for the minnows' resurgence over the last year. Yet this is an Argentina side ("team" might be pushing it) utterly bereft of both confidence and ideas, sleep-walking its way to damnation.
The Albiceleste haven't failed to qualify for a World Cup since 1970, but on last night's evidence history is keen on repeating itself.
(Image: Getty)
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
The possession and shot stats might suggest they were dominant, but the eyes told a different story. Deprived of Sergio Agüero, Paulo Dybala, Mauro Icardi and Gonzalo Higuaín by a combination of injuries, managerial preferences and, in the case of the Juventus striker, straight-up lunacy, Argentina were toothless.
Ángel Di Maria hid out on the wing and was hauled off at the break. Darío Benedetto, the hometown hero surprisingly chosen to led the line, wasted two chances and did nothing else. Alejandro Gómez's only contribution was a rolling, double-pike dive that would have put Tom Daley to shame.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
And shame was the primary emotion here: Argentina have now taken 73 shots since they last scored a qualifying goal. "Time to pray," read the front page of Diario Uno this morning.
Only Lionel Messi looked likely to pierce the massed ranks of the Peruvian defence, but his performance elicited more sighs of sympathy than cries of delight. The Barcelona star was bright, incisive and menacing. He was also playing in defensive midfield for the most part, forced ever deeper by the lack of service coming from behind.
Faced with such misery, you'd forgive him for retiring from international football all over again.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
Jorge Sampaoli doesn't deserve all of the blame for this, but that's not going to stop him copping a shedload. At the very least, there will scrutiny over his substitutions: how, when Argentina so desperately needed a goal, did the game end with both Dybala and Icardi sitting on the bench?
The injury to Fernando Gago was unfortunate, sure, but Sampaoli could have reacted by throwing caution to the wind, which might at least have sparked the crowd into life. Instead, on came Enzo Pérez to play with the two-cap Benedetto and debutant Emiliano Rigoni. Inspiring stuff.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
As the dust settles, one thing is at least clear: the Argentina players should give this morning's papers a swerve. "Nothing gets better; everything gets worse," seethed Claudio Mauri in La Nación. "There's no stadium, opponent or formation that suits them. The alarm bells aren't just sounding: they're deafening. If you're looking for happiness, find another team."
Olé's Diego Macias was similarly sombre: "Messi didn't save us, Benedetto didn't save us and nor did La Bombonera. No one could. There was a lack of rhythm, a lack of surprises, a lack of killer instinct when the time came to step in the penalty area. We are paying the price for a waterfall of errors during this qualifying campaign."
And yet somehow, even down in sixth, even below the play-off place, even with a pathetic 16 goals scored in 17 games, Argentina are not yet dead. Because of Paraguay, because of the underwhelming quality elsewhere in the group, or because someone, somewhere is watching over them.
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: Getty)
The permutations are every bit as suffocating as the altitude of Quito will be, but their fate remains in their own hands.
A win against Ecuador would guarantee them at least the play-off spot – maybe more if other results fall their way. They could even make the automatic places with a draw and, in a true cat's cradle of of mathematics, the play-off with a defeat.
We're into lottery-win territory at that stage, of course, but beggars cannot be choosers.
Argentina are lucky enough just to have a ticket.
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