Argentina 2-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina: 5 talking points

Argentina secured a narrow 2-1 win over World Cup debutants Bosnia and Herzegovina in their Group F encounter. Lionel Messi had a good outing for the Albiceleste as he was instrumental in providing a goal and an assist.Here are 5 talking points that the game

#1 Bosnia can be proud of their performance

Despite losing the game, Bosnia-Herzegovina put in a real good shift today. Their defence was immaculate and was rarely caught off guard when they were on the receiving end of Argentinian counter attacks. Muhamed Besic was given the role of man-marking Lionel Messi and he did that perfectly well for more than half the game.

After they were behind by 2 goals, many thought it was the end, but “the dragons” kept pushing and scored their first goal in a World Cup courtesy Vedad Ibisevic. They pushed Argentina till the very end.

#2 Absence of a natural attacking midfielder might hurt Argentinas chances

Argentina have a host of quality attacking players in their squad and can throw in anyone at any time when things aren’t going well, but the problem Sabella faces is the lack of a good attacking midfielder who can pull the strings behind the strikers.

Lionel Messi was burdened with that task today and did relatively well, but against better teams, the added task of scoring goals and providing passes might just be too much for the little Argentinian.

#3 4-3-3 is probably the best way forward for Argentina

In the first half, Sabella went with a back 3 of Garay, Fernandez and Campagnaro with Rojo and Zabaleta operating as wing backs. This left the midfield shape in tatters as there was absolutely no cohesiveness with the three midfielders Mascherano, Di Maria and Rodriguez playing behind Messi and Aguero. Messi tried to play from a deeper position but had no options in front of him.

Sabella decided to change the formation in the second half to a 4-3-3 and Argentina started to click slowly. The introduction of Gonzalo Higuain left Messi with more options ahead of him while Fernando Gago was assigned with the role of deep lying playmaker.

It’s safe to say that this suits Argentina better than the 3-5-2 setup.

#4 Both Argentina and Bosnia lived up to their billing as the Group F favourites

The first half was probably not the best to watch from a neutral’s perspective, but all that changed in the second half when Argentina changed their system and Bosnia decided to attack the game.

The last 20 minutes were end-to-end and Bosnia certainly showed qualities that might help them get out of the group stages. Argentina got the 3 points and top the group, while Bosnia’s next fixture against Nigeria will be key in deciding whether they will make it to the next phase or not.

#5 Messis goal is huge for both him and Argentina

For 64 minutes, he huffed and puffed, and so did Argentina. But after the goal, both Messi and Argentina looked more lively on the pitch. The 4-time Ballon d’Or winner picked out some delightful passes late on in the game and Argentina were only denied by the awareness of the Bosnian defence.

In the first half, Messi looked like a man who simply had to score and tried those typical solo runs that he is known for. He misdirected a free kick and the groans of the fans in distress could be heard all around.

A minute later all that changed as he got on the score sheet with a wonderful goal. Definitely a monkey of his back.