World Cup 2018: 3 players who could reduce Lionel Messi's workload in Russia

Argentina find themselves in the middle of worries as they have dropped two very vital points to Iceland. The two-time-champions are yet to face Croatia, their biggest challenge in the group.

From here on, the team cannot afford to drop even a single point if there are planning to stay in Russia for the knock-outs.

The team's talisman, Lionel Messi was heavily man-marked against Iceland due to which the team struggled for creativity. The South Americans have been over-relying on him in the past 12 months.

Messi went onto miss a penalty in the last outing which called for attention to the fact that he cannot do it all by himself. Despite being a great footballer there only a little he can do about a team which struggles to score a single goal in his absence.

That said, here are a few players the team can turn to so as to ease the pressure off Messi in this tournament:

---

#3 Sergio Aguero

Aguero opened the scoring vs Iceland

The striker has been in sublime form over the years for Manchester City and his thundering strike against Iceland outlined his confidence. Aguero gave his nation a deserved lead but couldn't contribute much thereon after.

The team's lack of creativity saved him enough leisure to roam in the final third with not much to do. The opposing defenders appeared to be unbeatable against a striker lacking physicality.

Therefore, the forward needs to do what he is best at. He needs to be that false-nine striker and drag as many defenders as he can out of their positions.

His movement has been a key to the team's success at club level. At the Etihad, his reading of the game and movement causes enough troubles for the opposition. Some similar approach needs to be adopted by the manager here if he is willing to stick with Aguero as the centre-forward.

Moreover, this would eventually free up space forward for players like Lionel Messi, Maximiliano Meza or Lucas Biglia to exploit.

The player is one of the world-class forwards in the business and he needs to be used like the one here. The 30-year-old could prove to be a key in Argentina's journey in this competition.

#2 Angel di Maria

Di Maria needs to deliver at the big stage now.

Argentina isn't short of talent on any front. In Angel di Maria, they possess a versatile weapon who can be deployed anywhere in the attacking role and expected to deliver.

The PSG winger has been in magnificent form since his days in the Spanish capital. His ability to tear the defences apart with his pace is phenomenal. He can breach even the most organised teams with his perfect looping balls and crosses.

However, he hasn't delivered it all when in national colours. The player needs to step-up and prove what makes him a top player at the biggest stage in the game.

Argentina need creativity if all the routes to Lionel Messi are closed and Di Maria is the best fit for the job.

He is one of those players who can run a riot when in the mood. The Argentine people need him more than ever.

#1 Paulo Dybala

Dybala can reduce Messi's work-load at Russia.

Dybala is one of the most promising talents in the world presently. Widely regarded to be the heir to Lionel Messi, the player is in sublime form recently.

However, the opportunities have always come at a premium for him in the national camp. This is mainly because of the fact that his style of play is no different from his idol, Messi's.

Dybala has an equally lethal left foot as his idol- Lionel Messi. He can be pitched on the right-wing. On any day, he is a major upgrade over Maximiliano Meza, who started against Iceland.

Sampaoli needs to trust the Juventus forward. With the likes of Dybala, Messi, Aguero and Di Maria all on the pitch at the same time, the team would be firing on all fronts.

The defence would need to rethink its strategy if Dybala is given an unexpected start. It is worth giving a shot especially when the current XI is proving to be unproductive.