World Cup 2018: 4 reasons why Lionel Messi can win the title with Argentina this year

#3 The presence of a world-class coach

Messi and Sampaoli will be working together in the tournament

In the summer of 2017, the Argentina Football Association declared Jorge Sampaoli, former Sevilla and Chile coach as the manager of the national team. Following his success at both club and international level in the past few years, the tactician was viewed by many as the man to take the Albiceleste forward.

Diego Maradona and Alejandro Sabella were the last 2 tacticians that led the nation into the World cup tournament. Both managers achieved some level of success in the competition, with Maradona leading the team into the quarterfinals in 2010 and Sabella reaching the final in 2014.

Critical analysis of these managers, though, reveals that none of them belong in the same bracket as Sampaoli. The former Sevilla boss is highly regarded as one of the best tacticians in the world at the moment. He proved his incredible abilities at Universidad de Chile, leading the club to win the Copa Sudamericana in 2012. He also tasted international success with the Chilean national team, leading the South Americans to win the Copa America in 2015.

Ever since he took over at Argentina, Sampaoli has been working hard to rebuild an already-collapsing team and regaining the confidence of both the fans and the players. The manager has built the team around Lionel Messi, with both men establishing a perfect relationship with each other.

The chance to work with a proven world-class manager is another factor that can help Messi to win the World Cup this year.