Argentina 0-0 Peru: 5 Talking Points, 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying

#3 A World Cup without Lionel Messi... and it may be his own fault

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This isn't hyperbole - Argentina face the very real prospect of not even making the playoff spot, as they are 6th in the standings. A win would do nicely for them, but the last time the Albiceleste beat Ecuador in an away game was in 2001 - Quito's altitude doesn't tend to bring out the best of the Argentines.

It's harsh to criticize Leo Messi tonight - he drove his team forward for much of the game and created a fair number of chances, but that was perhaps the entire problem itself.

Jorge Sampaoli's reasoning for dropping the in-form Paulo Dybala was that it would allow Messi to be closer to the box, in goal-scoring areas. Instead, Messi dropped deep for much of the game, very reminiscent of his performances for Luis Enrique's final year at Barcelona - and the end result was a goalless draw.

Had the Argentine been forced to play closer to goal, he'd have definitely finished off at least 1 chance - which could come back to haunt him and deny him his final World Cup in his peak years.

Argentina's top scorers in WCQ:Lionel Messi, 4 goalsGabriel Mercado (right back), 2 goalsLucas Pratto, 2 goalsAngel Di Maria, 2 goals

— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) October 6, 2017