Uruguay vs Argentina, 5 Talking Points; FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

#4. Have we seen the sun set on the "Mascherano plus 10" era?

Will Mascherano's trademark tackles be restricted to the training ground now?

There was this famous Adidas ad that ran before the 2010 World Cup that went with the tagline "<insert your name> + 10". This was brilliantly used by Diego Maradona soon after he took charge of the national team. When asked what his likely team would be he said with the easy conviction he's always carried - "It's Mascherano plus 10."

For nigh on a decade now, those words have stood as the gospel truth as successive Argentina managers have built their teams on the solid foundation that the ever-combative, ever-passionate Javier Mascherano has given them.

If this game - a game that embodied everything Mascherano stands for - was any indication, Sampaoli may be about to usher in the end of an era. As good a defensive midfielder as Mascherano was in his prime, Barcelona's use of him as a central defender seems to have affected his game irreversibly - and despite all the outrage pouring out of the farthest corners of the internet, this may just be the best thing that's happened to that Argentina back-line. When it's time to move on... well, you really do need to simply up and move... and Sampaoli may have done just that