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

#3. Lionel Messi, Mauro Icardi, and Paulo Dybala need time to gel

Messi and Dybala - not exactly on the same wavelength yet!

Before the match, Jorge Sampaoli had said: "It's important to know if Messi & Dybala complement each other because it would disadvantage for the team if they isolate themselves."... after this encounter, it's unlikely he's learned much more than he already knew about the chemistry his best playmakers share.

Having recalled Mauro Icardi from the international exile he's strangely had to endure over the past couple of years - and having finally taken the bold step to drop Gonzalo Higuain - Sampaoli fielded a brand new front three that looked as off-wavelength and uncomfortable with each other as one would reasonably expect three people who have played so infrequently with each other to look.

Messi dropped deeper and deeper as the game progressed and was seen for vast patches of the game playing in the "Andrea Pirlo" role, trying to prompt play from much further away from the opposition goal than his manager would have thought ideal. Dybala may need to make a few adjustments to his game to enable Messi the freedom he craves.

The trio may take a while to gel and usually, Sampaoli would be afforded the time required to fashion a proper attack from the immense resources at his disposal - but his predecessor has seen to it that time is something he has little of. A couple more games and Sampaoli needs to get his act together.