World Cup 2018: 4 key battles that decided Croatia's win over Argentina

#4 Jorge Sampaoli vs reason

The jacket came off in the second half, but the tactics never did

The big one really. Every other battle was a byproduct of this enormous one, and this is where Argentina lost the plot.

Why play Caballero in the first place? This is not an over-reaction to his mistake, but he is a substitute goalie at Chelsea, who barely played (13 games overall). There was Armani on the bench, River Plate's starting goalkeeper and who was firmly establishing himself as the best candidate for Argentina.

Where was Dybala? Add Di Maria to that list as well. Benching Dybala simply because he plays in the same position as Messi is one of the worst reasons to be given, and that is not how things work. Messi has played several times on the right, and there is no way Dybala wouldn't have worked out for the team.

And in a must-win game against Croatia - arguably the best midfield in the tournament, you leave out Di Maria. Where was Pavon, who showed much promise in the qualifiers and in the first game as a substitute? Why play Mascherano? If we keep asking questions, and we should, 24 hours will not be enough.

What sort of a formation is a 3-4-2-1? Several matches into Sampaoli's stint, there is still no idea what his preferred formation is. He has played with 3 at the back, 4 at the back, 2 striker up front, 3 in midfield. The WC is not a tournament where you throw things at the wall and hope they stick.

All this flaws in tactics is really what led to Argentina's undoing. You can have a team full of Messis and they would still look just as dull and blunt as the team that showed up today.