Hockey World Cup 2018: Argentina vs New Zealand - 5 Talking Points

Champion teams often grow into a tournament with every passing match, and seem to possess an innate ability to get through the opening encounters with minimal exertion and with several aces up their sleeve.

While it may be too early to reach any definitive conclusions, if past history and the first two matches are anything to go by, Argentina seems to be finding their way back after a lacklustre year with the promise of a lot of more to come.

Spain may have stretched Argentina in their opener, and very nearly gave the Olympic champions a scare but the manner in which German Orozco's side played New Zealand out of the match without breaking into a sweat speaks volumes about the quality of the South Americans.

At Rio, Argentina was less than impressive in the pool stages, winning just 2 of their 5 pool matches and finishing behind Germany and the Netherlands but came vigorously to life in the knockouts.

At Bhubaneswar, last year, Carlos Retegui's team failed to win a single pool match and seemed to headed downhill when they bucked the trend and ended the HWL as silver-medalists.

Retegui is not in Bhubaneswar this time around, but Argentina who have struggled at the Azlan Shah Cup and the Champions Trophy earlier this year are beginning to look menacing even before they have begun to fire on all cylinders.

Let us take a look at 5 factors that may have been significant in determining the ultimate course of this match.

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#5 German Orozco gets his calculations right

After five years at the helm, coach Carlos Retegui decided to move on, early this year, after having guided Los Leones to unprecedented success.

Retegui did return soon after and is part of the Argentine coaching fraternity, but it is German Orozco who has been entrusted with the unenviable task of keeping his nation's flag flying high following the glory of World Cup, Olympic, and Hockey World League success.

The former Argentine defender did not have the best of starts as his side ended up third at the Azlan Shah Cup earlier this year, and were beaten by both India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy at Breda.

The South Americans managed a hard-fought win against a determined Spanish side in their opener but a comprehensive and facile win against New Zealand will help to infuse some much-needed confidence in a coach who has to be prepared for tougher battles ahead.

#4 New Zealand fail to find an early opening goal

New Zealand lost the plot after failing to score early

Stephen Jenness stormed his way into the Argentine circle in the opening seconds and the Black Sticks exerted enormous pressure on the opposition defence not allowing them any time to settle down.

The strategy for New Zealand was to stun the opposition with a couple of quick goals but Peillat, Gilardi, and Ibarra maintained their composure and made some vital interceptions.

Darren Smith's boys tried much the same ploy in the second half as well with a similar result and apart from the early forays, the New Zealand strikers failed to make an impact, allowing the opposition to regain control and dictate terms for pretty much the entire duration of the match.

While Argentina defended well, the New Zealand strikers lacked coordination up front and Kane Russell failed to power the drag-flicks past Vivaldi who seems to be getting better with age.

#3 Argentina play the match at a pace of their own choosing

Argentina controlled the pace and the flow of the match

The contest began with a bang as the Black Sticks began the proceedings at a blistering pace, but the Argentinians deliberately slowed the match down and doused the flames which New Zealand had ignited to unsettle their higher-ranked opponents.

Argentina followed a similar routine throughout, repeatedly playing long unhurried crosses deep within their own half and inviting the New Zealand players to move upfield and create gaps, before sending in some probing through-balls which their strikers made good use of.

Darren Smith's side could do little to prevent Argentina from controlling the flow and the pace of the match which frustrated the New Zealand unit and forced them to commit a series of errors which included handing over possession at crucial junctures and conceding avoidable PCs.

The Black Sticks have disappointed thus far and will have to up their game significantly if they do wish to make it to the crossovers (or quarterfinals) and beyond.

#2 Minimal exertion with maximum impact - the Argentine formula

Argentina won without breaking into a sweat

The South Americans won the match with a comfortable 3-0 margin without doing anything overtly spectacular.

As compared to teams like India and Belgium who strained every sinew and also pleased the galleries with their scintillating moves, Argentina seemed to ease their way through unlike in their opener when they played more of a running game.

Some cohesive and mature passing facilitated by a well-structured midfield and defensive unit meant that the Olympic champions expended little energy but still managed to earn full points and have all but cemented their place in the knockouts.

The calm and self-assured manner in which the Argentinians went about their business does present a veiled threat to the opposition at Bhubaneswar as the hockey world is well aware what Argentina are capable of when they step up the gear and play to their absolute potential.

#1 Argentina win without Peillat scoring

Argentina won comfortably as Mazzilli and Vila found their scoring touch

The South Americans have made it big on the world stage largely due to the efforts of their one-man goal machine.

Gonzalo Peillat, the highest scorer at the Rio Olympics, and the 2014 World Cup has been largely responsible for his side scaling the summit in the world of hockey, and it is not often that his side wins with a three-goal margin without any contribution from his end.

Peillat did contribute at the back end with some superb defending and helped Lucas Martinez score by flipping in a deft touch to Ibarra off a PC, but failed to get the direct flicks past Richard Joyce in the New Zealand goal.

It is not Peillat but teammate Agustin Mazzilli who has the highest number of goals for the Argentinians at Bhubaneswar after scoring a brace in their opener, and the opening goal against the Black Sticks.

Lucas Vila too got his name on to the scoresheet with a superb strike from the edge of the circle which augurs well for the Olympic champions ahead of the crucial knockouts.

What is not so rosy for the South Americans is that they seem to be struggling a wee-bit with their direct PC conversions, but that may well change as the competition progresses.

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Head to Sportskeeda to check out the schedule for the upcoming matches.