5 reasons why Argentina will win the 2014 World Cup

After a month of exhilarating football which started with 32 teams from all over the world, we are now left with two teams who will go head-to-head against each other in the grand finale of the FIFA 2014 World Cup to be played on the 13th of July at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.The final will be a cross continental clash between the European giant Germany and the South American powerhouse Argentina. This will be the third World Cup final featuring the two old foes, with both of then having won one a piece.Let us take a look at 5 reasons why Argentina arethe favourites to win the World Cup 2014.

#1 The little known Sergio Romero will be the man to beat

We all remember Argentina’s defensive debacle in the 2010 World Cup quarter-final against Germany when they were thrashed 4-0. However the team has come a long way since, and their defense has looked rock-solid after a shaky start. The scary part is that their defense has gotten better with each match and they haven’t conceded a single goal in the last 3 matches.

Argentina has always been known as a fierce attacking unit, but it has been their defensive resilience that has been top notch during the World Cup. Sergio Romero has been in good form with four clean sheets in six matches and displayed his brilliant shot stopping skills in the penalty shootout against Netherlands helping his team go through to the finals.Ezequiel Garay has been the pick of the defenders for Argentina, as he has helped keep the defense nicely organised. He is known for his physical strength and dominates aerial duels, and together with Romero, the duo will pose a tough challenge for the German attack.

#2 Complacency could lead to Germanys self-destruction

Reaching the finals of the FIFA World Cup has been like a routine task for Germany. They have played in seven FIFA World Cup finals, winning three of them. They will be playing in their eighth World Cup final this time, having finished third in the previous two editions.

Germany has been a pre-tournament favourite very often since they always seem to have a great team, but complacency seems to get the better of them as they progress further in the tournament. They may have crushed Brazil 7-1, but on the downside it could fuel complacency, and going by their history in World Cups, the crushing win against Brazil may have come at the wrong time.

Case in point: In the 2010 World Cup Germany crushed Argentina 4-0 in the quarter-finals before going on to lose 1-0 to Spain in the semi-finals. In UEFA Euro 2012, they beat Greece 4-2 in the quarter-finals before losing 2-1 to Italy. Maybe we don’t need to go back much in time; after annihilating Portugal 4-0 in the opening match, they ended up drawing Ghana 2-2 in the next match.

A performance comparison between Germany and Argentina easily suggests that Germany have been the better team during the World Cup, but past performances hardly matter when you have made it to the final as the only thing that matters is how the team performs in the final.

#3 Argentinas fearsome foursome could grill the German defense

Argentina may have scored far less goals compared to Germany, but you simply can’t write-off their attacking unit which consists of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero/ Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel di Maria. Argentina’s shot conversion rate into goals may be very low, but one thing we can be sure of is that they will test the German defense to the fullest.

Lionel Messi has been the focal point of the Argentine attack, but that could change in the final. He has taken up the mantle of both scoring and creating play, and has done it in style. However if the roles get distributed equally among the four, it will beat the opponent tactic of bottling up Messi.

Hopefully, Angel di Maria will be fit for the final since he is the work-horse of the team; if not then their strike force will be dented. Higuain has been in good touch having scored a brilliant goal against Belgium and Sergio Arguero’s play although subdued due to his injury woes, has been improving with every match, and he will have a major role to play in the final.

Sabella has an option of fielding the enterprising Ezequiel Lavezzi as a forward since he is good at making solo runs into the box, and has a habit of consistently hitting the target. The big question here: Will Sabella’s Argentina unleash an attacking strategy right from the word go or will they once again defend deep and rely on the counter-attack?

#4 \'el Mago\' Messi will take the pressure off his team-mates

Some fans often complain that Lionel Messi is at the centre of every match Argentina plays, but there is no doubt that he has the potential to win games on his own, like Diego Marodona. He showed exactly that against Iran when he curled one past the goal-keeper in the dying minutes of the match, however it is debatable if he would be able to do the same against a high quality team like Germany.

Messi is seen as the leader who will lead from the front. It is Messi who mostly takes the brickbats or bouquets for Argentina’s performance. He is the darling of the media and is projected as a role model for the youngsters. Whenever Messi steps onto the field he carries a lot of expectations from the fans and the media and he is someone who handles pressure well.

The team’s strategy has revolved around him in the World Cup and has worked wonders for the team as they find themselves in the final. Messi scored all his four goals in the group stage and since then his opponents have bottled him up forcing him into a defensive role, leaving Angel di Maria, Higuain and Lavezzi to take center stage.

The comparison between him and Diego Maradona is the talk of the town, and the question remains if Messi can emulate Maradona’s 1986 World Cup feat. The moment Lionel Messi had been waiting for all his life is here. Mind you he could have easily been a part of the Spanish team, and a World Cup winner by now, but he chose his own destiny by deciding to walk in the footsteps of the great Maradona.

The Argentines will watch with bated breath: each and every time the ball graces Messi’s feet, fans will be expecting to witness a miracle at the Maracana. Can Messi handle the extra pressure? Will he lead from the front? Or maybe someone else will steal his thunder, and help Argentina win the World Cup.

#5 Alejandro Sabellas flexible formations

Argentina’s head coach Alejandro Sabella is known to be a pragmatist and it is very evident from the way Argentina have been winning their matches. He has transformed a brilliant attacking side into a more balanced and a well-disciplined unit. He has placed more emphasis on defense while the attack is more measured and cautious.

Sabella has been using different formations like 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2 and 4-4-2, but the four-man defense has remained unchanged. The Argentines who are known to play flashy football, have undergone a major change under Sabella, who has instilled a lot of tactical discipline in the attack while opting for a miserly approach. The good thing about the team is their ability to adapt to different formations which can happen only if you have great understanding among the team members.

The final could all boil down to a clash between two coaches with different tastes. Loew’s team has been scoring goals freely and is more attack minded, whereas Sabella’s team has a defensive approach. Loew has stuck to his 4-1-2-3 formation which has yielded many goals for Germany, but it will be interesting to see if he sticks to the same formation against Argentina who have wingers who could run amok in midfield.