World Cup is finally here and all the football fans are ecstatic. This is the biggest football tournament in the world and it is happening in Qatar.
More than 1 million fans are expected to arrive in Qatar, a tiny Gulf nation that is supposed to host a World Cup of many firsts, including the fact that this is the first time that something like this has been hosted in the Middle East.to make this happen Qatar has built so much new stuff including airports, hotels and 7 new stadiums, a metro and a highway system to connect all that.
The total bill of everything said here is over $200 billion and this is by far the most expensive FIFA World Cup ever.
Let’s talk a bit about the host of this magnificent tournament before we dive into the meat and potatoes of the article. Doha is the capital of Qatar and it is its only major city. The size of Qatar can be considered tiny because it can take you roughly two hours to drive from top to bottom of it. It is home to 3 million people of which 380,000 are Qatari nationals.
Since the size of this country is tiny we have a situation where all of the stadiums for the World Cup are located in Doha or an hour’s drive from it. This is great for football fans because, if they wanted to, they could go to more than one game in a day. There is another thing you need to know and fans were made clear before they got there.
Alcohol and other things are prohibited by law, but since this is a special occasion alcohol will be sold in places designated for that and they will sell it in stadiums, but won’t let you take it to the stands. Local laws are usually very strict in Qatar but, again since this is a special occasion they will be a bit more relaxed than usual.
Now that we have that sorted a bit let’s dive into this article and let’s talk about clear favorites to win this prestige tourney – Argentina. Everyone is making bids and predictions and we decided to talk about this a bit. If you want to place your bids and do it in a safe and familiar spot, you can do it at Bet365.
If you listened to what Lionel Messi had to say before the cup started then you know that his favorites to win this cup are Brazil and France. But despite that too many people are talking about Argentina and we needed to make this article.
1. The forwards
If you think about Argentina you think of names like Maradona, DiStefano, Mario Kempes, Messi, and others. All of these names tell you what great forwards Argentina always had and still has. Although they have and still do produce good midfielders and more than decent forwards, many would argue that Argentina is a bit more top-heavy and forward-oriented.
Since we are writing this day after the Argentinian first game, and a losing one for that matter you can see how top-heavy orientation in the team can hurt your final result. Yesterday Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia by one goal and it wasn’t due to bad play.
The luck wasn’t there although they attacked and created many chances. It just wasn’t their day and it could see that they struggled on the mid and back sides of their half of the pitch.
But let’s forget about that for now and try to focus on other things like the form. Their last defeat was 35 matches and almost 1222 days ago. Their last loss was against Brazil and since then this team hasn’t had a single lost game until yesterday. They also went through south American qualifying unbeaten which is an additional feat that only Brazil manage to match.
2. The manager
Lionel Scaloni wasn’t the first choice to lead this team but since his players praised him and since he is immaculate in preparation, details and tactical work, a lot of things that he predicts and plans out do happen.
His team is fond of him, they have a tight bond, and sometimes that is more important than pure skill on the field or the lack, or lack of it on game day.
3. The draw
If any team had a more favorable draw then it is Argentina which is another reason they are favorites.
Their group consists of Saudi Arabia, we already mentioned, Mexico and Poland are considered to be fairly easy, especially for a team like this. Their first game didn’t-t went as they expected but there is still a chance to turn things around.
4. Messi
Although we never like to tie a whole team to just one guy, we can’t neglect the impact that Lionel Messi’s name carries around. This is the guy that no one likes to play against. He is quick, good, and unpredictable and when he has the ball you are in trouble.
Can he carry the whole team, well no but he will leave the biggest impact on every game without any doubt. He is in full form and we see improvement from him after that subdue season in PSG. That Barcelona breakup did hurt him and now it appears he is back on track and he will be making a statement here.
5. Aggression off the ball
This will probably be the thing that will make them pull through and probably win the world cup. Aggression in the game comes in different ways. One that Argentina prefers is to press on when they don’t have the ball.
Their counter-press is immaculate and many teams that go against them struggle to keep the ball at their feet after Argentina loses it. That is an extension of the team’s attacking philosophy and it comes naturally to them since they are very attack and aggression oriented both in tactics and player types on the pitch.
What will eventually be of this team, we have yet to see. The predictions are good but since the game, yesterday made shocked them a bit let’s see how they recuperate. If they win their next game, there isn’t any doubt, they will be going to the top.
