Messi rightly leads Argentina's top performers at the 2022 World Cup
Argentina qualified for their sixth World Cup final by beating Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday night. Since losing 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their opening game, they have gone on to win every game, be it in normal time or via penalties.
Here, we run down their top performers at this year’s tournament, assessing the players that made the difference in pushing La Albiceleste to the final.
As one of only three players in the Argentina team to play every World Cup minute, Nicolas Otamendi’s presence at the back has been key in Lionel Scaloni's side only conceding four goals on their way to the final. He has averaged 1.7 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game; no player has made more of the latter metric in the Argentina squad. His contribution to the attack has also been key however, making 60 successful long passes from his own half to the opposition half, a figure only Luka Modric (63) and Rodri (82) can better from all players at the tournament, while the centre-back's 462 accurate passes ranks third altogether in Qatar.
It wasn’t until the final group game against Poland that Enzo Fernandez started at this World Cup, making cameos off the bench in the opening two games, scoring in the win over Mexico. But since his introduction to the starting XI, he has retained his place and the South American powerhouse have looked a much better side. Though he only has two goal contributions to his name, it has been his tireless effort in the centre of midfield that has made the team tick, playing every minute in the knockout stages. His 12 tackles are more than any of his teammates, while his average short passes per 90 stands at 65.6, putting him as one of the top seven passers in the team.
Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has been pivotal to Argentina’s overall gameplan. He has made eight tackles and three interceptions so far in the tournament, as well as maintaining a pass success rate of 90%. He has also won 14 fifty-fifty’s, a sum that only 12 other players in Qatar can better, highlighting the importance of the midfield battle to Argentina and the role Mac Allister has played to help them win these clashes in the middle of the park. His only goal of the tournament against Poland was also the first for his country and came at a vital time at the start of the second half to open the scoring for Argentina,after a dominant first half where they had been unable to break the deadlock.
Julian Alvarez didn’t start the first two group games, but after Lautaro Martinez was unable to find the net against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, he was given the chance in the final group encounter and hasn’t looked back, starting every game since. He has scored four goals, two of which came against Croatia in the semi-final, which only teammate Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe (both 5) can better in the tournament so far. In that game against Croatia, he also won the penalty for the other goal and was the top rated player from the match. In all though, Argentina have just looked much brighter in attack since the introduction of Alvarez from the outset, generally having more shots and more possession with him in the team. This is emphasised by the fact that in Argentina’s first two games, they averaged 10 shots per game and 63.8% possession, whereas in Alvarez’s first two starts, they averaged 18.5 shots per game and 67% possession. Overall, his contribution to the attack has made the difference.
This is going to be his final World Cup and he is certainly determined to end it with his hands on the trophy. Based on performances, only one player ranks higher in the tournament than Messi; Portugal's Bruno Fernandes (8.15). There have been a variety of factors contributing to his outstanding WhoScored rating of 8.14. While he has scored the joint most goals (5) so far, he has also made the joint most assists (3), and is second for key passes (18). His 4.5 shots per game also ranks joint highest, while his 15 successful dribbles are only bettered by German wonderkid Jamal Musiala (19). He also converted one of the penalties in the shootout win over Netherlands and has continued to make history in this tournament. Messi has certainly played his part in helping Argentina on their way to the final, playing every minute of action, and will be key if they are to beat France.
