Without Messi, time for Dybala and Pastore to RISE up for Argentina

So Argentina go into this match without their main maestro, the Lionel Kid. But, unless people have forgotten who the Argentines have in their team, they should be fine without Messi. You have Higuain doing wonders at Napoli, which begs the question of why he bricks it up for Argentina, Di Maria doing his thing for PSG and Aguero showing again that he will be the defining factor for Man City.

My eyes though are more centered on two of the younger players. You have Pastore who everyone knows about and is one of PSG's best players, and the up and comer who was at Palermo and is now in Juventus, Dybala. I already know of Pastore's capabilities and I am a huge fan of his football, but I have been seeing how Juventus have been struggling this season and one of the bright spots in their team has been Dybala who has a great touch and control and is someone who can grow to be an excellent footballer.







I am predicting Argentina to either smack up Brazil, or get edged out with some feat of individual brilliance from Neymar. If Argentina are to win, Dybala and Pastore will be crucial. I am guessing Martino will go for an Aguero Higuain partnership if they are both fit, but with Aguero being doubtful, it will be Higuain which would leave space for Dybala to just play behind him, and I can't think of many Argentine midfielders better than Pastore right now.

Brazil will be coming with a defensive stance to this game, which would mean more space for Pastore to get on the ball and start running the game. He is a superb attacking midfielder, who can dribble, find space and threads balls beautifully. What I want to see more in his game is the ability to dictate it. Someone who I am sure he would have idolized would have been Riquelme. Argentina are missing that kind of central midfielder who everything runs through. These players are vital, especially in tight matches where you need possession of the ball to calm everyone down and ensuring they are all on the same page.

With Dybala, I want to see this kid just play his game. In these kinds of games, there is the ability to have more space and express yourself. In the Serie A, things are a lot more tactical with a greater attention to strategic instructions given to him by Allegri. But when in South America, with the crowd, the atmosphere and just the culture of the game; it should allow Dybala to be far more expressive and be more willing to take players on and try more imaginative things when in an attacking area to take Brazilian defenders out of position. I'm really looking to see what more he can do because the glimpses I have seen of him from Juventus show a player who can offer an extra attacking dynamic to the team.


This is Argentina's golden age. They have some of the best individual players in the world, and it's a very special group. If they are to emulate what Maradona did twenty-nine years ago in Mexico, then it's up to Martino or whoever will be in charge when 2018 comes along to get each and every one of these talents playing to their very potential throughout a tournament, and not just freezing up when the final comes around, as they have done on two occasions now.


HH