As Argentina hover on the brink of elimination at the 2018 World Cup following the shambolic 3-0 defeat to Croatia, what are the problems with this team?

For a number of years now, Argentina have relied on the firepower of Messi, Aguero, Higuain and Di Maria up-front. It was this front line on which they have relied to get them out of all troubles, especially Messi when quite often the other three weren't scoring. Argentina have been in the last two Copa America Finals and the last World Cup Final so who could argue anything was wrong? Although one can point out that all these finals were lost.

What has been overlooked during this period of losing finals is that, with all this firepower, other areas of the team have been ignored. Argentina have lacked any real world class centre-backs for a number of years as well as a good goalkeeper and creative midfielder. Instead, they opt for players such as Mascherano, an aging destroyer. The closest they have to a creative midfielder is Eva Benega (good on his day) who never seems to get a run of games. The production line of creative midfielders and especially good defenders seems to have dried up as all the focus switched to the top end of the pitch.

So, as the years have gone by, Argentina has relied on a now aging forward line. A dereliction of duty has occurred concerning other parts of the team. Sooner or later, the deficiencies and imbalances in the team were bound to catch them out. By the time the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign came around, these problems had certainly caught up with them.

The 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign was a shambles, with the much-vaunted front line misfiring. Argentina actually only scored 19 goals in their 18 South American qualifying games. When one considers that three of these goals came with a Messi hat-trick in the last game of the qualifiers away in Ecuador, when Argentina needed to win just to make it to Russia, the fiasco of the qualifying campaign stands out more clearly. Argentina actually went through three managers during the campaign, ending up with the Bielsa acolyte Jorge Sampoali.

Sampoali is a disciple of the high press. His teams press the opposition high up the pitch causing overloads in the oppositions half. When this works it produces exciting fast attacking play. Sampoali's Chile side were a great advocate of this style of play. His Sevilla side on occasions could also play some wonderful attacking football. Which brings us back to the point of this article. Sampaoli is a One-Trick Pony, as many followers of the high priest of the high press Bielsa are (Maurizio Sarri, anyone?).

Sampoali has one idea and one way of playing. When his way of playing does not work, or he does not have the personnel, as with this current Argentina team, to make it work, he is clueless. He has no answers or other way of playing. Clearly, this Argentina team is not equipped to play the Sampoali way. There is no creativity in midfield, so, even if the ball is won back they lack anyone to make an incisive pass. The centre-backs and midfield all in general are not good enough and all lack pace. When they are further up the field they are caught out by pace every time.

Meanwhile when all is said and done Di Maria, Higuain etc are not the greatest at chasing back and pressing high. For Sampaoli's model to work he needs a certain type of player who can play his one-route system. He also needs enough time to drill his team in his way of playing, and to get them to the peak of fitness to play his high pressing game for 90 minutes.

Since he took over as Argentina manager, Sampaoli has neither had the time (he had to get them to Russia in the final games of the qualifying campaign), or the personnel to carry out his way of playing. He has thus been in a quandary on how to play. Mainly he has gone with three at the back, with wing-backs pressing high up the pitch. But, following the disastrous warm up games against Nigeria and especially Spain, he switched to a back four for the opening game in Russia against Iceland. Following the 1-1 draw, he went back to the three at the back system for the debacle, which was Croatia. In these games, without the personnel to play the Sampaoli way, Argentina were a team that lacked any structure, direction or plan. They were a shambles with the only outlet being give it to Messi and hope something will happen — an option that failed miserably.

Argentina may still qualify for the knockout stage of Russia 2018 by beating Nigeria in their final group game but the team is clearly not fit for purpose. The question has to be posed: "What now for Argentina once the World Cup campaign has come to an end?" Do they stick with a manager who is a one-trick pony and can only play one way? I would suggest not, although given time maybe Sampaoli can get his ideas and system imprinted on the Argentine team. But it will clearly need a mass turnaround of personnel.

Argentina needs to look to the future. The generation of Higuain, Aguero, Di Maria and Messi is coming to its logical conclusion. Up-front, the future is still bright with players such as Dybala and Icardi (if only the stubborn Sampaoli had taken him to Russia). But it is in other areas of the pitch where work needs to be done. Argentina needs to start producing creative midfielders and good centre-backs (I never thought I'd ever say that); for too long, they have relied on the top end of the team and Messi, in particular, bailing them out. A whole rethink on the way Argentina produces players is needed. They need to concentrate more on producing top-class defenders and creative midfielders. Without this, the malaise in the team will continue.