A suspect right flank<\/p>\n
After the Switzerland game, Lionel\u00a0Scaloni, the Argentina<\/a> manager, was asked to explain\u00a0the problems with his team\u2019s right side. It certainly looked a pressing concern after Dan Ndoye, the rapid Nottingham Forest winger, led them a merry dance throughout his 86 minutes on the pitch. Nahuel Molina could not handle Ndoye, who ran off him with\u00a0ease to equalise and could have caused further damage. The right-back was replaced before extra time, Scaloni pointing out later that he had been a serious injury doubt before the tournament. The same goes for his understudy, Gonzalo Montiel, and the pair\u2019s minutes are requiring careful management. Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford should be licking their lips; it does not help Scaloni, either, that a labouring Rodrigo De Paul is offering little support from further forward. Argentina have little midfield width and it may place a heavy load on their already overworked full-backs.<\/p>\n A flowing but flawed midfield<\/p>\n Given time and opportunity, Argentina\u2019s midfield can weave patterns and dictate the flow. That can mean slowing it down, as they did for long periods when ahead against Switzerland, but also involves rapid-fire interplays that swamp opponents. Their weakness lies in the fact they simply do not run as much as everyone else. None of the players in their engine room sit anywhere near the top of this World Cup\u2019s sprinting charts. It does not take a wild imagination to see Jude Bellingham, whose lung-busting performances<\/a> have propelled England this far, receiving further opportunities to stamp his place in history. Declan Rice, if fit, would fancy causing havoc with his trademark bursts, too. Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez and Mac Allister have scored important goals, but they have been easy to bypass out of possession, notably against Egypt<\/a>. The 32-year-old De Paul is starting to look his age and it will concern Scaloni that an exhausted Leandro Paredes, deployed to shield the defence after the near disaster against Cape Verde<\/a>, did not last the course on Saturday. When Argentina lose control in the middle, they struggle to wrest it back.<\/p>\n Lionel Messi player profile<\/a>Moments of genius<\/p>\n It is both a gift and a curse that Argentina are a team of moments. They have sailed close to the wind in all three knockout games, but can always feel confident somebody will pull a rabbit from the hat. Messi provided those on demand in the group stage before bailing his team out with Egypt scenting victory. Lautaro Mart\u00ednez stepped up with a beautiful cross for Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s winner in that game. When Switzerland looked too stubborn, the previously ineffective Alvarez seized the day with a leading contender for goal of the tournament. The concern for England<\/a> is that Argentina can be drifting through a game, their routes to goal clogged up and rhythm disrupted, only for one of their big names to deliver stunningly. \u201cUltimately we always find the solutions,\u201d Scaloni said. There are some eventualities that can never completely be planned for.<\/p>\n
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