To call Argentina's 2-2 draw against Paraguay in their Copa America curtain-raiser Jekyll and Hyde would be almost unkind to the good doctor and his monstrous, super-violent alter ego. The difference in Gerardo Martino's men between the first and second halves was far more pronounced.
In the opening 45 minutes, few teams in the world would have been able to live with the Albiceleste. Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria took delight in exploiting the spaces created by a Paraguay back line set so deep it almost tripped over goalkeeper Antony Silva. For the first 60 minutes or so, only the sprightly Medellin shot-stopper stopped the score from reaching more than double than 2-0.
Argentina controlled the ball in every facet of play and every single area of the pitch. The goals, it is true, only arrived thanks to some collusion from the determined defence—a misplaced back pass was viciously seized upon by Aguero, and a penalty was converted with glee by captain Messi—but the Albiceleste were unquestionably in control. The horror show of the last half-hour, however, will be the subject of furious debate both within and outside the squad.
Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press
Credit, of course, must go to Paraguay. If coach Ramon Diaz was guilty of an overly conservative game plan at kick-off the former River Plate maestro made rapid amends. His three substitutions were geared toward stretching an Argentina back line that is solid but rather one-paced. Once the snarling midfield presence of Javier Mascherano could be bypassed and the full-backs were exposed, a whole different game was on the tournament favourite's hands.
In the end, Lucas Barrios' dramatic late goal, following Nelson Haedo's early candidate for goal of the tournament, gave the Paraguayans an unexpected but entirely deserved point. Diaz had faced flak pre-Copa, but the veteran showed that he and his players are not in Chile to make up the numbers.
From Silva's acrobatics to Haedo's marksmanship, and from the sacrifice and commitment of veterans Paulo Da Silva and Roque Santa Cruz to Miguel Samudio's spirit in attempting to atone for the two mistakes that led to goals with a valiant display after the break, Paraguay have every reason to be proud of what they achieved in fighting back. But part of that recovery owes directly to lackadaisical Argentina and a night to forget for Martino.
El Tata is an adept coach. But the never-say-die attitude shown by his former Paraguay charges should not have taken him by surprise. The trainer showed that, as in Barcelona, making big decisions to preserve a winning position is far from his forte.
It was painfully obvious at 2-1 up that Mascherano needed more help in plugging the middle, yet Martino opted to send on two strikers, Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez, in a move which appeared more a sop to the pair's respective commercial agents than a serious tactical decision. The coach attempted to justify the switch by calling on the need to maintain the pressure up top, but even so, it was the wrong move at a critical time.
Martino: 'What we did badly was to start playing a totally different match to the one we'd played during the first half.'
— Sam Kelly (@HEGS_com) June 13, 2015
Martino: 'The idea of bringing Tevez and Higuaín on was to exert some pressure and get back to pressing higher up the pitch.'
— Sam Kelly (@HEGS_com) June 13, 2015
Not until the final minutes did containing midfielder Lucas Biglia see action. But at that point, the die was cast, and Barrios found few obstacles in his way as he sneaked in to finish off a set piece—Paraguay's specialty and, on the evidence of this game, still an Achilles heel for the Albiceleste.
The next test will bring more of the same for the wounded Argentinian hotshots. Like the Guarani, Uruguay will play deep and pack men behind the ball. They will wait for their chances and look to hit hard on the counter while banking on the defence's ability to repel Messi and Argentina's offensive superstars.
The Group B opener was a stumble rather than a fall for the South American giants, but Martino must look at the last 30 minutes rather than the opening hour for his lessons. Argentina proved early on that they are among the elite of world football, but a stronger reaction is needed when the chips are down. Against Uruguay, another AWOL half is simply not an option.
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