Lionel Messi will be under pressure to score in Argentina's match against Croatia on Thursday.
Diego Maradona backed Lionel Messi ahead of Argentina’s crucial fixture against Croatia by calling their draw against Iceland as a “collective failure.”
“I said before Argentina's opening match that Iceland wouldn't be easy opponents. The debutants were expected to defend with all their might and they did. But I was still expecting Leo Messi & Co to pull it off. If you want the trophy, you should be able to break this kind of resistance. It was disappointing to see their performance.
“Against teams that play for a point, chances don't come often. If you miss, you pay for it and that's what happened to us. The penalty at 1-1 was a golden opportunity and Leo wasted it. He couldn't deliver on that occasion, but I don't hold him responsible for the draw. It was a collective failure,” one-time FIFA World Cup champion told to Times of India.
Maradona suggested that Argentina will have to improve their game for Croatia match as these opponents won’t be easy to crack.
“You need better planning and an improved performance to beat a pedigree team like Croatia. It will be a different game because Croatia will not camp around the penalty box. They have creativity in the midfield in Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, who are experts at controlling the flow of play,” he added.
The former Argentine went on to add that Messi and Co must have better coordination and must work on their defense.
“They allowed Iceland a few looks on goal and to stop Croatia in the midfield, Javier Mascherano and Ever Banega have to shoulder a lot of defensive responsibility. The 4-2-3-1 formation works as long as things are compact in the middle and Mascherano has to play a leading role. Pressing up for goals, they can't afford to leave gaps for Croatia to sneak in,” he said.
However, Maradona also said that he is not losing heart and it’s time for the Argentine supporters to back their team. “I’m not losing heart. It's time for supporters to back La Albiceleste."
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