As good and decisive as Lionel Messi has been, one of the key factors for Argentina’s success this World Cup has been its defence. Argentina sealed their World Cup finals berth after eliminating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout, following a 0-0 stalemate at full-time.
Since the start of the competition, Argentina have only conceded three goals. So far Sergio Romero has recorded three clean-sheets since the Round of 16, and very seldom been put to work.
Before the start of the competition, there were many doubts over the collective quality of the defence. From Martin Demichelis to Ezequiel Garay or Federico Fernandez, no one really trusted this Argentina defence to be as miserly as it has proven. After all, the team was so top-heavy that most anticipated Messi to need to out-score the opposition in order to drag the Albiceleste to this stage of the competition. In fact however, it has been the defence which has proven more coherent than the attack.
Three key men emerged throughout this World Cup for Argentina and who became the symbols of this unexpected visage. Romero was the first one. The Monaco goalkeeper was not only a surprise inclusion in the final 23-man squad, but an even more shocking one in the starting eleven. The 27-year-old made only three appearances for Monaco whilst on loan at the Ligue 1 club from Sampdoria this season. Unlike Iker Casillas — also a victim of little playing time — who seemed to have lost some his instinctive ability, Romero showed no signs of rustiness and conjured up crucial saves when his team needed him.
Ezequiel Garay has grown from strength to strength over the course of the World Cup. The new Zenit Saint Petersbug defender came into the tournament not fully fit but has regained more of his form after each game. Garay has been one of the standout center-backs of the competition, albeit in a tournament that has been bereft of many quality candidates. 
Arguably the most important player to Alejandro Sabella’s delicate team balance has been Javier Mascherano. Although the Argentine has played in defence since his move to Barcelona, this World Cup has been a great reminder of how valuable a defensive midfielder he is. Mascherano has been critical in his mission to protect the back four and stitching the side together. Many of the worries about Argentina had been the gaps the team could leave vacant between Mascherano and the defence when it got countered on. So far however this has not been an issue — with possibly the exception of the group game against Nigeria — and Mascherano has been key to it, with some added help from Lucas Biglia in recent games.
Messi has been the decisive player for Argentina and brought them this far. However it has been the team’s organization and defensive solidity, which has given the Barcelona star the platform to allow him to settle games on his own. This is certainly not one of the great Argentina defences from the days of Daniel Passarella or Roberto Ayala, but collectively they have proven very reliable. Without it, Sabella would likely require many more exploits from his captain.
The type of industry and work-rate the team puts in for Messi has been epitomized by the likes of Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain. Both have performed admirably, pressing the opposition and creating space, as irreproachable lieutenants to Messi in the same way Jorge Burruchaga and Jorge Valdano had done for Diego Maradona in 1986.
Sabella once admitted during Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers that he “put his face in his hands and prayed” whenever the opposition would run at his team, so little faith did he have in his defence. Today however, it is very much that defence which has allowed him to reach the final in Rio.
Follow Ogo Sylla on Twitter at: @RossonerOgo_3
