Argentina's World Cup defense hinges on Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez stepping up beyond Messi

Summary

Argentina's 2026 World Cup campaign is off to a strong start, but concerns persist about the team's over-reliance on Lionel Messi, now 39. The article examines how manager Lionel Scaloni must develop other attacking options, particularly Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez, to reduce dependence on their aging captain. It highlights Lautaro's goal-scoring struggles during the 2022 World Cup (despite scoring the decisive penalty against the Netherlands) and how Alvarez's emergence as the starting striker was a key tactical shift. The piece argues that for Argentina to successfully defend their title, they need Lautaro and Alvarez to step up and carry more of the offensive burden.

Source

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Twitter / XArgentina's World Cup defense hinges on Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez stepping up beyond Messigoal.com