Tim Vickery

Obviously, the subtext being I wasn't that keen on the Messi beforehand, you know.

And so then they began to build a team when it was Messi and his fan club.

But as you said, the group dynamics have to change a little bit or they've had to change.

And Messi kept us all in suspense about whether he was going to play this.

And we didn't know 100% until the squad was, the 26 was announced a few days ago.

But Argentina are not nearly as dependent on him as they were.

This has been one of the good things about their cycle.

They have learned to play without him.

Julian Alvarez has stepped up.

Some of their best football, perhaps the best performance of the entire Scaloni years.

when they dismantled Brazil 4-1 a year and a half ago, just over a year ago.

That was without Messi.

When they won the final in the Copa America 24, they improved after Messi went off injured.

So the group dynamics has changed a little bit.

Messi's not expected to carry the whole show anymore, may not play every minute of every game, but no doubt about it, he's still very, very important to the cause.

a champion footballer with Liverpool and it goes on and on so as you said probably less dependent on Messi but having said that still the same core I think 17 players from the last squad are still there which effectively is 19 because Lo Celso and Nico Gonzalez were only missing from Qatar because they picked up injuries late on they were fundamental parts of the team who couldn't go to the World Cup so effectively it's 19 which is good and bad

it's good in terms of the midfield, that continuity, and Enzo and McAllister are now consolidated.

full of the swagger of being world champions.

They've lost Di Maria, though, which is hard, hard.

I think it's impossible to replace.