Jorge Sampaoli will choose the team and the tactics. He may yet be a World Cup-winning manager, but he is aware he is overshadowed by the world’s greatest player. It could have been self-deprecation or a recognition of reality, but he said: "This is Messi's Argentina, not mine."
Lionel Messi’s Argentina face Italy on Friday. “This is going to be his team,” Sampaoli added. “He is the best of all and is in a stage of maturity that can he can carry the team on his shoulders.”
Messi’s palmares includes more than 600 goals for club and country, with record numbers for both Argentina and Barcelona, plus four Uefa Champions Leagues and five Ballons d’Or. The major omission from a storied CV is the World Cup.
Argentina were finalists in 2014, when Messi was rather flatteringly named the player of the tournament. They have also suffered Copa America final defeats, but Sampaoli rejected the suggestions they have failed the major tests.
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Read more:
Portugal v Egypt: Like Ronaldo, Salah has transformed from wideman to goal guarantor
Spain face Germany and Italy in litmus test of World Cup credentials
Auditioning for Antoine: The strikers bidding to star alongside Griezmann for France
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"I had to endure many years where winning the World Cup was not spoken of Argentina,” he said. “These guys took us to the first level. They lost, but they're not losers."
Now Sampaoli believes Argentina’s history and ability makes them among the favourites in Russia this summer.
“I think we are candidates in the World Cup, for shirt and quality,” the former Chile manager said. “We want to strengthen the image of the Argentine team. The respect everyone gives us very great."
It is partly because of Messi, partly because of his supporting cast. Sergio Aguero is foremost among them, a close friend as well as a striking ally of the captain.
“Messi and Aguero can complement each other very well,” Sampaoli said. “Sergio understands how he plays and it will be important they team up in games because they are really good there.”
While 29-year-old Aguero has become Manchester City’s record scorer, Sampaoli added: “For Aguero this is a great moment - although the best Aguero was the one at Independiente.” He wants to see the striker return to being the free-spirited teenager whose dribbling he savoured.
It will not be seen on Friday night. A knee injury will sideline Aguero, who is also likely to miss Tuesday’s friendly with Spain. “If there is a substantial improvement he could travel to Madrid to play against Spain, but I see it as difficult because of the little time left,” said Sampaoli.
Argentina will liaise with City who, with a Champions League double header against Liverpool and the chance to win the Premier League against either Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United in April, may prefer for the striker to miss both internationals.
Argentina ought to be able to cope without him. Such are the luxury of riches that Sampaoli enjoys that other national team manager could afford to omit Mauro Icardi or Paulo Dybala, who are unlikely to go to the World Cup.
Dybala has scored 21 goals for Juventus this season, but has never found the net at senior level for his country. Sampaoli believes he has not suited Argentina’s brand of football.
"It's complicated for Dybala get used to our style,” he said. “We couldn't improve his performance and we have to evaluate if the current players are better than Paulo or if we have to keep working with Paulo to improve his performances. Icardi's case is similar to Dybala's. There's a big difference between his performances at Inter and for Argentina. I'm not ruling him out for the World Cup but we are working in the short-term and you have to prioritise the relationships on the pitch.”
Argentina are overloaded with gifted attackers. They have different issues at the back Ramiro Funes Mori, who has not played for almost a year after undergoing knee surgery, was a surprise pick. “We always thought of him. He showed that he has character,” Sampaoli explained. Funes Mori was his choice but this, he believes, is Messi’s team.
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Results
Male 51kg Round 1
Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.
Male 54kg Round 1
Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.
Male 57kg Round 1
Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.
Men 86kg Round 1
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1
Men 63.5kg Round 1
Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.
Female 45kg quarter finals
Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.
Female 48kg quarter finals
Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.
Female 57kg quarter finals
Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Maestro
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T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
