The former Argentine international, Enrique Wolf, assured Efe, after Argentina's draw against Iceland, that it was not the Icelandic team that stopped Lionel Messi but the performance of the Albiceleste itself.
"Iceland doesn't stop Messi. The Argentine team does, because it takes too long to pass him the ball. At Barcelona, they constantly enable him, even when he's surrounded by two or three players. Argentina doesn't. That's why there's a moment when he drops back to the middle of the field and then the distance he has to cover is much greater. We all know Messi, we know what he does, and he needs Argentina to have more speed in the middle of the field. It was a general problem. We need more speed, because if we give the opportunity for nine players to come back, it's complicated," he explained.
Regarding the unexpected stumble against Iceland, the former defender, who played for Las Palmas and Real Madrid in the mid-70s, said it's part of football.
"It always happens in football. Yesterday, nobody expected Portugal to draw. Today, Argentina took a 1-0 lead and it seemed like an easy victory against a much weaker opponent, but football has these surprises that we've all seen. Now we have to change our mindset and get ready for the next matches against much tougher opponents," he said to Efe.
Wolf pointed out, however, that everything can change against Croatia. "Croatia, from the start, was one of the most difficult opponents. We all know them, they have Rakitic, Modric, Kovacic, and Mandzukic. But maybe against those tougher teams, you feel better. That's what Argentina has to do, otherwise it will be difficult to qualify," he emphasized.
Source: EFE.