Oh, and with the World Cup on the horizon, and with the major-tournament monkey off his back, Messi is doing things like this: In 34 games since the 2019 Copa America, including three against Brazil, Scaloni's Argentina has not lost. He stepped into the job at age 40, after a semi-calamitous 2018 World Cup for La Albiceleste. There are questions in defense, but Argentina's record under Scaloni is nearly unimpeachable. At the other two spots in the front six, manager Lionel Scaloni has his pick of runners who get on the end of Messi's magical passes or supplementary creators who take the load off him.
Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo de Paul will sit behind him in midfield, and allow him to drift wherever he pleases. Lautaro Martinez, who's equal parts active and clinical, will start alongside Messi up top. Messi's evolution into more of a classic 10 has coincided with Argentina's evolution into a machine that accentuates his otherworldly skills and compensates for his flaws. So, it is somewhat difficult to compare Brazil (and Argentina) to their chief challengers.īut squad lists, analytics, betting odds and pedigrees all come to the same conclusion: Brazil is the favorite. England, for example, has not played a South American team since 2018, and has not traveled beyond Europe since 2014. Europe's insularity, and specifically the UEFA Nations League that now clogs calendars, has blocked nearly all intercontinental competition. The caveat here, and throughout these rankings, is that Brazil has not played a European team since 2019, and has not played a European World Cup team since its quarterfinal loss to Belgium in 2018. (Photo by Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) (Twenty-seven!)Įxpect plenty of celebrating from Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In 76 games under Tite, it has scored 164 goals and conceded just 27. It has depth at central midfield and center back as well, and it has won all seven of its games since February by an average margin of 3.4 goals. It has Antony, Rodrygo, Matheus Cunha and many others who won't even be on the plane to Qatar. 10, it has Vinicius Jr., and Gabriel Jesus, and Raphinha, and Richarlison. Now, in addition to its still-brilliant and increasingly versatile No. In the past, Brazil became over-reliant on Neymar. The Selecão have, to varying degrees, strayed from that identity over the past 20 years, but have now rekindled it - and have an overflowing depth chart that will allow them to stick with it in November. The legendary Brazil teams that, thus far, remain unmatched in the 21st century, were all defined by attacking verve and flair. The numbers in parentheses are Elo Ratings and BetMGM odds to win it all. They're divided into five tiers, and yes, of course, they'll look silly come December, because unpredictability is another inescapable feature of World Cups, and especially this one.īut there's no harm in trying to rank the contenders.
That's the main takeaway from these final World Cup power rankings, which assess the relative strength of the 32 participants. They'll arrive at a World Cup in harmony for the first time in a long time, and with so many European counterparts faltering, Messi's last chance to win soccer's biggest prize might just be his best. There are two, however, who are humming - and one particularly accustomed to crisis who, contrary to the trend, has finally built a coherent unit around its generational star.
Very few of the contenders to win the 2022 World Cup, which begins Nov. The World Cup's nontraditional autumn timeline has preempted any pre-tournament rhythm. The COVID-19 pandemic compressed calendars, and canceled countless training camps. But the buildup to Qatar 2022 has been especially chaotic. The answer is yes, and we'll get to that. looks toothless, and Mexico has looked worse, and it all begs the question: Is anybody any good? Germany just lost to Hungary, and Spain to Switzerland. With the 2022 World Cup still two months away, however, they have already spread from Europe to the Americas and beyond. They are typically a post-World Cup feature. It's happening like clockwork in 2022 - only this time, the crises have arrived earlier than ever before. Pressure builds, and cracks even the best international soccer teams, and leaves fragments strewn across several countries every fourth June. They're a natural product of an infrequent event that attracts billions of eyes and expectations.
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