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'Without Messi we are just another team': Maradona laments Argentina's early exit

The 1986 World Cup winner did not see anything that surprised him as his country made their exit from Russia 2018.

ARGENTINA’S WORLD CUP exit at the hands of France has been lamented by Diego Maradona, who believes too much pressure was put on Lionel Messi.

Angel Di Maria and Gabriel Mercado overturned Antoine Griezmann’s penalty to give Argentina the lead in the last-16 clash, but France hit back from a stunner from Benjamin Pavard and a Kylian Mbappe double.

Sergio Aguero scored late on for Jorge Sampaoli’s side, but it was not enough to avoid a 4-3 defeat to Didier Deschamps’ side in Kazan .

Maradona, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 and is still considered one of the country’s greatest ever players, was in attendance for the match and did not see anything that surprised him.

“We came to the cinema more than the pitch, because we came to see the chronicle of an announced death. And that’s what happened,” he said on teleSUR .

“France contained Messi, Argentina’s midfield, so he could not get in behind them.

“Without Messi we are just another team.

“The game was played in a way we anticipated. What we were expecting happened.

“Another World Cup has gone and we are left with nothing. It’s bad that another World Cup happened and Argentina did not manage to have a consistent team.”

Argentina’s campaign was wrought with drama amid talk of a mutiny and the players seeking to have Sampaoli replaced, with suggestions also rife that the coach handed over his selection responsibilities to the squad for their crunch group match against Nigeria.

Sampaoli deployed Messi as a false nine and handed Cristian Pavon his first World Cup start against France, leaving the likes of Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala on the bench.

Maradona was unimpressed by the coach’s tactics, adding: “It was seen from the formation, Pavon, Messi and Di Maria had to attack.

“Yes, they can create play, but they are not strikers.”

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    Mute BMJF
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    Jul 1st 2018, 11:19 AM

    Would have helped Argentina if they put the best team on the pitch!! They left two of Europe’s best strikers in 2017/8 season off the starting line up….bizarre

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    Mute Paul
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    Jul 1st 2018, 11:47 AM

    @BMJF: and left another one at home.

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    Mute Brian
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    Jul 1st 2018, 11:53 AM

    @BMJF: 100+ goals in 17/18 on the bench or at home

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    Mute Jim
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    Jul 1st 2018, 12:08 PM

    “unimpressed with the coaches tactics”? Sure was it not Messi picking the team

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    Mute Brian
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    Jul 1st 2018, 12:14 PM

    @Jim: do you use the Messi pic to try to make your comments look balanced?
    He is definitely at fault too but no Messi was not picking the team unless you believe everything the tabloids say

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    Mute Jim
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    Jul 1st 2018, 12:06 PM

    Excuses excuses most of the players play for top clubs in europe dybala augero huigian Di Maria all top players for their clubs

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    Mute Brian
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    Jul 1st 2018, 12:13 PM

    @Jim: do you realise none of those players started yesterday barring Di Maria who was absolutely terrible all tournament barring the goal out of nowhere?

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    Mute Cathal O'Donoghue
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    Jul 2nd 2018, 11:29 AM

    Maradona had Messi and a decent squad in 2010. How’d that go?

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