HOUSTON -- If Jurgen Klinsmann came out fighting in his final press conference ahead of the United States’ Copa America Centenario semifinal against Argentina, then Tata Martino was, comparatively, on the retreat.
“We are not the best,” he pointed out on a number of occasions. “In terms of pressing high we have not developed as much as a team who wants to press well and continuously should. We build up better than a lot of teams, but we’re not the best. We pressure better than a lot of teams, but we are not the best.”
Martino, who says the U.S. will prove the second-biggest threat to his side this month (above Bolivia, Panama and Venezuela but below Chile), appears to have plenty of concerns on the eve of the sold-out match at NRG Stadium.
Michael Bradley: The media is more worried about Messi than we are https://t.co/XuLL7gVX4v pic.twitter.com/7iHH0Coted
— Goal USA (@GoalUSA) June 21, 2016
Later on in his press conference he returned to the theme: “We have to understand that we are not the best in certain aspects and sometimes, when we play against teams who are better, if we are not able to change things we put the result in jeopardy.”
The coach spent several minutes after Saturday’s quarterfinal victory over Venezuela lamenting a 15-minute spell before halftime in which his side, at 2-0 up, offered its opposition four clear-cut chances, including a penalty which was wasted.
Once again on Monday he analyzed the issue: “At this level it’s very difficult to have control for 90 minutes, but I do think that we had 15 minutes where we lost control. Losing control should not mean that you are going to concede four scoring chances.
“In those 15 minutes we had a really hard time. I don’t expect to have full control for 90 minutes but I don’t want the team to suffer as much as we did against Venezuela."
So does he have cause for concern? Klinsmann has been in bullish mood since securing a place in the semifinals on Friday night. Without the suspended Alejandro Bedoya, Bobby Wood and Jermaine Jones, Klinsmann says the United States will set out to attack Argentina, to play them at their own game. It is not a particularly wise approach overall – Lionel Messi et al would surely been given plenty of space to attack – but it makes sense to go for the favorites’ weakness.
"Anything is possible,” the German said. “If you look at the South American World Cup qualifying group, they are not winning every game.
"They lose games as well, and when they lose games they make mistakes."
Those are the mistakes Martino is so concerned about. Rodrigo Funes Mori gave the ball away in his own half against Chile in Argentina’s tournament opener, but was bailed out by Sergio Romero. The Everton defender did it again against Venezuela, allowing Salomon Rondon to score. Fortunately for Martino, his men had already ridden out their rough spell and moved to 3-0 up by the time they conceded.
That third goal came courtesy of Messi, and he is, of course, the reason Martino should have slept soundly the night before the match despite his other concerns.
Klinsmann also insisted that his side did a good enough job of keeping Cristiano Ronaldo quiet at the 2014 World Cup – until he pulled off an excellent assist in the last minute – and that there is no reason they cannot do the same to Messi. In truth, though, there are few similarities, save for perhaps the humid climates in Manaus and Houston, and the wild support afforded to the best player on the pitch. Ronaldo was nowhere near fit enough in that tournament and all but admitted in his eponymous documentary that he shouldn’t have played in Brazil at all.
Messi is at the top of his game.
Klinsmann did not elaborate on how he would keep the No. 10 quiet, but Martino was notably more confident on this subject. “He has faced various ways of playing against him. Bolivia decided to have man-to-man marking, other teams decided to crowd him out, to be right on top of him, and despite that he was able to give an assist and score, as happened in the last game. For Jurgen, trying to stop the best player in the world is logical, and I just hope that every possible way to stop him is a legal way.”
Even if Messi can be stopped, Argentina boasts enough attacking options to cause Klinsmann plenty of headaches – even if he won’t admit it.
Gonzalo Higuain is finally among the goals, having scored twice against Venezuela in the last round, while Erik Lamela, who is likely to deputize for the banned Nico Gaitan, will face off against either the returning DeAndre Yedlin or Geoff Cameron. Marcos Rojo has provided an attacking threat down the left, too, so either right back will be in for a long night, and particularly so if Angel Di Maria, who is working towards a return from injury, is fit enough to come off the bench.
#CopaAmerica Di María trabaja en forma diferenciada con pelota. ¡Vamos Angelito! pic.twitter.com/gb7vhGAxVP
— Selección Argentina (@Argentina) June 20, 2016
John Brooks, at 23 years old, has enjoyed an impressive campaign at center back for the hosts but the prospect of facing Higuain, and then Sergio Aguero if a change is needed, would send shivers down the spine of even the most experienced defenders.
And that, for all Martino’s caution, will be why Argentina can still consider itself the overwhelming favorite to reach Sunday’s final. It may not be perfect in every aspect, but its attacking lineup is enough to gloss over most, if not all, of its problems.
Klinsmann may be keeping a poker face but the chips are stacked in Martino’s favor.
- Goal