It's a tricky business, having too many stars in your team. Just ask Spain.
Argentina are being seen as one of the favourites to reach the Rio final at Brazil 2014. With players like Messi and Aguero and Di Maria, that's not too surprising. However, going by Argentina's sluggish display against Bosnia, it's going to be tougher than most expected.
Messi is a world class player. But once he dons the national colours of blue and white something changes.
His winner for Argentina on Sunday came after a mammoth 623 minute drought. That is huge by Messi's standards. In fact, that's huge by anyone's standards. Except maybe Rooney's.
There is already talk of splits in the La Selección. Is it because of Messi's star status clashing with other big names in the squad? Well, we will never really know, but Alejandro Sabella himself admitted to 'external factors' affecting his team strategy.
For the Bosnia game Argentina lined up in an unfamiliar 5-3-2; it didn't work.
Sabella has used the formation when he steered Estudiantes to the Copa Libertadores title, but it's not a tactic that he has used with the national team.
It also meant Messi had less support in the front, and his biggest strength- playing quick short passes to find space between the midfield and defense- was blunted. Especially since Bosnia shifted from their 4-4-2 to a more solid 4-2-3-1.
To Sabella's credit he made amends at half time, shifting to a more fluid 4-3-3 and replacing Campagnaro and Maxi Rodríguez with Gonzalo Higuaín and Fernando Gago.
In the end it worked. Much to the relief of Lionel Messi who, till his 65th minute goal, was being booed by Argentinean fans.
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