All eyes will be on Lionel Messi once again on Wednesday evening with Argentina looking to book their place in the knockout stage of the World Cup. Embarrassed in their opener with Saudi Arabia coming from behind to register one of the biggest ever shocks in the tournament, La Albiceleste bounced back with three points on Saturday after a 2-0 win over Mexico.
Far from their best and doing nothing of note to trouble Guillermo Ochoa in the Mexico goal, Messi produced a moment of magic just past the hour mark to inspire his country to such an important win. Taking on Group C leaders Poland in their final group match, Argentina will progress with a win and a point would even suffice if Saudi Arabia and Mexico also share the spoils.
A defeat, however, and their World Cup campaign will come to an abrupt end. Unthinkable ahead of the tournament with Lionel Scaloni's men one of the favourites to win the famous trophy, Argentina have looked a shadow of the team that arrived in Qatar full of confidence and at the top of their game.
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Giovani Lo Celso was a major talking point amongst the fans during their first two games even though he is not in the Argentina squad. Sustaining a hamstring injury in the early stages of Villarreal's 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao at the end of October, the 26-year-old cruelly missed out on a place in Qatar.
His absence has been felt, with La Albiceleste just not clicking and looking way off the team that came into the competition on the back of a 36-match unbeaten run. Supporters have rued his absence, pointing it out numerous times during the team's World Cup campaign so far.
It appears that Lo Celso is indeed the glue that holds it all together, something Tottenham fans will no doubt raise an eyebrow to after his struggles in N17 following his big-money switch from Real Betis. Manager Scaloni summed it up best when it comes to the importance of the classy midfielder to the national team.
"Numerically there is a replacement, but football-wise there is not," he admitted to Argentine broadcaster TyC Sports (via i). "There are others with other abilities, but it is evident that he has given us a lot."
Part of Jorge Sampaoli's 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup, Lo Celso was one of two outfield players not to make an appearance in Argentina's four games as they crashed out following a dire tournament. His role in the side has grown since then, becoming a vital cog in Scaloni's team since the ex-West Ham man took on the job following their capitulation out in Russia.
Operating on the left of a midfield three which includes Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes, Lo Celso has flourished in the role and operated more like a No.10 to become a pivotal player in the system. Leading the press for his country and helping the midfield and frontline seamlessly link up, he has made life a lot easier for Messi due to his quality on the ball and his ability to attract opponents.
It's perhaps no surprise at all as to why the Argentina superstar was so quiet in their first game against Saudi Arabia with the team desperately lacking a playmaker to make things happen. A midfield four has just not worked for Argentina in this tournament and only highlighted the importance of Lo Celso as a result.
Other than a good period in midfield during the early months of Jose Mourinho's Tottenham tenure, Lo Celso never quite found the form in north London that he displayed each time he went on international duty. Argentina saw the best of him during their 2021 Copa America success and 3-0 triumph over Euro 2020 holders Italy in the Finalissima at Wembley at the start of June.
His role in their Copa America victory even led to Tottenham teammate Cristian Romero labelling him as "the best midfielder in South America" as "he made us win the Copa America" during a video on Spurs TV last November. After all, the Argentina players would not have held aloft a banner for Lo Celso on the eve of the World Cup that read "All Together" had he not been such a popular teammate and pivotal figure in the side.
With La Albiceleste facing the possibility of a humiliating early exit on Wednesday there will be a huge amount of pressure on Messi's shoulders, something which would have been eased slightly if their influential midfielder had been there and pulling the strings behind him. Tottenham fans may not have seen it during his three years in the capital but Argentina fans know the truth when it comes to Lo Celso's importance to national team.
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