As the Copa America tournament continues to gather unrestrained momentum, the Argentine national team have been making the headlines as regards their preparedness ahead of their continental competition, especially with Lionel Messi having returned to the team after a long while. While the Argentine national team prides itself with the caliber of stars in the team, they have been a subject of caricature due to their inability to harness themselves and get results in their previous tournaments.

A team like Argentina that plays host to players like Lionel Messi, whom many sports analyst have adjudged to be the best in the world, and even the best of all time. You still have the likes of Manchester City Sergio Aguero, who is currently one of the dreaded strikers in Europe. Angel Di Maria who has proved the efficacy of his swift left foot for many years now is also in the team. I can't even pretend not to remember the Juventus Dybala, or even the former Napoli Gonzalo Higuain, just to mention but a few.

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But there have been lots of unanswered whispers that seem to be making the rounds. What exactly is the problem of the Argentine team? While many have said that Messi isn't giving his best when playing for Argentina, many others are of the view that it's the inability of the coaching crew to manage these big players at their disposal. However, from my own observations, the little impact or seeming progress the Argentine national team have been able to make in recent times can always be traced to the Barcelona captain. He has been the skeletal frame holding the team, and without him, the national team appears so clueless and without motivation. I think it's more of a managerial lapses than the players.

Why do I think so? Well, we all follow these players in their various clubs week in week out, we see what they offer and the form they are before arriving for a national duty. You wanna talk about Aguero? Even the deaf and blind knows Kun is the envy of most top clubs if not all in Europe. He has proved why he is Pep Guardiola's favorite goal poacher for years now, and his masterful executions have seen Manchester City exert huge dominance in English football. You wanna talk about Icardi of at Inter Milan? He is just too dangerous to be downplayed by any defense, he's gonna sure make you pay. I just don't wanna talk about Messi's exploits at Barcelona, because I will need a different blog for that. Yet, with all these current form and players, the Argentine team have continued to crawl and have shown no sign of readiness to right their past wrongs.

Argentina's outings against Venezuela and Morocco have shown that the team is far from ready to shock the World. Messi is indeed the most pitied player for me, he deserves better results considering his inputs in pushing the team. However, it seems the incompetence of Scaloni will be his encumbrance, as the coach is still unable to build the team around the Barcelona captain. It wasn't an awesome encounter against Venezuela at the Wanda Metropolitano, as Argentina were humbled by Venezuela 3-1 in a friendly match.

Well, it may not really mean much to non Argentine fans, but the national team supporters just need that winning consciousness ahead of Copa America. That defeat brought to fore the magnitude of work still needed in the team, if they must stand a chance of winning the continental tournament. With teams like Brazil all there to contend for the same prize, I don't think Scaloni has enough time to continue testing his new squad. He needs to start working of the cracks on the the wall. It's obvious the Team lacks in-pitch relationship and barely understand themselves.

Messi on his own appears faultless. However, apart from the Barcelona captain's almost impeccable status, every other segment of the team needs to be worked on. I have no problem with the incumbent Argentine national team coach trying to introduce fresh players into the team, in fact, this overhaul is long overdue. However, is this really the right time for that, will he be able to get them to play alongside these already experienced legs like Messi, Higuain, Aguero, Di Maria and others? Scaloni's inability to build a solid defensive backline have left many with nothing to expect. It's just so porous and i don't think Messi will do that for them too.

According to Grondona, who is a former Under-20 coach made his position about the current situation in the Argentine national team known. He said “With Messi we can be a competitive national team; without him we are just another side, second or third-rate,” he said to SuperDeporRadio. The results don't lie, he needs to keep coming, he has to always be there. You need to try and put players around him who work for him, there are a lot of people who want to be like him, but they're not. He's the one who needs to think, the rest have to work.” It's clear that if Scaloni must offer any sign of hope ahead of the tournament, he must find a way of harnessing these players (both new and old) to play around the Barcelona captain. That's all will be needed, and of course, the talisman is the World most dreaded executor.