Argentina captain Lionel Messi believes coach Alejandro Sabella has to back his side's attacking capabilities and include him among a front three when they face Iran tomorrow in Belo Horizonte.
Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain is expected to return to Sabella's starting line-up as the two-time winners look to seal their place in the second round of the World Cup with a victory over Iran.

Higuain came on as a substitute to set up Messi to score just his second ever World Cup goal as Argentina got their campaign off to a winning start against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Rio on Sunday.

And Messi said he feels more comfortable playing with both Higuain and Sergio Aguero in attack.

"We are Argentina and I think we need to concentrate on ourselves without fixating on who we are playing," said the four-time World Player of the Year.

"We feel more comfortable with two up front and me behind because it makes it easier to counter-attack and, because we have more people in attack, we have more possibilities."

Messi eased some of the pressure on his shoulders to finally deliver his best form at a major tournament for his country with his stunning effort in the 2-1 win over Bosnia.

However, his underwhelming first-half performance was still criticised by some and he admitted he needs to play closer to the opposition's goal.

"In the first-half I found it difficult to get a hold of the ball and when I did I was very far from goal.

"The truth is when I did have the ball I lost it a number of times and at other times I was playing it backwards. I was annoyed at not being able to play the game I had planned.

By Business Standard

 

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