Argentina fret over form of Lionel Messi and fitness of Fernando Gago | Jonathan Wils

[Jonathan Wilson]

With the World Cup finals less than two months away, Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella will be concerned over the injury to his defensive midfielder whose importance is enormousFootball is always, ultimately, about compromise. Everything had been looking rosy for Argentina, who had qualified for the World Cup for once with games to spare and the sense of a cohesive team coming together, but then the injuries began. When the draw is made, the World Cup exists in a world of perfect possibility and you imagine every player at peak form and fitness, but it is never like that, and the job of a manager is always to balance the idea with what is possible.
The panic over Sergio Agüero's hamstring has begun to subside although there is no doubt that Alejandro Sabella, the national coach, would like to see him complete at least a couple of Manchester City's games before the end of the season. A new concern sprang up last week about Lionel Messi: what was behind his lacklustre display for Barcelona against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League? Was he injured? Is he exhausted? Is he already dreaming of glory in the Maracanã? And then, on Monday, came a far more concrete concern as Fernando Gago damaged his left knee in Boca Juniors' 0-0 draw against Colón.
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