Lionel Messi And Argentina Are Ready For World Cup Glory- Latest news

It’s almost time for the 2022 World Cup. To help get you ready, we will be providing you with precious information about every team in the tournament. You can read all of our World Cup previews here. Argentina enters the 2022 World Cup in incredible form: the team has not lost in three years, and it won the most recent major international tournament that it competed for, last summer’s Copa America. This is a well-drilled team, with steady if unspectacular performers at every level of the field. It comes into the World Cup without too many impactful injuries, as well; its biggest loss might be Paulo Dybala, the Roma do-it-all forward who injured his quadriceps in October, but who has never quite fit in the national team’s plans. (He might be healthy in time for the World Cup, but that’s perhaps wishful thinking.) Oh, and Argentina has Lionel Messi. That counts for something. Messi is the storyline, the alpha and the omega of not just Argentina’s journey, but the 2022 World Cup as a whole. After shaking off the major international trophy burden by winning the Copa, as the best player in that tournament, Messi comes into Qatar with one last mission in mind: winning the World Cup. It’s something that has eluded him in four previous tries, but he’s never had a team like this around him. A big part of Argentina’s recent success comes from manager Lionel Scaloni, who took over for Jorge Sampaoli after the 2018 World Cup. Scaloni has not tried to reinvent the wheel, and instead has implemented a system that is sturdy from top to bottom, while allowing Messi and his fellow attackers the freedom to bring the game to opponents. To be sure, Scaloni has lucked out with the development of some younger players, but this is just smart international management. He knows his teams strengths and weaknesses, and he has created a gameplan that plays to the former while minimizing the latter. All of this has combined to make Argentina one of the favorites in Qatar. On paper, Brazil and France, and maybe even England, are better teams, but none are as well-coached or well-suited for international success as the albiceleste. That might not translate directly into glory, but if its roster of workmanlike defenders and midfielders can hold off opponents as well as they have been for three years, then Messi will have the freedom to dominate games in the final third. As he has shown over his long career, this is all he needs to be his best, and with the extra motivation of the World Cup in play, it’s possible that this month in Qatar will be his final, crowning achievement as the best player soccer has ever seen. He, and Argentina as a whole, has never had a better opportunity to win it all.

Who Is Their Main Guy?

It’s Messi. Of course it is. He’s perhaps the Main Guy in the entire World Cup, one that he has said will likely be his final appearance at the world’s biggest tournament. There’s a narrative that claims Messi hasn’t done it at the World Cup, whatever that means, but in two of his three appearances as the undisputed star of Argentina, he has done what the team needed, until the team needed just too much from him. (The less said about Argentina’s debacle at the 2010 World Cup, the better.) In 2014, he and Javier Mascherano carried a messy and injured Argentina side to within misses from Gonzalo Higuaín and Rodrigo Palacio of a World Cup title. He won the Golden Ball award for the best player in the tournament, and scored four of Argentina’s eight goals en route to the final. In 2018, a similarly chaotic Argentina side didn’t have a real shot at the trophy, and in fact looked like it would be knocked out in the group stage after a draw against Iceland—Messi missed a penalty kick—and a demolition at the hands of Croatia. With Nigeria blocking its way to the knockout rounds, Messi got to work with one of the best ball controls and scores you will ever see: Though Nigeria tied it up in the 51st minute, Argentina scooped up the win off a Marcos Rojo winner in the 86th. Its reward was a 4-3 loss in the round of 16 to eventual champions France, in what was the best match of that tournament. Now, Messi is back, at the age of 35 and no longer a Barcelona player. Instead, he has shaken off a slow start at Paris Saint-Germain and become Lionel Messi once again. Alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, Messi forms the creative focal point of the world’s best attacking trio. He’s not as fast as he was, and he definitely does no work on defense at his old age, but he’s still capable of doing things on the soccer field that defy explanation. For Argentina, he will have to do just a bit more, particularly as he plays centrally and in more of a concrete playmaker role. Luckily for both the team and the country, Messi has not lost a step there, and should have enough runners and shooters in front and around him to elevate Argentina from a one-man team and into a well-oiled machine. Whether that’s enough to win the World Cup that has eluded him since he debuted in the 2006 edition of the tournament will remain to be seen, but for once, Messi is only the main guy and not the only point around which an entire team rotates.

Who Is Their Main Non-Scoring Guy?

Part of the reason that Messi won’t have to do it all is that this Argentina defense is finally, thankfully, a strength. The biggest X-factor for the backline also has the potential to be the most important player on the team. Tottenham Hotspur center back Cristian “Cuti” Romero is just 24 years old, but he’s already solidified himself as one of the best young center backs in the world. Perhaps more importantly, he is Argentina’s best option to shut down opposing strikers, such as Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez and Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, both opponents in the group stage. Romero is a modern center back, comfortable both with the ball at his feet and when defending one-on-ones. He steps up into challenges a lot (a lot), which can leave him out of position when he misses. However, Romero has pace to boot to catch up if he does make a mistake. He’s not the biggest center back in the field—only 6-foot-1—but he plays bigger than that, particularly when it comes to muscling opposing attackers off the ball. If Romero plays as he has at his best for Tottenham, Argentina will be able to continue its impressive defensive showing of recent years under Scaloni.

Where’s The Beef?

Which teams or players does Argentina not like? Do Argentina’s players like each other? We investigate the Argentina’s potential enemies. There’s a shout here for Lionel Messi’s philosophical battle against the ghost of Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup. He’s been battling that specter his whole career, after all. That’s more of a beef subplot, though, because the luck of the draw has gifted this tournament with the potential for an all-timer of a semifinal. If things shake out as expected, Argentina will have to go through its hatred rivals of Brazil in the semifinal round of the World Cup. The history of the Argentina-Brazil rivalry is vast, too vast to summarize in a few paragraphs. The two best countries in South American soccer, the neighbors—they share a 761-mile border at Argentina’s north end—have played 109 times in its history, in a pretty even rivalry: 43 wins for Brazil, 40 for Argentina, and 26 draws. However, Brazil has five World Cups to Argentina’s two, something that chafes fans of the albiceleste on a seemingly daily basis. Matches between these two giants are appointment viewing, and often happen at moments with the highest stakes. The last competitive meeting between the two was at the 2021 Copa America final, a match that saw Argentina finally win its first international trophy since the 1993 edition of the tournament, and a match that gave Lionel Messi his first major senior title with Argentina. (He had won the 2008 Summer Olympics with the side, but the “major” tag is really reserved for the Copa and the World Cup). If both teams win their respective groups—something that is more than likely—they would be on a collision course for the semifinal in Lusail on December 13. The closest that these two sides have gotten to playing that deep in the tournament was in 2014, when Argentina made the final and Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany in that infamous semifinal. There’s a possibility that either team gets upset before we get this clash of titans for a spot in the World Cup final, but both countries will feel heavily favored in all of their matchups before then. For the sake of peace in the region and in the stands, that might be the best outcome. For those who want an intense, emotionally charged showdown between the two best teams in the tournament, though, the prospect of an Argentina-Brazil semifinal is one of the best parts of this upcoming World Cup.

Most Likely To Go David Ospina Or James Rodríguez Mode

Who is the Argentina’s best candidate for a breakout performance that earns them a career-changing transfer? Might this potential post-tournament transfer go well, like when Colombia’s James Rodríguez went to Real Madrid after starring in the 2014 World Cup? Or could it go poorly, like when Colombia’s David Ospina went to Arsenal after starring in the 2014 World Cup? Enzo Fernández is the type of midfielder that Argentina is not really known for. Despite playing as a defensive midfielder for Benfica, he is not of the rugged ballhawk archetype that Argentina has produced so often (think Javier Mascherano for that type of player). Similarly, he is not a classic playmaker, the Argentine No. 10 that has a glorious history in the country (Messi, Maradona, Pablo Aimar, Juan Roman Riquelme, the list goes on). Instead, Fernández is more of a Spanish-style midfielder, incredible with the ball at his feet and runners around him. This doesn’t mean Fernández can’t play in a more defensive role for Argentina. His ball awareness and interceptions make up for his lack of physical defensive tools, and while he’s not the best tackler, he’s not scared to get in there to bust up attacks. His value will come mostly from his progressive passing from deep in the midfield, though, as well as his long-range shooting. These skills have made him one of Benfica’s most exciting prospects, and at just 21 years of age, Fernández could be one great World Cup away from a big-money move to one of the big five leagues. He’s not a player to fit into any midfield opening, but if a team needs possession and creativity for the middle of the park, Fernández is worth the risk that comes with his age and inexperience. It’s unlikely that those skills won’t translate to other leagues, but it’s also not a sure thing that he will dominate games as he has for Benfica this season, or for River Plate back in Argentina. For that reason, his score is somewhere between Ospina and Rodríguez mode, yet his potential makes him a candidate to be the next great Argentinian plying his trade at a huge club. David Ospina Mode Probability Score: 30.7 James Rodriguez Mode Probability Score: 68.1

Fun Geographical Fact

Perhaps due to its close proximity to the much-larger Brazil, it was surprising to learn that Argentina is actually the eighth largest country in the world by land mass. Is that fun? I don’t know, but I didn’t know it, so there you go. The country also has the tallest mountain in the Americas, the Southern Hemisphere, and the world, if only you wipe out Asia for that last part. Aconcagua measures a whopping 22, 838 feet at its peak, and it has the highest death rate of any mountain in South America (around three people die per year trying to climb it).

Good Flag Or Bad Flag?

This is one of the best flags in the entire world. The blue is a pleasing hue, the sun is perfect, I really have nothing bad to say about Argentina’s masterpiece of a flag.

Good Anthem Or Bad Anthem?

Oh, hell yeah. This sounds like an opera I would not fall asleep during—sorry to that one time I went to see La bohème—and the lyrics are all about breaking off the shackles of imperialism. No one does national anthems like my South American brethren. I guess that’s the reward for centuries of empire-aided turmoil.

Notable Moment In World Cup History

Argentina has won two World Cups, lost two other finals, and generally has had its share of ups and downs throughout the many years of the tournament. Still, though, there were only two real choices for this section, and both came in the same game, a quarterfinal at the 1986 World Cup. It’s Diego Maradona time, because who else could it be? It’s hard to pick between Maradona’s two goals that trumped England’s one en route to the semifinal, and eventually the trophy. The Hand of God goal is the more controversial of the two, and perhaps the more iconic one: In the 51st minute of that match, Maradona released a give-and-go ball that flopped into the air, where the tiny—he was 5-foot-5 at best—demigod found it with nobody around him. He leaped into the air and, uh, definitely headed the ball in. Definitely didn’t use his hand, no, sir. With the score opened in such a vexing manner, Maradona got to work again. Just four minutes later, he picked the ball up in his own half and proceeded to create not just his best moment as a player, but perhaps the greatest individual goal of all time. At the very least, it is known as the Goal of the Century, and given the stakes, the individual skill, and the cult of personality around Maradona, it’s hard to argue with that moniker. Over the next 10 seconds and 60 yards, Maradona dribbled four English defenders before shaking goalkeeper Peter Shilton out of his boots for a tap-in. This goal is both so good and so legendary that when Lionel Messi scored an eerily similar goal for Barcelona, it was shown as proof that he was Maradona reincarnated. (Maradona was still alive at the time, but that didn’t stop anyone.) Argentina would go on to beat Belgium in the semifinal by a score of 2-0 (Maradona scored both goals, of course), before toppling West Germany 3-2 to lift its second World Cup title in eight years. Maradona was never better than he was in the 1986 World Cup—has anyone ever been better, period?—and he was never more in his element as a world-beating whirlwind of dribbling magic than he was in those 10 seconds against England.

How Can They Win The World Cup?

This is the best Argentina World Cup team since Messi burst onto the scene. Not a lot has to break right for the albiceleste to win the title that has eluded it for 32 years, at least not beyond the usual lucky breaks that a World Cup-winning side needs to make it through the group stage and four knockout matches. Messi isn’t exactly at his peak, but as the team proved last year in the Copa America, he doesn’t need to be his world-beating self anymore. Argentina has plenty of weapons around him, and a defense worthy of its attacking talents. The hardest challenge might just be that aforementioned Brazil semifinal, but there are no glaring red flags for Argentina this time around. It’s not exactly the best team in the tournament, but it’s damn close, and that just might be enough. Source link Read the full article

Texas Governor Grants Pardon in 2020 Protest Shooting Case

Daniel S. Perry, who was found guilty of shooting a protester during a Black Lives Matter rally in Austin, has been pardoned by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

On Thursday, Governor Abbott fulfilled a promise made the previous year by pardoning Perry, who had been convicted of the fatal shooting that took place during a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest. This action came immediately after a recommendation for a pardon was issued by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, whose members are appointed by the governor. Perry's legal team maintained that he had acted in self-defense, claiming the protester was armed with an AK-47-style rifle.

SAN FRANCISCO — A recent surge in assaults and harassment of Asian Americans in Northern California has mobilized activists, organizers, and those that live there to keep their communities safe.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Donald Trump reentered political life Sunday by attacking President Joe Biden, condemning Republican opponents and proclaiming himself the leader of a GOP riven by election defeats and the pro-Trump insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January.

President Joe Biden ready to Debate with Donald Trump | Trump says he’s ...

'Beep': Tells Aaron and Genevieve that they're 'falling in love' leads to potential romance after fight

Image Credit: ABC Aaron Clancy and Genevieve Parisie took their relationship to the next level on the November 1 episode of Bachelor in Paradise. It took him a long time to get that position. Genevieve told Aaron that she was falling in love with him, but she didn't have the strength to say it. She approached him about how she felt they didn't have enough time alone because he was hanging out with some guys instead. And Aaron quickly became upset that when he didn't think he was doing something wrong he was made to feel that way.

MoreBachelor In Paradise

Genevieve remained calm and tried to explain that she simply wanted ten minutes alone with Aaron to talk about something. “You can just come to me and ask me to talk,” he insisted. “Just let me know. I would have no idea. You’re not telling me until you get upset.” As the conversation continued, Aaron grew frustrated at how they were “going in circles.” He assured Genevieve that they were on the “same team” and that he wanted things to work between them.

Genevieve and Aaron kiss on ‘BIP.’ (ABC) When they went their separate ways, Genevieve was clearly upset. “All I wanted was to spend some time with him alone,” she explained. “I was trying to tell him that I’m falling in love with you. I shouldn’t have to tell I want ten minutes of alone time. There’s an engagement at the end of this. I shouldn’t have to ask or tell anyone that. I think he’s forgetting this isn’t a bro vacation. I didn’t think he would react the way he did. He wasn’t listening or understanding.” The back and forth made Genevieve question where she stood with Aaron. “I came here, I opened up, I did everything I could’ve done,” she ranted. “But my gut is telling me that we are not meant or each other and there’s nothing left for me to do to make this relationship work.” She told Victoria Fuller that she was planning on leaving, and although Victoria tried to talk her down, Genevieve’s mind was made up. Articles Trending Now

Trending Now

She went back to the beach to share her decision with Aaron. However, when she asked him to talk, he hesitated before saying yes, which led to a new slew of issues. “ because I don’t know if it’s the right time,” Aaron explained. “I’m thinking about myself and if it’s the right time for me . I know you came out because it was the right time for you, but I’m thinking about the right time for me. It’s two people, it’s not all about one person. Do you understand that? Everything always has to be exactly when you want it.”

Genevieve and Aaron during their first one-on-one date. (ABC) Genevieve stormed off after that and grabbed her bags to leave. She was on her way out when Aaron finally chased after her. Their fight briefly continued, but Aaron eventually broke down. “There are horrible things that happened in my life and I know when the worst day of my life comes I’m going to wish I was back on the beach with you and friends,” he said, fighting back tears. “Why do we have to make this a thing when it’s not? It’s frustrating. I just want to relax and have fun and give you a kiss and play football with the guys. What the f*** is happening? I didn’t need to be like this. And now that it is, I pray that you ahve a great life and I truly wish you the best but I’m not going to threaten my happiness.” Related Link Once they both realized how unhappy they were, Genevieve finally opened up about how she was feeling. “Yesterday I realized I was falling in love with you and that’s why I wanted to have a conversation and some alone time,” she told Aaron. “I wanted you to want to feel the same way and when I brought my emotions to you and you reacted the way you did…it was the way you were talking to me.” Luckily, Aaron was on the same page. “That’s a big thing and it’s scary,” he admitted. “There’s a lot of really deep feelings I have that are hard to express. You’ve become so close to me and the things you do can deeply hurt me because of how much you mean to me. I’m falling in love with you, too. I don’t want you to leave. It’d be better if you stayed.” In the end, Genevieve did decide to stay, and all was well…for now. Source link Read the full article

Cheryl Burke Opens Up About Matthew Lawrence Divorce, Childhood Sexual Abuse, & Sobriety -Latest news

Cheryl Burke is getting candid about all the trauma she’s faced over the years. The Dancing with the Stars pro appeared on the latest episode of Red Table Talk on Wednesday, where she opened up about how years of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and toxic relationships she experienced eventually led to her addiction to alcohol. Joining Jada Pinkett Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris, as well as trauma psychologist Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, Cheryl first shared that she has been sober for four years now — but has had a tough time with it since her divorce from Matthew Lawrence earlier this year: “It’s not easy right now, especially during this divorce. waving at me. I didn’t want this. My parents got divorced and I would’ve loved to not have. That wasn’t the plan going in. I’m not proud of it, for sure. But then there’s also a point where I need to put myself first and my sobriety first.” She continued: “And I’m choosing to not date. Date myself, right? Easier said than done because, you know, there’s a difference of being alone versus lonely. And I am just trying to adjust and take the time because I owe it to myself. But one day at a time, one minute at a time.” The 38-year-old television personality went on to talk about the trauma and pattern of abuse she dealt with over the years, recalling how it all started when her parents got divorced when she was only 2. She said: “My first memory as a kid was seeing my father with another woman.” That’s rough — but unfortunately it gets worse. Her mom began dating a man who later became her stepfather. When they got married, her stepdad needed someone to watch her at times and hired a “retired mailman in his late 60s” to babysit her. Cheryl says he started to molest her when she was only 5 years old: “It was more of a grooming experience. Because it wasn’t intercourse. It was other — you know, stuff that happened, sexual acts — but I never physically felt hurt. Like, there was moments — and I’m gonna say it now, it didn’t feel bad. It was actually intimate. He was grooming me, and he was my definition of love. This is what love equaled, right? Seeing my father’s infidelity, being abused by this old retired mailman, and I didn’t really know what a ‘healthy’ relationship is or was. There wasn’t a stable father figure in my life. It’s like brainwashing at those moments in your childhood when it really matters.” That’s what makes grooming so insidious. Heartbreaking… The television host said the abuse continued for “many years and no one said anything” before her older sister’s friend “did the right thing, ran home to her parents, and told them, and then they contacted my family.” Cheryl ended up testifying against the man when she was nine — and he was sentenced to 24 years in prison. Eventually, Cheryl became involved with ballroom dancing — something she said “saved my life”: “Ballroom was something that was fun, but you had to grow up fast. Here I am wearing tiny little skimpy dance costumes, eyelashes, fake tan and I’m 11. It was amazing. I mean, thank god for dancing, it saved my life.” While Cheryl is thankful for dancing, she didn’t realize until later in life that it wasn’t always a safe environment: “But within this industry of the competitive ballroom world, it is so much a man’s world. The man leads the woman follows — off the dance floor and on the dance floor. And with that comes abusive partners and abusive coaches. Were there acts of sexual abuse and mental abuse? 100%. And am I just coming to realize that? Yeah, for sure, as I continue to do the work.” Then Burke looked back on her high school experience and alleged she had two boyfriends “that were physically and emotionally abusive to a whole other level.” She explained: “For me, love equaled abuse. Love equaled infidelity. Love equaled manipulating, narcissistic behaviors.” That’s when she recounted the incident when she was horrifically whipped with a belt in front of her ex-boyfriend’s parents, who sat there and did nothing. Despite the terrible moment, Cheryl remembered being in denial about what happened at the time: “It wasn’t like he was hitting me. He was whipping me. But I would see these welts and even that, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s not really there.’ I think I was in shock, and fight, flight or freeze. Got in my car, he jumped in his car, kept banging up the back of my car so that I’d pull over, and I wasn’t allowed to have friends, let alone dance. I wasn’t allowed to stay at after school programs or even, God forbid, look at somebody.” She added: “Because of this person who was very controlling. It didn’t stop my relationship with him because I loved the, ‘Oh, everything’s gonna be OK.’ I was addicted to that. This is what I’m trying to reprogram in my brain, is that constant adrenaline rush that I’m so addicted to. It’s not sustainable.” This is what eventually led her to drink in order to “numb” everything going on in her life: “I was just in survival mode. I used alcohol to numb. And I’m an addict and I was a functioning addict. It was when I wasn’t drinking people were like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’” Cheryl then said she figured out she was “only attracted to chauvinistic men” and “mommy daddy figures” – to the point where she was “disgusted” by her first dance partner because he was too “sweet.” Later on, she touched on her divorce from Matthew and revealed that she only got married to him in 2019 to see if she was “good enough”: “I mean, we dated when I first got into this business in 2006, and then took a break for a decade, dated again. An ex for a reason, right, but also, I think, for me — and it has nothing to do with my ex whatsoever — I wanted to see if I could get married, ’cause there was a lot of this internal ‘Am I good enough?’ Then there’s also a point where I need to put myself first … I owe it to myself. The trauma bond, though, is real.” We have a ton of appreciation for Cheryl being so open and honest with her story. You can watch the entire Red Table Talk episode (below): Source link Read the full article

2 NFL Players Who Were The Biggest Powerful Winners -Latest news

(Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for The Rise Up for Resilience Gala ) With the NFL trade deadline over, there are winners and losers with those trade deals. While most of the talk is over NFL teams, fans should focus on the players. However, with all the players who were traded before the deadline, only two stand out as big winners. So with the trades already completed, which two players came out of the deadline as huge winners?

2. T.J. Hockenson

T.J. Hockenson woke up on a one-win team on Tuesday, but went to bed that night on a team with only one loss. With the former Detroit Lions tight end going to the Minnesota Vikings, he might play in the NFL playoffs this season. Going from the worst team in the NFL to a playoff contender is making him a trade deadline winner. While the Vikings have plenty of weapons on offense, Hockenson is just one more weapon for Kirk Cousins. With the star tight end having a breakout season, he can continue his wonderful 2022 performance with a winning team.

1. Bradley Chubb

When the Miami Dolphins made their move for Bradley Chubb, he never knew how good the trade was going to be for him. With him being on his final year of his contract, some thought the Dolphins might let him play out that final year. However, the team signed him to a five-year contract extension. Dolphins, OLB Bradley Chubb agree to 5-year, $119M contract extension with $63.2M guaranteed. (via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/UtmJG222dk — NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2022 Source link Read the full article

Two EF-1 Tornadoes Confirmed | In the Houston Vicinity | Tornadoes in Ho...

In a statement issued Sunday evening, Governor Andrew Cuomo's office signaled that he will relent to Attorney General Letitia James's demands for specific powers to fully investigate sexual harassment allegations against him.

For the first time, scientists have spotted what they're calling a "space hurricane" spinning above the North Pole, according to a new study.

Now, you can test drive either the Galaxy Z Flip 5G or Galaxy Z Fold2 5G at a discounted price with Samsung's new "Buy and Try" promotion. Between now and April 1, consumers can get either device – discounted at least $250 – and use them for up to 100 days. If you aren't happy, you can return them.