Cuti Romero said Argentina’s defense has to tighten fast, warning that conceding goals is already bothering the team as it prepares for a quarterfinal against Switzerland. The reigning champion heads into Saturday night still alive, but after letting in four goals in its last two matches, the margin for error has vanished.
The timing matters because Argentina had looked far safer earlier in the tournament, conceding only once in a perfect group stage before the knockout rounds turned messy. In the space of two games, Cabo Verde and Egypt combined to score four times against La Albiceleste, a run that forced it into a pair of miraculous escapes just to keep the title defense going.
Romero did not hide from the dip. “We’re doing well, though there are certainly things we need to improve,” he said, adding that Argentina had conceded four goals in recent matches and that “conceding goals bothers us.” Lisandro Martínez struck a similar note, saying the back line did not like giving up goals and needed to be more focused, with better concentration to avoid those chances.
That warning sits uneasily beside what came before it. Argentina went through the group stage with control and almost no damage, but the knockout matches exposed a different side of the team, one that has asked too much of its attackers and too much of its luck. Against Egypt, Argentina also conceded three goals, although one was controversially disallowed, a call that intensified anger from Egypt’s manager and federation and fed talk around FIFA favoring La Albiceleste and Lionel Messi.
Romero’s point was plain enough: the defense knows the standard, and it is not meeting it. He said he and Martínez are ready to do whatever the manager asks, but the next answer has to come on the pitch, where another poor showing on Saturday night could end Argentina’s title defense before the quarterfinal is over.
