Alvarez is injured—without “Little Spider,” will Argentina’s attack be discounted?

This is the most terrifying news for Argentina before the match. Julián Alvarez—fans call him “Little Spider”—has an ankle injury and is highly likely to miss the first game. Since the Champions League semi-final in early May, he hasn’t played any official match, and he didn’t even feature in a warm-up match.

How important is Alvarez to Argentina? His off-the-ball runs, pressing in the front, and dropping back to link up are Messi’s best partner in the forward line. Without his interweaving runs in the attacking third, Argentina’s offense will become static, and the connection between Messi and Lautaro will also be disrupted. Against Algeria’s five-back “iron bucket” formation, without a player like Little Spider who can rip open the defense, Argentina is very likely to fall into a Spain-style situation of “having the upper hand but not scoring.”

The good news is that Scaloni confirmed Alvarez’s recovery is going well, and he can take the field tomorrow. But after just getting over an injury, how much form he can recover—no one dares to guarantee it. TYC’s predicted starting forward line is Messi paired with Lautaro, and this duo has already proven itself at the 2022 World Cup. Although Lautaro is mocked by fans as an “attack-minded striker,” with Messi supplying him with ammunition, his goal-scoring efficiency has never been low. One fan put it well: “Lautaro is already a starter—especially with Messi around, you need a striker like Lautaro, one who goes head-to-head and fights to the end.”

In short, if Alvarez can’t play, Argentina’s attack will definitely be affected, but it won’t collapse. If Lautaro steps up, they still have a world-class forward line.

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