Agentina struggle without main man Messi

The injured star was missed in Merida as the Albiceleste suffered a terrible start before recovering late on, and it is not the first time they have struggled without their skipper.

And when you look at the team’s record with and without the captain, that clamor was hardly surprising.

Argentina dug deep to take a 2-2 draw against Venezuela on Tuesday, with Messi back in Barcelona recovering from an injury.

It was the fifth match in which he has played no part during the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, and his absence has often been sorely felt by the nation.

With Messi in the team the Albiceleste boast a perfect record, having won three out of three games against Chile, Bolivia and Uruguay, with four goals scored and just one conceded.

But in the five games he has missed Argentina have won just once, against Colombia in 2015.