Argentina have qualified for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, their first World Cup appearance since 2011, and are looking to make waves in Group D. Carlos Borrello's charges had to see off Panama in a two-legged play-off qualification match and ended up being the third team from CONMEBOL to qualify for the World Cup.
They will look to get out of the group for the first time in their history but to do so, they will need to get upset results against England, Japan and Scotland.
An inexperienced roster looks to push Argentina forward
After failing to reach the World Cup at the last time of asking, Argentina had a large turnover in their roster. That turnover led to the team we will see in France this summer and it has helped. Many of the players on this roster will be participating at their first ever World Cup but that could end up being an advantage to Argentina if they play their cards right.
They will look to the likes of Estefanía Banini (Levante UD) and Florencia Bonsegundo (Sporting de Huelva) and for inspiration as they go up against tournament favourites like England and dark horses like Scotland and Japan. Many will not give Argentina a chance to qualify for the knock out rounds but in soccer, no one can ever be sure and the World Cup has always been a place for surprising results. If Banini and Bonsegundo can replicate the form they showed for their clubs in the Liga Femenina Iberdrola, a miracle could be in the works for Argentina.
A leaky backline could be the downfall for the South Americans
Here is where all the problems will arise for Argentina. They have proven that against the stronger teams in women's soccer, they are not able to cope with their opponents' offense and will crumble once the first goal goes in. England and Japan in particular have skillful and efficient strikers in their ranks and will expose any weaknesses that the Argentines show. South Americans teams tend to want to play with some flair but Argentina have shown that they can and are willing to sit back and counter should the occasion call for it. They may need to do so in all of their group games to give themselves any hope this summer.
They will also need to make sure that the ball gets to their forwards as often as possible. Argentina have struggled to put together smart patterns of play recently so that will have to be addressed before the opening game of Group D. If they can figure all of this out by June 10th, when they open the group with a match against Japan, a potential fairytale may be in the works for Argentina.
Roster
Goalkeepers: Vanina Correa, Gabriela Garton, Solana Pereyra.
Defenders: Agustina Barroso, Gabriela Chávez, Aldana Cometti, Virgina Gómez, Natalie Juncos, Adriana Sachs, Eliana Stábile.
Midfielders: Estefanía Banini, Lorena Benítez, Florencia Bonsegundo, Ruth Bravo, Mariela Coronel, Dalila Ippolito, Miriram Mayorga, Vanesa Santana.
Forwards: Sole Jaimes, Mariana Larroquette, Milagros Menéndez, Yael Oviedo, Belén Potassa.