Copa America 2011: Will Lionel "Pobre" Messi Cry for Argentina?

Copa America 2011 Results Are Not Favoring Argentina

Argentina has struggled mightily thus far in the Copa America tournament and desperately need to turn things around if they are expecting to advance.

Messi has been referred to as Pobre Messi (which translates to poor Messi) as of late and he has really taken a lot of criticism for their struggles early on during this tournament.

As one of the best players in the world, Messi has taken a lot of heat and was actually being booed off the field after last night's draw against Colombia.

When Messi puts on his Argentina jersey he seems to switch gears, and not in a good way.  Messi is one of the most dominating club players in the world and has been one of the primary weapons on a terrific Barcelona team.

However, that success has not carried over to success on the national stage and he is really disappointing an entire country. 

As a star player, it is his job to accept the blame and take on the troubles of the team.  He is without a doubt the star of this team, and the Argentina fans expect much more from him.  There has long been a notion that Argentinians would begin to retaliate against Messi.

Messi left Argentina and moved to Spain when he was just 13 years old, and there has been a sense that not everyone accepts Messi—they don't entirely trust him and his heart.

Argentina has struggled, that is certain, but the blame should not fall entirely on Messi.  The defense has not played well, Carlos Tevez has not converted his chances, and the attacking wingers have failed to get involved and create scoring chances.

This entire team is under-performing.  The team as a whole needs to come together and play up to their talent level. If not, Messi will find himself crying on the pitch when his team is eliminated.