Going into this year's Copa America tournament, Argentina were picked by many to be a favorite. They are playing the tournament on their home soil for the first time since 1987, they will be looking to avenge losing to Brazil in the past two finals and, most importantly, they have the best player in the world, Lionel Messi.

Despite all this, Argentina have only taken a disappointing two points from their first two games, tying lowly Bolivia and barely escaping with a point against Colombia.

The fans are rightfully disappointed, as they were expecting the group stage to be almost an exhibition of sorts, a favorable draw where they should have not only gotten a full nine points, but put on one of the greatest shows on earth doing it.

Instead, they have struggled to connect offensively, looked shaky in the back and have been unable to control the run of play. Even though all 11 players have seemed to be shadows of themselves, Messi seems to be the chosen figure of public ridicule.

Being a superstar and the best player on your team means that, when the team fails, you will take a majority of the blame. It is part of the responsibility that comes with the honor. But for the fallout from the poor performance thus far to fall on Messi is completely unwarranted.

It is the belief of many that the magic Messi performs at Barcelona should translate into South American glory. Perhaps Argentina does not have David Villa, Xavi, or Iniesta, but Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, and Angel Di Maria are adequate replacements. Plus, both teams have Javier Mascherano. The talent to support him is present on both squads.

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

However, the disparity begins when you look at their styles of play. You will never find Villa battling one on one in the chest of a defender, but this is the way Tevez plays. Iniesta is always looking to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, but Di Maria likes to keep it at his feet.

But while it is foolish to assume that Barcelona and Argentina are the same team, it is even more ridiculous to assume that they can be.

If you have watched Argentina at all this tournament, you have seen Messi making great runs and passes, but the rest of the team seems to not be quite sure where to go. They hesitate on the offsides line, make the wrong run and are simply on a different page than their star.

In turn, it is making Messi look poor, as he is constantly late on passes or blamed for holding the ball too long and turning it over.

But just as it is not Messi's fault, it is not the fault of the other 10 players, either. They have been asked to change their style of play and attempt to replicate something they have no experience in.

If Argentina wants to get back on track and live out the destiny they believe they have, they need to stop trying to be a Barcelona farm team and instead commit themselves to the physical, one-on-one play that most of the guys are used to. It would be more beneficial if they stop trying to dissect the back line and instead put their heads down and run through it.

Argentina have always been the bullies of South America, recognized for their physical (and, at times, dirty) play. If Brazil are surgeons and artists, then Argentina are butchers and craftsmen. They should not try and get away from this identity, as it is the way that their players were raised to understand the game.

Messi left Argentina for Barcelona at age 13. A great deal of his mental and physical development occurred under Catalan philosophy, not Argentinian.

But he is modest, and a good enough player that you can expect him to fit into a system that he may not be as familiar with. Though he may not seem it, he is actually a very physical player who is used to contact, and constantly brushes off tackles, preferring the advantage to the foul.

Tonight, Argentina plays Costa Rica in their last game of the group stage. There are a few scenarios that see them getting through to the knockout round, but the easiest is if they just win. There is absolutely no reason they shouldn't, and this game would be a perfect opportunity for them to implement a strategy that would be more fitting for the team as a whole.

As Mr. Spock said, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."