A Game of Two Halves: The Key for Argentina in Copa America Test

Will the real Argentina please stand up? So far in the Copa America the star-studded Albiceleste have provided only a series of infuriatingly schizophrenic performances. Now it is time to sustain that talent across the full 90 minutes against dangerous Colombia. 

Neither Argentina nor Colombia have shown anything like their full potential in Chile. The problem is perhaps even more acute for Jose Pekerman's men. With star man James Rodriguez arguably suffering from fatigue following his debut season in Real Madrid, one of the world's most demanding clubs, performances have not lived up to expectations. 

A win, a draw and a loss with just one goal scored was not the balance the Cafeteros expected to bring into the knockout stages having impressed so much in last year's World Cup. But at least they know that against Argentina a vast improvement will be necessary to upset the favourites in the quarter-final. 

The problem for Gerardo Martino's men is rather harder to place. In drawing against Paraguay in Group B and taking down Uruguay and Jamaica in narrow 1-0 wins, two issues are evident: a lack of killer instinct in front of goal, and an extremely concerning tendency to drop intensity once the half-time whistle blows. 

That first worry should dissipate on its own, with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi leading the attack.

The second is a real head-scratcher. In all three matches so far, the team played the first 45 minutes like the dominant force they should be with the talent at their disposal. But the second half marked a shift down the gears, a ponderous, uninterested side almost inviting the opposition to push on and seek the equaliser.

What could be causing this? 

Coach Martino may not be to everyone's taste. But the former Barcelona and Newell's Old Boys trainer has been nothing but consistent in what he expects from his charges. A Martino XI is expected to run down every ball, pressure incessantly from the opposition area onwards and never cede control of possession. When it works well, it is extremely hard to combat. 

But this is far from the first time that one of his teams has struggled to keep up the pace. Similar to the phenomenon experienced by a unit coached by Marcelo Bielsa, this can be extremely effective in the early stages of the game or even a season. But it requires a phenomenal level of fitness to sustain over the course of 90 minutes. 

Time and again with Newell's, the Rosario club threw away winning positions in the closing stages of matches. The 2013 Copa Libertadores semi-final against Atletico Mineiro summed this up perfectly. Having won 2-0 in an exemplary first leg against the Brazilians—who, with Ronaldinho, Jo and Bernard in their ranks, were no pushovers—goals in the third and 96th minute sunk the Lepra in the return. Newell's subsequently exited on penalties, missing a golden chance for their first Libertadores title in history. 

Likewise with Barcelona.

The Catalans started the season strongly but, as the months wore by, found it harder and harder to sustain the constant pressure. They would eventually end the campaign trophy-less having come so close to glory. The margins between success and failure are always razor-thin; but in international football, with so little time to work on conditioning and fitness, this is even more true. 

There will be few surprises on Friday. Having mulled over the possibility of swapping Pablo Zabaleta and Javier Pastore for Ever Banega and Facundo Roncaglia to add more defensive steel, finally Martino opted to maintain the same squad that took down Uruguay, according to BuenosAiresHerald.com. The plan will be essentially the same: push Colombia hard and fast from the start, create plenty of chances and look to put the game out of sight early on. 

If Messi and Aguero are on form, there is no reason why Argentina cannot take a formidable early lead. But the Albiceleste must also play intelligently. Colombia have far more attacking firepower of their own than any of the nation's opponents up to this point, and if concentration begins to waver, the likes of James, Radamel Falcao and Teofilo Gutierrez will be more than happy to take advantage. 

Argentina have already proved that in their best moments they are up there with the very best in South America, if not world football. But the sport is played over the full 90 minutes, and against wily Pekerman and the Cafeteros, there will be no time for rest if they wish to progress to the last four.