Buenos Aires — Argentina last won a major title 25 years ago and while the prospect of ending that drought has looked close in recent years it now seems a distant prospect. Argentina last picked up silverware at the 1993 Copa America, when Gabriel Batistuta and Diego Simeone were playing. They reached the finals of the World Cup in 2014 and the Copa America in 2015 and 2016 but lost all three, the first in extra-time to Germany, the other two to Chile on penalties. Since then they have gone backwards, with the Argentine Football Association in turmoil and three national team managers in three years unable to get the best out of unquestionably one of the world’s most star-studded squads. After settling on Jorge Sampaoli, the Argentine coach who won the Copa America with Chile in 2015, they have yet to find their groove despite having talisman Lionel Messi to call on. One win in four competitive games tells its own story and narrow victories in friendlies over World Cup hosts Russia a...
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