Lionel Messi's 4-Game Ban Called 'Strange' by Argentina Coach Edgardo Bauza

Argentina manager Edgardo Bauza has criticised the timing of the confirmation of Lionel Messi's four-game international ban, suggesting it was a "strange" decision to announce it on the day of their game against Bolivia.Indeed, CONMEBOL confirmed Messi would sit out the match in La Paz less than six hours before kick-off after he used abusive language towards a match official during the team's 1-0 win over Chile last week, per BBC Sport. Bauza's side went on to lose 2-0 to Bolivia and the coach spoke of how distracting the saga was in the buildup."When the rumour began to settle, the concern began to take on more volume," he said, per PA Sport (h/t ESPN FC). "It seemed strange that in one day everything could be done, that we did not have time to make an appeal. We did not have time to work with someone else. Now the corresponding procedure for the appeal is being processed."A difficult day for the Albiceleste was made even worse thanks to results elsewhere. Wins for Colombia and Chile pushed Argentina back down into fifth place in the CONMEBOL standings, which means a play-off would be needed to secure their spot at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.Here is a look at how things stand, with the top four automatically progressing to the tournament finals:Per Argentina football journalist Sam Kelly, Argentina will be taking nervous looks over their shoulder:Nevertheless, the distraction of losing a player like Messi on the day of the game cannot be helpful to the cause. Although some have been critical of the Barcelona man's displays in national-team colours, he's still a talisman for Argentina, and without him, their attack lacked fluidity.The worry for Argentina is that they have three more matches to play without their star forward. Their next outing is a difficult one, too, as Bauza's side visit Uruguay, who sit in third place in the standings. Messi will also miss home matches against Venezuela and Peru.Another worry for those tied to the Albiceleste is how dependent they are on Messi when there is so much talent in their setup. As Spanish football journalist David Cartlidge noted, there are deep-rooted problems for this illustrious football nation to overcome:Indeed, among the squad for the game against Bolivia were talents such as Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala. But as of yet, Bauza has been unable to find a way of meshing the skills of all these world-class operators alongside Messi. Meshing them without the Barcelona man will be even more of a test.If he doesn't do so in the three upcoming matches, Argentina face the very real prospect of missing out on the Russia showpiece in the summer of 2018. It'd be a shame if this football juggernaut and their star man Messi didn't grace that grand stage.
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