Let's talk about Argentina for a second

Coming into the World Cup Argentina were one of the favorites to take home the trophy. A South American team playing in South America with the best player in the world at their disposal? What could possibly go wrong?

Everybody knows Argentina has struggled in the group stage this World Cup. Extremely unimpressive in their first two group games, it was only due to two bits of Messi magic that Argentina found themselves with six points going into their last game against Nigeria. Though their attack looked a little more fluid here, their defense looked like a sieve, letting Musa ghost through the defense twice to score with consummate ease. They have done anything but impress going into the knockout rounds, and traditional knowledge would indicate that Higuain and Aguero need to start showing up and the defense needs to grow a backbone if they hope to advance any further. (Editors note: Aguero has apparently been ruled out for the rest of the World Cup. Obviously a tough loss for the Albiceleste, but honestly they looked better yesterday with Lavezzi on the field)

That being said- Argentina are in an excellent position going forward. Facing Switzerland in the first round, then the winner of a game between the US and likely Algeria or Russia, it seems as though Argentina won't face truly quality competition until the Semi-Finals. These two games will give the Argentina team not only time to find their groove, but also provides two more occasions for an in-form Lionel Messi to continue his scoring run and build momentum going into some of the biggest games of his life. Anybody watching soccer for the last 6/7 years knows to never bet against an in-form Lionel Messi.

Though Argentina haven't played near their potential yet, they're still my bet to win the World Cup. The only other true heavy weight on their side of the bracket is the Netherlands, who honestly I'm not convinced will reach the semi-finals. Though they obliterated their group, they thrive on the counterattack, and its unlikely Mexico, Costa Rica, or Greece, the teams they would face before a possible match up with Argentina, will be naive enough to let Holland have that kinda of space. Avoiding the likes of Germany, Columbia, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and France until the final will allow Argentina to build momentum and ultimately ride Lio Messi to the World Cup.