New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Team India defender Sandesh Jhingan believes Argentina’s defensive foundations remain intact despite conceding twice in their Round of 32 clash against Cabo Verde, backing the reigning world champions to produce a much-improved display against Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.

Argentina survived a scare to progress after a hard-fought win over Cabo Verde, prompting questions over their defence. However, Jhingan, who is part of Zee5 FIFA World Cup 2026 expert panel, insisted one below-par outing should not overshadow the consistency Lionel Scaloni’s side has shown over the last few years.

“Of course, when you concede two goals, people immediately question the defence. But one average performance shouldn’t make you feel you’re suddenly not good enough, just like one great performance shouldn’t make you think you’re invincible. If you look at Argentina’s record over the last 10-15 games, they have hardly conceded. For me, one of their biggest strengths is their defensive solidity, and they’ll look at the Cabo Verde game as just a small bump in the road. The important thing was getting the win, and I expect them to be much sharper against Egypt,” Jhingan told Zee5.

The India international expects Egypt to adopt a counter-attacking approach centred around Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush but feels Argentina’s renowned counter-pressing will be key to nullifying that threat.

“Egypt will probably sit back and look to hit Argentina on the counter because that’s where their strengths lie. But one thing I admire about Argentina is how quickly they counter-press after losing possession. They hunt in packs and don’t allow opponents many transition opportunities. If Egypt wants to minimise Messi’s influence, the key isn’t trying to stop him one-on-one; it’s cutting off the supply from players like Rodrigo De Paul and Alexis Mac Allister. That’s the only realistic way to reduce his impact,” he added.

Looking ahead to the other Round of 16 fixture, Jhingan believes Switzerland should stick to their possession-based approach against Colombia’s aggressive press.

“I think they would fancy keeping the build-up plan because one of the reasons why teams do build-up is to invite pressure. When you do a high press, you leave a lot of space behind. Switzerland will want Colombia to come out from their own half because that creates the spaces they can exploit with just one, two or three passes. The main purpose of build-up is to invite pressure so that you have space behind to hurt them,” he explained.

Jhingan described Colombia as one of the tournament’s standout teams, praising their midfield control through James Rodríguez and the pace of Luis Díaz, while also highlighting Switzerland’s tactical discipline and compact defensive structure.

“Colombia have been one of the most exciting teams in the tournament. They create superiority in midfield through James Rodríguez, control possession well and then use the pace of Luis Díaz to attack the spaces behind. They’re a very complete side. But Switzerland are equally impressive in a different way. They’re compact, tactically disciplined and defend with a very organised mid-block. I think Manzambi has been the X-factor and has given them that extra attacking edge. I actually have a feeling Switzerland might edge this one, but I think both teams are so evenly matched that whoever makes fewer mistakes in midfield and makes better decisions will probably progress to the quarter-finals,” he said.

–IANS

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