Lionel Messi wants team to attack more
Albiceleste skipper says he feels more comfortable with a central role in a three-man front line
Argentina captain Lionel Messi believes coach Alejandro Sabella has to back his side's attacking capabilities and include him among a front three when they face Iran in Belo Horizonte.
Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain is expected to return to Sabella's starting line-up as the two-time winners look to seal their place in the second round with a victory over Iran.
Higuain came on as a substitute to set up Messi to score his second-ever World Cup goal as Argentina got their campaign off to a winning start against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Rio.
I am not one of those players that makes the difference on the pitch, but more a player that sacrifices myself for the team. What is my secret? I live for this
And Messi said he felt more comfortable playing with Higuain and Sergio Aguero in attack. "We are Argentina and I think we need to concentrate on ourselves without fixating on who we are playing," said Messi.
"We feel more comfortable with two up front and me behind because it makes it easier to counter-attack and, because we have more people in attack, we have more possibilities."
Messi eased some of the pressure on his shoulders to finally deliver his best form at a major tournament for his country with his stunning effort in the 2-1 win over Bosnia.
However, his underwhelming first-half performance was still criticised by some and he admitted he needs to play closer to the opposition's goal. "In the first-half I found it difficult to get a hold of the ball and when I did I was very far from goal.
"The truth is when I did have the ball I lost it a number of times and at other times I was playing it backwards. I was annoyed at not being able to play the game I had planned."