Mascherano proving his worth to Argentina after return to familiar surroundings

The 2014 World Cup was always supposed to be about Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t it? A football festival with the biggest headliners, united on the main stage.

Yet, the latter exited the tournament with barely a whimper and Brazil’s main man was carried out of it in agony. Hardly the ending FIFA’s stakeholders might have envisaged.

Only the former retains a healthy interest in proceedings at this juncture and whilst Messi has certainly been at the sharp end for a good portion of Argentina’s assault on the trophy, without adequate and diligent back up the Albiceleste would’ve been on their way home already.

Angel Di Maria’s work ethic eventually paid off with a late winner against the Swiss, and one or two others - Sergio Romero among them - have weighed in with shifts of appropriate moil.

But it’s the performances of Messi’s Barcelona club-mate Javier Mascherano that have really caught the eye.

Restored to his natural defensive midfield sentry, “Masch” has been a revelation throughout the tournament in Brazil, each 90 minutes better than the last.

A creaking backline who are hardly vintage exponents of the defensive art have been comforted in the knowledge that their protector supreme is absolutely at the top of his game right now.

An average of 84.2 passes per match with an accuracy of 91.7 percent is up there with the very best in the tournament.

Indeed, by the end of the group stages, with 278 total passes and an 89 percent completion rate, Mascherano was at the very top of the tree. Not too shabby when you consider the likes of Toni Kroos, Xavi Hernandez and Andrea Pirlo were all exhibiting their sumptuous wares for your delectation too.

Similarly, the defensive element to his role has been nothing short of sensational in Brazil; 4.8 tackles per game, 3.3 clearances, 2 interceptions. One supremely confident player.

In this form, Sergio Busquets will be casting envious and admiring glances in the Argentine’s direction.

For years now the Spaniard’s own form has seen Mascherano relegated to a secondary role. “Filler” work at the heart of the Blaugrana defence because the management are seemingly incapable of making the necessary purchases in that area.

Now, on the biggest stage and with the beady eyes of planet football boring into him, “Jefecito” (Little Boss) is making all of the right moves. And how.

His country’s first semi-final in 24 years can be directly attributed to his own performances as much as Messi’s, and against Belgium in particular he was, by some distance, the best player on the pitch.

In the ascendancy, will anyone bet against another match-winning cameo to help take his team to the Maracana Stadium on Sunday and a shot at world football’s Holy Grail?

Manager Alejandro Sabella will hope to guide his team to glory, and he too has excelled from day one. Willing to adopt tactical variations and react to the smallest nuances in order to gain the maximum from his staff, Sabella’s biggest gift has actually been to not shoe-horn players into roles and areas of the pitch where they can’t deliver their best work.

Yes, Mascherano can function as a central defender, but it is patently obvious to anyone with a passing interest in football that he is almost peerless as a defensive midfielder.

Luis Enrique certainly has some food for thought as he prepares to welcome back his Barcelona players to La Masia and the start of pre-season training.

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With form rather than reputation a cornerstone of “Lucho’s” managerial policy, we might be looking at a changing of the guard at Camp Nou because Busquets certainly can’t escape criticism for Spain’s astonishing early exit from the tournament.

Mascherano hasn’t done his claims for a permanent residency any harm at all either.

In the meantime however, he has far more important things to attend to.

*Jason Pettigrove is a freelance FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and La Liga correspondent for @YahooSportsME as well as a number of other print/digital media. Follow him @jasonpettigrove