No experiments: Argentina to field Fab Four against Iran

Following a heated debate over the five-man defence coach Alejandro Sabella used in the first half of their 2-1 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Argentina will start against Iran with their most powerful attacking forces on the pitch: Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria.

The four already showed evidence of their potential in the second half against Bosnia in Rio de Janeiro's mythical Maracana stadium, once Sabella gave up on his initial 5-3-2 experiment.

At the end of a rather disappointing season with Barcelona, Messi, who is according to many still the world's best player, is focusing on the only major tournament he is yet to win: the World Cup. 

Higuain has just won the Copa Italia with Napoli, Aguero won the Premier League with Manchester City and Di Maria was a key player for Real Madrid as they won the Champions League.

Taken together, the four have scored 91 goals with Argentina's senior team, and right now they make up a constellation of stars determined to leave their mark on Brazil 2014. 

The four are joined by Fernando Gago, a key partner for Messi when it comes to setting up Argentina's attack, and Javier Mascherano, whose experience is crucial for midfield balance in such an attack-oriented side. 

The attacking potential of Messi and his team-mates is Argentina's main claim on this World Cup, the essence that puts them among the best in the tournament even if they underperformed in their first match.

Argentine strikers know, however, that they will also need to put pressure on rivals if they want the system to work out. 

"Attack starts with the keeper, and defence starts with the first striker," Sabella told dpa in a recent interview.

Right-back Pablo Zabaleta, Aguero's team-mate at City, knows that defence remains key, even in a line-up with Argentina's Fab Four.

"We know that, if we play like this, with our 4-3-3 system, we can sometimes be left a bit broken, long, and obviously the other team can threaten us," he told dpa in Belo Horizonte.

"We know that sometimes we may get to suffer, but when faced with that we have to defend well," Zabaleta said.

Sabella has managed a feat his predecessors failed to achieve: to get Messi to perform at his best in the national team shirt. The striker started smiling in white and blue and earned something that is of major importance for him: the support of Argentine fans, who had until then been very wary of their superstar.

Sabella first brought Messi, Higuain, Aguero and Di Maria together on the pitch on June 2, 2012, in a game against Ecuador that ended with a 4-0 win for Argentina. However, the quartet have played only five matches together from the start since Sabella has been in charge: injuries and tactical changes prevented it from happening more often.

At the moment, Sabella has all his stars available. Their upcoming Group F games against the lowly Iran and Nigeria offer a good opportunity to test the team and solve any glitches.

And possibly to convince the coach that he can also rely on his Fab Four in more decisive matches against tougher rivals as the tournament progresses.