Matias Kranevitter Passes Argentina Audition to Prove He Is Mascherano's Heir

More fearsome opponents than Bolivia will undoubtedly come in Matias Kranevitter's budding career, but in an imperious performance on Tuesday the 23-year-old showed just why he is considered as the natural successor to Javier Mascherano in the Argentina engine room. 

It is rare at international level—with all its variables and potential for unpredictability—to see a team dominate quite so thoroughly as Argentina did in Seattle. Bolivia simply had no answer for the Albiceleste's passing game as they folded 3-0 in a game that was over by half-time.

Lionel Messi was brought on for a second-half subplot, almost in an effort to create some sort of suspense in the final Copa America Centenario group-stage game. A goal for the captain would have taken him level with Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's top scorer of all time, but it was not to be—not that it seemed to upset him too much. 

The Barcelona star almost drove the CenturyLink Field crowd wild with a spectacular free-kick that somehow whistled wide, and he generally enjoyed himself against painfully inferior opposition. A cheeky nutmeg after being pulled back for an offside let slip the relaxed mood La Pulga is in stateside, which can only be a good thing for Albiceleste fans. 

The big action took place before the break. Erik Lamela gave a taste of what was to come with a deflected free-kick that fooled Carlos Lampe between the posts. Ezequiel Lavezzi, one of Argentina's best performers on the night, doubled the advantage with a smart rebound finish to end the game as a contest barely 15 minutes in. 

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward then turned provider to give Independiente defender Victor Cuesta a dream debut goal. From that point on, the last game of the Copa America group stage was little more than an exhibition match, with Gerardo Martino's men stroking the ball around the pitch at will. 

But no game, however ultimately one-sided, is a foregone conclusion. And Argentina's dominance owed a great deal to the midfield control exerted by the flawless Ever Banega and his new partner-in-crime, Kranevitter—the Atletico Madrid youngster with the brightest of futures. 

With Javier Mascherano, Marcos Rojo, Augusto Fernandez and Gabriel Mercado rested from the team that sealed qualification with wins over Chile and Panama, the chance was there for the second-string players to shine. Lamela and Lavezzi took their opportunity, as did Kranevitter with Banega's steadying influence key.

The pair marshalled the pitch to perfection in the opening 45 minutes, combining dogged marking with an outstanding accuracy in the pass. This enabled Argentina to come and go as they please, patiently building up and finding the spaces despite the 11 bodies behind the ball. 

Kranevitter completed an astonishing 100 per cent of his passes before the break, a metronomic precision that is not diminished by the opponent's stature. 

He eventually finished the game with 104 successful passes out of 110, according to Opta's statistics, a Copa America high so far and numbers only the likes of Xavi regularly posted. With 118 touches of the ball, he also led his team, a remarkable responsibility for someone making just his sixth senior appearance. 

For a player who has not had the luxury of too many full matches over the past six months, it was a sign that he is ready to move on and become an integral part of his team both at club and international level. 

The native of Yerba Buena, Tucuman, has had to bide his time during his debut season in Europe. After the elation of a Copa Libertadores win and a trip to Japan to dispute the Club World Cup final with River Plate, the tenacious midfielder has settled into a regular position on the Atletico bench, showing only glimpses of his best form. 

In Argentina, however, he has long been tipped as Mascherano's long-term replacement in the national team. While not showing the same aggression as the former Albiceleste captain, his vision is impeccable, and he rarely errs in the pass; a Sergio Busquets figure in front of the back four, solid and continually recycling possession. 

"My idol is Mascherano, I would love to play like him," Kranevitter told a River fans radio station in 2013, as he was just starting to make a name for himself at the Monumental, per Infobae (in Spanish).

Since then, he has had the chance to meet his hero several times on the pitch, together in international colours and on opposite sides against Barcelona. 

Mascherano is in no doubt about the talents of his prospective heir. "He is a brilliant player, for his age he is showing great maturity," he told Clarin prior to the Club World Cup last year. 

"He has a huge future not just in Europe, but in the national team as well. Matias will make his own way, and he might have a career much better than my own." 

The Barcelona stalwart will be 34 when the 2018 World Cup kicks off, and that tournament could prove to be the swansong for a memorable international career. Kranevitter, meanwhile, will be 25, and admirably placed to take on the role at the base of midfield on a full-time basis after two more years of hard learning at the hands of the best teacher around. 

Argentina's midfield king can rest easy. The succession in the Albiceleste ranks is already in motion, and on the evidence he continues to give us, Kranevitter would be a worthy heir to perhaps the best competitor the nation has had in the last decade.

Follow Daniel on Twitter