WHEN ARGENTINA suffered an opening day loss against Saudi Arabia, there were many doubts surrounding La Albiceleste.
This team, after all, had a 35-year-old Lionel Messi, an aging Papu Gomez and Angel Di Maria, and a bunch of inexperienced players like Lisandro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, and Alexis Mac Allister.
But Argentinian manager Lionel Scaloni made crucial tactical changes at the sidelines, and the blue-and-white shirts experienced a resurgence.
Now, Lionel Messi has a chance to finally end his World Cup drought and bring Argentina to glory last seen under the Diego Maradona era.
Even if some can argue that his performances against Croatia had already decided the Messi vs. Ronaldo debate, a World Cup trophy would be the definitive statement.
It won't be an easy fight. France are also on the verge of making history as the first team since Pele's Brazil to win back-to-back World Cup trophies. They're also blessed with Kylian Mbappe, who is determined to win two of the biggest trophies in football at a very young age.
Assessing Argentina’s buildup
When in possession, La Albiceleste loves to rely on their players dropping deep.
If you watch how Paris Saint-Germain operated under Mauricio Pochettino, you’ll notice that Poch instructs Leandro Paredes to drop deep into the defensive-third. This forges a back three, allowing the fullbacks to move forward. In addition, it could attract the opposing striker to follow Paredes, decongesting the central areas.
Paredes plays a similar role for Argentina. But the blue and white shirts would add a twist by alternating between him and Enzo Fernandez, as both are solid in distributing the ball in the pivot areas.
With either Paredes or Fernandez at the deep end, Les Bleus could have either Olivier Giroud or Antoine Griezmann pressure either of the Argentinian pivots. In the game against Morocco, both Giroud and Griezmann would constantly mark the Moroccan pivots, Amrabat and Ounahi.
However, with Lionel Messi’s tendencies to drop deep from the attacking areas, it would be wise for France to use their two attacking players in the midfield third to potentially limit Argentina’s progression.

Speaking of Messi, he is also a player La Albiceleste can rely on with his false nine role. Messi isn’t a player who can easily be guarded, and may require two or three defenders to slow him down; see: the smackdown he gave Josko Gvardiol in the semifinals.
With Messi swarmed, this could give his teammates a breather.

However, Argentina should be wary that France might expect this sort of play. They might use Ibrahima Konate or Dayot Upamecano to follow his movements, and keep him on the breaks. After all, during their match against Morocco, Konate managed to shut down Youssef En-Nesyri whenever he dropped deep.
But comparing En-Nesyri to Lionel Messi is like comparing a Toyota and a Ferrari, and Messi would definitely serve as a lethal threat against the French team, not only because of his skill but also when looking at how France utilizes their superstar Kylian Mbappe.
Dealing with Mbappe
Unlike other forward players like Vinicius Jr., Sadio Mane, and Edinson Cavani, Mbappe is a defensive liability, as he barely presses the opposition, and he would rather reserve his energy for a dangerous counterattack.
Since he isn’t known for his defense, Morocco seized the opportunity to outplay France on the right side of the pitch. Whoscored.com noted that 53 percent of Morocco's attacks stemmed from that side.
With Hakimi, Ziyech, Amallah, Ounahi, and at some points, Amrabat overloading that side, and Morocco generated a lot of threatening attempts in that area.

However, manager Didier Deschamps made the tactical switch of introducing Marcus Thuram, which in turn placed Mbappe in the central areas. Thuram’s defensive presence somewhat limited the right side.
This could be something that Argentina can exploit, especially with Lionel Messi attacking those areas.
However, one important question remains. Do they have the tools to clump Mbappe especially with his tendencies to stay upfront for a lethal counterattack?
Early on, England managed to hold their ground with Kyle Walker’s experience in matching his counterpart.
Morocco was also able to slow him down — even though Hakimi tends to attack — all thanks to the support of Amrabat and the centrebacks.
What about Argentina?
Playing on the counter or dominating possession
The threat level of Mbappe sets up an important dilemma for Argentina. Should they play with the ball or play on the counter similar to what they did against Croatia?
Playing on the counter might make sense, as they have Julian Alvarez upfront. He has the speed and energy to potentially surprise the defender, as well as synergizing well with La Albiceleste's technical midfielders.
But while Argentina could utilize this gameplan, they should watch out: France has more tricks under their sleeves compared to their previous foes Croatia, who were more dependent on their midfield trident.
Just look at how France played against Morocco and compare it to Spain and Portugal. While the latter two were struggling to break the African squad's compact defensive shape, France was able to expose it as their attacking players offered more fluidity for Deschamps.
Griezmann is good at positioning himself, Ousmane Dembele is crafty with the ball, and Giroud could capitalize on his physical presence. Then there's that freak show known as Mbappe.
All in all, France posed a more threatening attack compared to Spain and Portugal. The first goal — where Raphael Varane made a surgical pass to Griezmann — was a statement that France isn't like Morocco's other European rivals. This would not be a slowly paced game.
If France needs to take some risks, they will rightfully do so. Expect Deschamps to do the same against Argentina in case they play defensive.
Meanwhile, playing with the ball could also be risky. France is likewise deadly on the counter with the talent pool that they possess. They did show some shock factor on the break against Morocco.
Scaloni will have a lot to think about in the upcoming finale. If his tactics have ultimately led his team to the finals, will his magic do the same in the biggest stage in football?
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