Lionel Messi has overtaken Diego Maradona as Argentina's greatest ever player, according to the man. There is a time and a place for it. Lionel Messi is the main focus of the headlines and the spotlights. The last dance, if that is what it was, was the best dance as the Little Genius won the World Cup at the fifth time of asking. Without the other Lionel, it wouldn't have been possible. The 44-year-old Argentina boss, with no previous senior coaching experience, got it right once more on the big day. You can watch LaLiga, the Bundesliga and more on the US version of the network.
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The Argentine media had been mostly correct when predicting the team, but this time they were thrown a dummy. It was thought that Angel Di Maria would be left on the bench and that Lisandro Martinez would start in the center of the field. The other person did the opposite.
He was respectful of France, but not afraid. The Argentina coaching staff was tasked with observing future opponents. France defeated Argentina in the round of 16. When he became Argentina's head coach after the World Cup, France were a model.
They were wary of their ability to shoot quickly, their ability to win the ball and their ability to be in a good position to do so. It was assumed that he would go with three centre-backs and give himself more cover, but that wasn't the case.
He would have to admit that the opposition was more important than his team. How could he make his men impose themselves on the game if Argentina were more important? Going with a back four and bringing back Di Maria was the answer.
After the starting line-up was announced, it was thought that Di Maria would play wide on the right in a 4-4-2, teaming up with Messi and probing the weakness of the left side of France's defence. Di Maria was used wide on the left. He had a front three of Messi on the right, and a man on the left.
France found it hard to play out from the back with the front line covered. It made life difficult for Antione Griezmann because he had to cover more space. While Argentina turned it into a problem, Di Maria was doing his part to win the game.
Di Maria was the outstanding player on the field for the first hour of Sunday's final, thoroughly vindicating the decision to use him from the start.
Argentina is not at their best when they have to hang on. The game started to change after Di Maria was withdrawn, and once France had built up a head of steam, the game slipped away from Argentina as it had against the Netherlands. They needed to dig deep into their team spirit and resolve in the final 45 minutes of the game. The coach needs to take some blame.
Once the action starts, no one remembers warm ups or qualification matches. The coach has to find quick solutions when there are problems. This has been done superbly by Scaloni.
He reacted to the opening day defeat to Saudi Arabia with a series of changes that have been largely successful. The decision to replace Lautaro was crucial. Extra mobility was needed because Messi was going to be more of a sporadic figure. The entry of the young man into the middle was a great move.
France's poor start to the game makes Argentina deserving of the World Cup.
Changes were made for the final and all of them paid off. If a tournament is like time sped up, it's also the result of a process that takes place over a long period of time. Three-and-a-half years ago, this Argentina team began to be assembled.
After Argentina was knocked out of the World Cup in the semifinals by Brazil, Scaloni moved towards a more possession-based game. The core group of Argentina's now-core group started to be formed after that tournament, when Messi finally became part of a group of younger players who were prepared to sacrifice themselves for him.
They lost to Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the World Cup. The group went on to win the cup in Brazil in 2021. Argentina's first senior title in 28 years gave them extra confidence and made them feel less stressed.
The groundwork was laid to win the World Cup far ahead of the Argentina squad's arrival in the Middle East. His knowledge of dressing room dynamics and tactical flexibility have helped Argentina win. The two Lionels are participating in the World Cup.
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