How Lionel Scaloni built an Argentina side that could thrive without Lionel Messi

Also read | Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Haaland: a Golden Boot race unlike any other

Jose Pekerman’s 2006 Argentina had its flaws. But Esteban Cambiasso’s 52-second, 25-pass goal remains, to this day, one of Argentina’s finest World Cup moments. That team lost on penalties to Germany in the quarter-finals – a defeat that put the pressure on a young Lionel Messi to succeed for Argentina. Scaloni was also a part of that quiet moment. Twenty years later, the man who loves tango has created a version of Argentina that complements Brown’s aesthetic.

Part of the appeal of these iterations is their willingness to scrap.

Argentina’s identity

Scaloni deliberately prepares his team not to play the ball on the edge of the pitch. They play miscellaneous and invite their opponents to match them on that plane. In Ryan Coogler’s Creed 2, there’s a training montage where Sylvester Stallone’s aging Rocky Balboa character places a tire in the middle of the ring and tells Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed to put his foot in the tire, not move, and box from that vantage point – ‘That’s where the fight will be. toe Get used to it’, he said with a smile.

Scaloni determines the terms of the match and where it will take place on the pitch. Once there, Argentina is unique.

In their first half against Jordan, neural telepathy was out in full force. It started with Nicolas Otamendi and Leandro Paredes, acting like fearless bullfighters, holding the ball for seconds and putting pressure on them. They are dazzled by Jordan’s midfield press that surrounds them – a stark contrast to the approach of European footballers who see the oncoming press as a nuisance, and how Argentina do not envision it – as an opportunity to create.

Passes fly like little bursts of lightning. Balls are released very quickly and almost all Argentines have a manual in themselves to catch the ball and turn it into the best possible position – meanwhile, the player receiving the next pass has already guessed which way the ball will appear.

That collective march towards goal – where the pass not only moves the ball but the team – usually ends with Lionel Messi key to Argentina’s attack. The system is built on the footballing heritage of champion Argentina but equally presents Messi at his most powerful – running with the ball to the last line of defence.

In his absence from the start, Giovanni Lo Celso and Lautaro Martinez showed that the system can be built for Messi but it is a generation of Albiceleste footballers who can go deep on their own at this World Cup. And it all comes down to Scaloni.

Football is almost over

Steven Gerrard once almost kicked Scaloni out of football.

The story goes that West Ham United were about to win their first title in 26 years and only the fourth in their history at the time. Until Gerrard scored a ridiculous goal – for which Scaloni blamed himself. West Ham chose not to re-sign him and the Argentine, who took more blame on himself than most players, chose to quit football almost entirely.

But he chose to move to Spain instead, where a flurry of clubs came and went. He then met his wife, had children and then made a seamless transition into coaching – where he met Spanish trainer Luis de la Fuente.

Spain’s current coach, who is credited with galvanizing the latest generation of Spanish footballers, de la Fuente’s path mirrors Scaloni’s. They were both entrusted with their country’s youth and shared an affinity for recognizing the true profile of the players under them – a vital ability when your country can’t afford the raw talent of the French.