Taking a mouthful of water from the table, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni cleared his throat and told the media manager sitting next to him: “You need to translate this, it’s important now, into English. Very clean English.”
The media manager looked at him amused, though he could sense the premeditation. “I have no superstitions,” he explained, fighting back a laugh and trying to keep a stern face but failing miserably.
The reporter’s question was about Scaloni’s habit of wearing the same shoe (or rather sneaker) for every game. The manager, after taking another sip of water, explained how he left the ritual. “I had one at the last World Cup. I used the same pair of shoes during the winning streak. Then we lost to Saudi Arabia, and I had to take them off. So I said, ‘Buy shoes.’ From there I had nothing.”
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The reporter interrupted again: “What about entering the ground with the right foot?” Scaloni wanted to deny it, but couldn’t: “No, no, yes, yes. It’s old, I go in with my right foot, but I did it when I played, right?” That was the last question of the conversation, and he left the reporter and the floor for another story trail: “I imagine the rest of the coaching staff has some superstitions or something. I don’t have many.”
Two days before the final between Argentina and Spain, a match of captivating subplots, managers Scaloni and Luis de la Fuente were in the mood for wit, humor and explanations, detracting from the central theme of the game. Maybe that’s how they wanted to interact – a light-hearted affair. Both had charm and a way with words to pull it off.
Spain’s Rodri listens as head coach Luis de la Fuente speaks during a press conference ahead of the World Cup final against Argentina in New York. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Rodri and Emiliano Martinez, the Spain captain and Argentina goalkeeper/wind-up merchant, were rather glaringly matter-of-fact, resorting to platitudes. More concerned than the players were the journalists of both countries. Before the convention, some of them gathered in a corner and actively discussed who would ask which questions. “De La always makes the headlines,” one might say.
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He gave no headlines, but plenty to laugh about. De la Fuente, an imposing presence with his penetrating eyes and stocky frame, found the funny side of everything. He called reporters by their first names and delivered wisecracks with a straight face.
“Are you worried about anything before your first World Cup final?” He thought for a moment, and then came up with a gem: “We came by helicopter, and we have to fly back after the press conference. That really worries me.” Waves of laughter. A few smartphones mounted on the monopod fell down, as the videographer was lost in his humor.
It didn’t take long to strike the obvious question. Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, two famous figures of the game. Yamal is not only predestined to be Messi’s spiritual successor at Barcelona, but also his country’s first football megastar. Spain, of course, had Alfredo Di Stefano and Raul, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, but none displayed a superstar personality. “Messi is one of a kind; he is an immense talent and, above all, an example for young players,” he said. “But a lamin’s gotta be a lamin.”
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Scalloni also had a predictable question. On his bond with Guru de la Fuente. “Well, it’s not like we know everything about each other. We’re friends, but he doesn’t know what I think about football,” he stressed. He clearly defined his styles. “What we know is how each other’s teams play; he knows how mine plays and I know how his team plays. We haven’t sat down to discuss our respective patterns, but they are clear. Both like time on the ball,” he said.
Both are possession-dependent. “But with some nuances,” he added. Argentina enjoy passive possession, in which they pass the ball between themselves to frustrate the opposition. Spain, on the other hand, are moving quickly into attacking positions with the ball. “They string a lot of passes together and stand up.”
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What Scaloni didn’t say was that they were just as comfortable without the ball. They can go minutes without a ball and then suddenly start a blizzard out of nowhere. He also has tactical marvels like playing Angel Di Maria in the 2022 Qatar World Cup final. The wide-man stunned France; A narrow midfield was suddenly widened and France didn’t have the personnel to deal with it. De la Fuente is not prone to impulses; The changes he makes are carefully weighed before implementation.
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Both praised each other’s team. “If Spain leaves the hotel, I’m already worried,” Scaloni said. “Once they get on the bus and they leave the hotel, I worry.”
De la Fuente focused on the trophies Argentina has won in the last four years: “Copa, World Cup, Copa… They’ve won all the tournaments they’ve reached the final. But I focus on what I can control, which is the performance of our own players.”
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni speaks at a press conference on Friday. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Scaloni then reported crying after almost every game, unlike in the past where he was famously cold. “You see your people celebrating, you see how happy they are… it gets to you; it really touches you, and it’s impossible not to be moved by your heart.”
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De la Fuente was half-shocked at the Argentine’s intense physicality: “Referee Slavko Vincic should not be lenient or allow anyone to exceed the limits of the law or go beyond the rules of football.”
He then turned to quotes from the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius: “That which benefits the hive brings nothing to the bee. Players must have a mindset where you need to work for the collective good.”
He scanned his eyes from one corner of the room to the other, where at least a hundred journalists had gathered, and said philosophically: “You ask me about the trick to winning. I will tell you. Work, work and work. I see that most of you are younger than me and you must keep working. Never stop. Experience is amazing, when everything goes well,” he said.
Everything, he knows, will only work for one team on Sunday. Both managers will be praying for the team to be theirs.