World Cup: Day 12

Please forgive me, dear reader.

I did not have an awful lot to say about Jordan vs Algeria.

I know you were all desperate for the big breakdown there.

Now, let’s begin.

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Argentina 2-0 Austria

I’ve written a lot about the tactical choices teams have to make during the World Cup. I’ve talked about stretching teams by getting it wide, opening up the space, having runners, etc etc.

But the rules don’t apply to Argentina.

They have Lionel Messi.

Over two games, Argentina have taken 20 shots. 13 of those were taken by Messi, with another four shots assisted by him. He’s 38 and they are totally, totally reliant on him. Normally, that would be a bad thing. I can’t imagine anyone being too upset about this, though.

This was a game where he missed a penalty and no one even cares. He made amends for it not too long afterwards. I was talking yesterday about how Lamine Yamal needs to learn to take better shots the same way Messi did, and he offered a textbook example of it here. When we talk about what makes Messi great, we (myself included) always default to what he can do with the ball at his feet. We don’t think of him as one of the great players at finding space in the final third, even though he’s arguably the best in the world at it. How many times have you seen that goal, where Messi arrives late in the box, untracked, to score a one-touch finish? His instinctive understanding of space on a football pitch is ludicrous.

Austria looked very poor here and did not test Argentina in a meaningful way. I don’t think this team are remotely invulnerable. Alexis Mac Allister looked like he had nothing left in the tank for Liverpool this season, and putting him next to Enzo Fernández doesn’t scream solidity. Centre back Cristian Romero picked up a knock here and was replaced by Nicolás Otamendi, who is so old he’s only eight months younger than Messi. But Argentina have a soft path. They’re not likely to face another serious candidate to win the tournament for a while. They might not get tested until well into the competition. We’ll have to see how that plays out.

France 3-0 Iraq

Kylian Mbappé has scored four goals in two games and I’m not even sure he’s France’s best player.

Michael Olise has been running the show since Didier Deschamps moved him to the number ten role at half-time against Senegal. When he gets the ball in the final third, he moves it so quickly. He’s constantly picking out the attackers around him with perfectly place passes that are also somehow at an intense pace. He’s going to find Mbappé when he gets it in these positions. It’s pretty clear teams need to plan for Olise specifically.