today 09:30
|
The World Cup finals in Qatar will be provided by the teams of Argentina and France. It’s not a big surprise. They already belonged to the group of favorites before the championship.
FIFA World Cup 2022 news, schedule, results, analysis and commentary in one place >>
Although Argentina started the tournament with a defeat to Saudi Arabia (1:2) and many might have doubted then, but as usually happens in such events, the first match is not decisive. The ‘Albicelestes’ showed their strength against better opponents and their performances continued to grow. At first they didn’t play so confidently, but gradually they got better. The imaginary flag in difficult times was raised by Lionel Messi, who at the age of 35 performs phenomenally at the tournament.
It is paradoxical because he never played so well for the national team during Barcelona’s heyday. When he has the ball at his feet, it’s hard to predict what he will do with it. He binds two or three opponents, then passes and thus creates space for his teammates. Today he is a leader who does brilliant things at a time when the team is not going according to expectations. Players of this quality are born once in a hundred years.
However, Argentina’s success is not only the result of its excellence, but above all the excellent composition of the team. It’s not just Messi who makes the difference. Let’s see how the players around him behave. Alvarez doesn’t play for Manchester City, but he’s doing a great job in charge of the national team. De Paul has stopped playing regularly at Atletico Madrid, but he is doing very well in the league.
He is a marathon runner who runs the most kilometers in any single game. Mac Allister is active at club level in Brighton but acts as if he has had many difficult Champions League matches under his belt. Lautaro Martinez shines again at Inter, but in the league he is sitting on the bench. Hats off to coach Lionel Scaloni, who composed the Argentine puzzle very well.
“Today you can probably guess the winner on the basis of sympathy alone, because the odds are completely balanced.”
Only words of praise also deserve France, which also benefits from the strength of the collective. Coach Didier Deschamps, who knows what needs to be done to be successful, is also to be appreciated. He won the World Cup as a player and can now dominate it for the second time as a coach. He also put together an excellent team, and lost players like Pogba and Kante before the championship, and Benzema and Lucas Hernandez in Qatar. Individuals like Mbappe or Giroud can take advantage of the collective performance in an offensive way. Since the players follow the coach and are willing to submit to his tactical plan.
The collective nature of the French team seems to be epitomized by Antoine Griezmann. The former top scorer now plays in midfield. He has a great contribution to the team’s offensive attack, but he also does a lot of work defensively. He is always very happy to play for the national team, he is looking forward to the national team. He has played over 70 games for France without interruption. This speaks to not only his fantastic relationship with his coach, but also his ability to prepare and take care of his body while avoiding injuries.
It’s amazing how dedicated he is to the team, it’s a real joy to watch him. If I had to pick one player from the French team who totally caught my attention, it would be him. And this despite the fact that Kylian Mbappe amazes the world with his speed and his goals.
Looking for a favorite in this match is really difficult. It is said that the derby and even the final do not have it. This match confirms it. Today it is possible to guess the winner only on the basis of sympathy, because the chances are completely balanced. A spectacular climax awaits us, we could not have imagined a better ending. I personally believe that Lionel Messi will be able to achieve success and lift the trophy for the world champion over his head in Qatar.
And as for the fight for the bronze, I think if Morocco performs as well as they did in the semifinals when they lost 0:2 against France, they could do it against Croatia. In the last game, a lot of fatigue could already be seen on the “chess” players. We’ll see if they can get it together, even if they have an extra day off.
The author is a former football representative and now Petržalka player who follows the championship in Qatar as a television expert for RTVS.
