Stopping Lionel Messi is Spain’s biggest challenge in the World Cup final, as the Argentine captain — with 8 goals and 4 assists this tournament — is the main driving force of the Albiceleste’s attack. So ahead of the title clash at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has built special plans around Messi. At the pre-final news conference, de la Fuente made clear that no single footballer can stop Messi. “You cannot stop Messi with one player,” he said. “To stop him, the whole team has to work together.”
The Spanish outlet Marca reported that Spain’s coaching staff, after closely analysing Argentina’s recent matches, prepared three main tactics to contain Messi. The first plan is to surround him with several players the moment he gets the ball — collective pressure, not one man, to deny him time to decide. The second, more important, plan is that the ball should not reach Messi at all: Spain will press Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister in midfield to shut down the passing lanes, believing that cutting his supply can greatly limit his influence. The third plan is to establish full midfield dominance and leave the Argentine captain no open space, especially by quickly closing the gap between defence and midfield so Messi cannot create one-on-one situations.
Meanwhile, the Argentine outlet TYC Sports claimed that coach Lionel Scaloni is aware of Spain’s plans and has begun special preparations on midfield arrangement and ball speed to counter Spain’s likely pressing. So the final is not just Messi versus Spain but a tactical chess match between the two coaches — Messi’s creativity and Argentina’s adaptability on one side, Spain’s organised pressing and coordinated defence on the other — a duel that could ultimately make the big difference in deciding the title.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report