Thread by @MartinRafelt

Argentina is one of the most interesting teams I ever watched. Very unique flair, great activity, confidence and game competence. They handle so many situations differently than any other team and still it makes so much sense.
They're difficult to put into words, but I'll try:

The comparison to Spain is a great display of the variety within "possession-based football".
Spain is triangles, ball control, pass to free player, repeat. Argentina is this and everything else. Keen to dribble, long switches, quick combinations in small spaces, brutal crosses.

It does not even make a lot of sense to talk about structure. They stand in shapes like whatever, but then they find good ideas from everywhere.
Here's some 4-1-5-thingy with Messi on right-back (who doesn't even get the ball). Then: tripple movement, direct passes, counterpress.

They underload depth like crazy and just circulate, then they attack depth with multiple players and play super direct. And then there's Messi floating as a type of counterweight who knows perfectly when to join, when to oppose the flow of the team.

Spain is: Every player plays the game of the team.
Argentina is: Every player plays his game together with the team.

To analyse them properly, we need to understand the cues they use to interpret game situations.
For example: No pressure on the build-up = we overload between ball and goal and try to play directly towards the goal (or force a defensive over-reaction) + prepare runs to support.

Pressure on the ball = we come closer to give support and switch towards open space as quickly as possible.

Not complicated, but something that many teams still miss too often.

I disagree with the notion that this team is build "around Messi" or "for Messi" by the way. I think they would be very good with a non-superhuman #10. I think the big difference to the unsuccesful early Argentina-teams is exactly that they can play without him. They create a...

...good overall flow, they achieve control and then Messi can slot right in. In the past the idea often was "all around Messi" and it lead to worse results.
The thing that's best for Messi is simply that this is a good, functional team to begin with.

What's ugly for the opponents is that it is more difficult to read their cues than with usual teams and they do more extreme things (= you need to react more extremely) than normal teams. They catch you off-guard.

That's why I feel that in different ways, Argentina and Spain...

...are both antidotes to each other in different ways.
Spain is hyper-consistent in creating options for themselves and taking options from the opponent. They don't make mistakes, they never give you an advantage. That could hinder Argentina to build their rhythm.

That's what the Spanish game relies on. But Argentina can probably handle being on a disadvantage better than most other teams.
And where Spain anticipates the logical, simple play, Argentina might overpower them with a surprising move. France was cautious. Argentina is crazy.

And they're crazy while being smart. And having the best player of all time on the pitch. A very, very dangerous mixture.

Spain probably has the better average action, but goals usually happen through extraordinary actions.

Really looking forward to analyse this in-depth in the Academy soon. Sign up if you're interested in a professional 2-hour-analysis of the game. July 29. spielverlagerung.academy/#live

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