According to assistant Matias Manna, one of Argentina's secrets to winning the 2022 World Cup is the support system behind captain Lionel Messi.
"I'm always obsessed with what Messi needs in the team. And Messi needs good midfielders," Manna, the Argentina team's video analyst, told Urbana Play on December 24. "The best formation we see, for me at the 2022 World Cup or now, is to put really good midfielders around Messi, and that's one of the secrets of this team."
Manna likened midfielders Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso to racing cars that know how to stop and accelerate perfectly, so they can best support Messi.
Enzo Fernandez (left) celebrates after an assist from Lionel Messi during Argentina's 2-0 win over Mexico in the 2022 World Cup group stage in Qatar. Photo: AFP
Manna also revealed how Messi advised the coaching staff on tactics to help Argentina beat France in the 2022 World Cup final. While watching the video of the semi-final between France and Morocco, Messi realized that right-back Jules Kounde was the weak point of the 2018 World Cup champions. Therefore, he suggested that Angel Di Maria start on the left wing of the Argentina team.
"When we watched the France-Morocco match, we saw Sofiane Boufal constantly passing Jules Kounde. Therefore, Messi told me that if Di Maria plays, he has to play there. I think it was the most important decision in the history of Argentine football," Manna added.
In the 2022 World Cup final, it was Di Maria who earned a penalty for Messi to open the scoring in the 23rd minute and directly doubled the gap 13 minutes later. Since coach Lionel Scaloni withdrew Di Maria in the 64th minute, Argentina immediately lost control of the game. In the 80th minute, Kylian Mbappe scored a penalty to reduce the score to 1-2, then volleyed to equalize 2-2 a minute later. After two regular periods, the two teams continued to chase each other. Messi raised the score to 3-2 in the 108th minute, but it only took Mbappe 10 minutes to earn a second penalty and tie the score at 3-3. France would have even won if Kolo Muani had not shot into goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's leg in a face-off in the 120+3 minute. Argentina then won the penalty shootout 4-2.
During the World Cup, coach Scaloni often started the midfield trio of De Paul, Mac Allister, and Enzo Fernandez behind Messi. De Paul played a defensive role, while the other two midfielders distributed the ball to the attackers. After the World Cup, Ezno Fernandez joined Chelsea and became the most expensive player in Premier League history. Mac Allister joined Liverpool.
Messi scored seven goals and assisted three times at the 2022 World Cup. He became the best player of the tournament, and won this title for the second time, after the 2014 World Cup. After the World Cup, Messi won the title of FIFA's best player - The Best 2022 and the Golden Ball 2023.
Thanh Quy (according to Urbana Play )
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