Desert Fest: Acid test awaits Lionel Scaloni
Lionel Messi has been the driving force behind Argentina's march to the World Cup final in Qatar, putting in one eye-catching performance after another. However, off the field, coach Lionel Scaloni has been orchestrating the Albiceleste's hunt for the trophy after 36 years as defending champion France stand in their way.
Scaloni does not subscribe to the conventional wisdom that a winning team should never be changed. After a sensational loss to Saudi Arabia in the first game of the tournament, putting themselves in a do-or-die situation, Argentina beat Mexico, but he shockingly made four changes to the starting XI in the very next match against Poland. Since then, this trend has been going on, and it has been paying off.
Scaloni often employs a 4-3-3 formation in the group stage, but has shown his tactical mastery by switching it up in the middle of the match and later in the knockout stages. He chose to adopt a 4-4-2 system against Croatia in the semifinal after playing a 5-3-2 formation against Louis van Gaal's Netherlands in the last eight.
Leandro Paredes came in for Lisandro Martinez as Scaloni changed his formation against Croatia. The Juventus midfielder was chosen over Angel Di Maria, who is a proven match-winner, and the five-man defence that performed so brilliantly against the Netherlands was cast aside.
Paredes offered Argentina a crucial link in the play's development and gave Enzo Fernandez more freedom, enabling the Benfica player to advance as an offensive threat. Overall, Argentina had a very easy 90 minutes as Croatia played some appealing football but were lacked the cutting edge up front.
The tactical adjustments made by the Argentina coach demonstrated his level of confidence in his team as well as his thorough analysis of the opposition. In the same way, the players needed to have confidence that Scaloni was constantly making the best decisions for the group.
The biggest game of them all on Sunday will be the ultimate test for Scaloni, who has supervised a 36-match undefeated streak, defeated Italy in the Finalissima, and won the Copa America final, ending a 28-year title drought. And in that test he going to have Didier Deschamps as a worthy opponent.
The excellent defence and quick counterattacks that helped Morocco become the first African team to advance to the World Cup's semifinals ultimately backfired on them when they faced Deschamps's France, who were happy to abandon possession after taking the lead, as they were against England.
Morocco may have left with the impression they were the superior team on the day, echoing Belgium's sentiments after their 1-0 loss to the French in the semifinals in Russia four years ago.
In the earlier matches in Qatar, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal had struggled to match Morocco's tenacity. But Deschamps proved his team could fight hard and depend on individuals going above and beyond. While it may not always be attractive, the ability of Deschamps's team to win games at World Cups in several ways is helpful. Recall that they trailed Australia in their first game before crushing them.
Scaloni must now decide on a suitable formation to counter Deschamps's forces going into the final. Regardless of the outcome, he has demonstrated that he is an excellent manager and a great strategist. And if they want to win the World Cup, Argentina will look to Messi's craft as well as yet another masterplan engineered Scaloni.