The Scaloni doctrine and the extremes of the dynamics of the unthinkable

Football has long ceased to be simple the dynamics of the unexpected. It is true that there are still (and will exist forever and fortunately) players like Lionel Messi which out of nowhere unlock a game and even how a team works. It happened, for example, in that qualifying duel against Mexico, for the second round of the group stage of this World Cup in Qatar.

With that surprising and thrilling definition of grazing, Messi not only came up with a goal cornerstone against a defense, like all defenses in the world, who knew they couldn’t lose sight of the Argentina team captain. He also set off the Scaloneta scaffolding, which hadn’t been able to go up until then.

However, that dynamic of the unthinkable is less and less dynamic. Because modern trainers, beyond the use or otherwise of drones and GPS, are better prepared to reduce that margin of error (or external inspiration) which is shrinking and which often makes the difference between one team and the others

The Scaloni style

What is it about? It is worth talking about Lionel Scaloni’s proposalsDT of the Argentine national team, so far in the tournament and in what will come for the match against the Netherlands, on Friday at the Lusail Stadium, for the quarterfinals of this World Cup in Qatar.

If one continues his career at the helm of the national team, he discovers that the traits of his way of leading are increasingly marked. An example to understand the level of his obsession to avoid giving advantages can be explained by the example of the centre-forwards who have gone through his cycle.

We will not talk about Mauro Icardi because the current Galatasaray man has failed to capitalize on the opportunity to be a founding member of a cycle. but he does Sergio Agüero, Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez. Scaloni, first timidly and now without hesitation, refused to “marry” someone always with the collective advantage as their banner.

The Kun, before suffering the heart problems that forced him to leave football, he was the undisputed holder of the charge and the DT respected him. Until she saw that he Bull He had asked for a lead from behind and chose not to block his promotion and start giving him footage and ownership. So the Inter striker became, until Messi turned the turbo back on, the top scorer.

Has Lautaro become untouchable? No not at all. Once again Scaloni knew how to interpret the moments and did not hesitate to change when he saw that Julián was a step above. The result translates into two goals for the Spider in two games as a starter. However, aware of needing a substitute and a motivated striker, the DT gives him minutes for the former Racing player to gain confidence. On Saturday, Al Rayyan’s Ahmad Bin Ali would need to close with at least one goal to close out the game and take control.

He marries no one and nothing

He marries no one – except Messi, of course, and who would dare otherwise – or anything else. Y when we talk about nothing, we talk about the game system that has changed during the tournament. The design varied so much that against Australia he stopped the team in three different ways during the 90 minutes and coins that withstood the clash for the round of 16.

He started with a 4-3-3 to continue with the positive wave that the team showed against Poland, but after half an hour of play, without moving the side, he saw that the game was not flowing and moved to 4- 4-2 to recover the dominance. It worked for him. After a while comes the goal of Messi.

As soon as the second half began, with Papu Gómez spraining his ankle, he decided to return to the field an initial lineup of five defenders, which allowed him to gain in intensity and dynamics (in this case of thought) in midfield, something that was fundamental in the second half to reach Julián Álvarez’s goal, but also so that Messi could float and overbalance when he entered intractable mode. Australia’s goal, following a deflection from Enzo Fernández, misrepresented everything. There are margins of error that cannot be reduced. He insists.

Is 5-3-2 coming?

The million dollar question is whether Scaloni will ever dare to start playing with this line of five defenders. Y the answer has one condition: Ángel Di María’s health. It doesn’t seem like an adequate scheme if Fideo, who rested against Australia for that left quadriceps overload he suffered from Poland, is ready to go.

Rosario’s man can adapt to a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, given that Scaloni started against Saudi Arabia and Mexico. But it would be a waste of his best virtues and force him into awkward tasks if he were placed in the position that Rodrigo De Paul or Alexis Mac Allister so well occupy.

It became clear that The doctrine of Scaloni and his technical staff is to put the best team with the best and healthiest interpreters to face every match and face every rival. This is what we saw in this World Cup and what we will certainly see on Friday against Louis Van Gaal’s team, another one who stopped using only the manual some time ago.

For this reason, although there is still a long way to go before Friday’s duel at Lusail, we must remain calm because the national team enjoys the dynamics of the unexpected with a magical and ancient Messi. But he also takes care to take care of all the details. Without improvisations in defense and recovery and reducing the margins of error. This is how games are won. Thus the illusion is renewed.

Doha, Qatar. Special delivery.