The 3-0 defeat of Algeria in the World Cup raises a question: how to stop Messi and his Argentina?
The changes promoted by Scaloni after the 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, still in the 2022 World Cup, paved the way for the title in that edition and remain in the team’s lineup until now.
Since then, the Argentine national team has played almost entirely under Lionel Messi, using the vigor of the young and skilled midfielders Mac Allister and Enzo Fernández, and the experience of the intense midfielder Rodrigo De Paul.
Now, it has the addition of the also young Almada to this squad and the replacement, at least on debut, of Lautaro Martínez, who had been removed after the defeat to Arabia in 2022.
The data reinforces this notion that Argentina plays dedicated to Messi. He was the player on the team who touched the ball the most inside the opponent’s area and the one who took the most shots, with six shots out of the ten that Argentina took in the game.
Furthermore, the Argentine participates much more in the construction of the game — with accurate passes in the offensive zone — than other World Cup stars, such as Mbappé, whose team has more important players to share the creation responsibility.
Striker Lautaro, who would theoretically play more advanced than Messi, barely entered the area (generally on the right, leaving the middle open for the number 10) and only managed to kick one ball into the goal.
Despite always being among the top scorers in the European season, Lautaro’s role in the Argentine national team is greater without the ball than with it.
Together with the midfielders, he advances against the opposing defenses and pushes the marking, while Messi slows down and occupies the free space left by the rush of the Argentine attack.
In the third goal, the movement is very clear: at the beginning of the play, while all the other Argentines run to the attack, Messi retreats to receive the ball unmarked.
When the defenders get closer to the playmaker, space opens up for Enzo Fernández on the left. Messi passes it to Enzo, who just slows down and waits for the number 10 to arrive alone at the edge of the area.
Thus, players like Enzo and Almada, who in theory would play behind Messi, end up acting almost as wingers in counterattack situations. They run towards the baseline from the sides while the Argentine floats wherever space opens up.
As with this third goal, the star received the ball facing the attack several times in yesterday’s match. And leaving him in front, so close to the goal, continues to be fatal: with the six shots in the match, Messi scored a goal for every two shots he took.
This is where the choice of marking comes in, perhaps Algeria’s main flaw, which is not as weak a team as the result made it seem.
Instead of opting for individual marking on Messi — when a defender is chosen to chase an attacker throughout the game —, the Algerians prioritized marking by zone — when each player is responsible for a region of the field, regardless of which opposing player is in it at any given moment.
This made the Argentine’s life a lot easier. With no one following him, he managed to move across the attacking field and explore the openings left by his colleagues’ advances.
HEAT MAPS
LIONEL MESSI
The Argentine star scored every ball that passed through the attack, with 57 touches in the match. He moved all over the attacking field, mainly moving from the right to the middle.
LAUTARO MARTINEZ
The striker barely touched the ball (21 times) and only entered the area from the right corner, leaving the center open for Messi.
Thus, the Argentines may have more difficulties against Austria, the opponent of the match on Monday (22), at 2 pm.
Ralf Rangnick’s team is physically stronger and defends with great intensity, scoring the ball.
This style of play, characteristic of Red Bull teams, could make life difficult for midfielders De Paul and MacAllister, who will have to work harder to get the ball to Messi.
