Argentina beat Croatia in a much easier way than expected, 3-0, in the first semi-final of the World Cup in Qatar, and reached the final again after 2014. This is how the Albiceleste team awaits its opponent Sunday, the winner of tonight’s match between France and Morocco. But why was Messi’s victory so smooth and why did the Croatian team come out on top? Our tactical analysis.
Before the match, the composition of the Argentines was more suspicious than the two teams. Lionel Scaloni In previous matches, he rotated the team into several positions on a personal level, while against the Netherlands he switched his team from the default four-back system to a three-back formation in the second half against the Netherlands in order to adapt to. Discount. Well, the Argentines again lined up four defenders in the semi-finals: Emiliano Martinez in front of the goalkeeper Molina, Romero, Otamendi And the Tagliafico He formed the back row and midfield in a flexible role Fernandez, Paredes, De Paul and McCallister I got a seat Messi And the Julian Alvarez behind the attacker’s pair.
The main squad of the Croats was exactly the same as the team against the Brazilians: the defenders are in perfect shape Levakovich before this time too Juranovic, Lovren, Guardiol And the Start Move to defense, and the routine in midfield remains the same Brozovic, Modric, Kovacic Triple event, and in front of him on both sides Basalik And the Beresik The player supports him in the foreground Kramarik.
At that time, Messi and Alvarez started the attack with the aim of pushing the Croatian ball forward to the sides. The four midfielders, who are positioned in the middle, usually try to knock the nearest opponent out of the game by man-tackle. However, the Croatian four-back and pressure-tolerant midfield were mostly able to successfully clear the ball and deliver the ball to the other side, so the Argentines stopped attacking after ten to fifteen minutes and waited for the opposition at 4-4. 2 central blocks. Meanwhile, De Paul defended the right wing and McAllister on the left wing alongside the duo of Fernandez and Paredes in the middle.
Argentine attack at the start of the match. Alvarez directs the center back inside, the goal being to force the Croats to hand the ball over to the other side. The four-man midfield of the Argentines turns into a certain shape when attacking, and everyone is looking for their immediate opponent.
The continuation of the scene. The Croatian national team managed to turn the match over to the other side. It can be seen that all the Argentines on the side of the ball catch people, and Molina also follows the withdrawn Perisic. The Croatian winger returns it right to Joranović, who decides to take an attacking rhythm. Then the Argentines do not continue the attack, and return to the central block.
