It is finally time. After four years of waiting, the FIFA World Cup final is finally here. This edition of the World Cup was certainly a historic one, filled with upsets. From Germany’s surprising elimination in the group stages to Morocco’s underdog story, this World Cup will be one to remember. A lot has changed since the last edition in 2018. Not France though.
The world champions have reached the final in consecutive editions for the first time in the nation’s history. On the other side, PSG’s Lionel Messi has led Argentina to their second final in eight years. Unlike 2018, this year’s World Cup final has no favourites. Both entered the competition as favourites to win it all, and one month later, here we are.
Argentina’s path was far from easy. La Albiceleste suffered a shocking loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening match, leaving many to wonder if Messi’s last dance on the biggest stage would be any different. Their tactical evolution since then has been fantastic though, and Lionel Scaloni has yet to repeat a starting eleven in the tournament. In fact, Argentina’s tactical flexibility may be their biggest weapon coming into this final. At any rate, they are coming into this final in their best form yet, after a convincing 3-0 win over Croatia in the semi-final.
France’s road to the final has been the complete opposite. Aside from a strange loss to Tunisia in the group stage, when they were already qualified, Didier Deschamps’ side has impressed in every single match. Without many tactical changes throughout the tournament, French stars Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann have brought this fantastic squad all the way to the final.
This tactical analysis preview will provide you with everything you need to know ahead of the long-awaited FIFA World Cup final. With a closer look at France’s tactics, we can preview how Lionel Scaloni may adapt his Argentina side to the threats of Mbappé and Griezmann. Nonetheless, La Albiceleste’s functional approach to possession could prove extremely dangerous to the French. This analysis will take an in-depth look at the tactics behind this historic final.
Team news and lineups
Didier Deschamps suffered two blows ahead of the Morocco semi-final – Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano. Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté stepped up for the Bayern Munich centre-back without a problem, and the 23-year-old could certainly start alongside Raphaël Varane in the final. Rabiot was a much bigger miss, and while Youssouf Fofana performed well in the semi-final, the Juventus midfielder should definitely be back in Deschamps’ lineup.
France’s starting eleven should then come with no surprises. Hugo Lloris will be in goal, with Jules Koundé, Konaté, Varane, and Theo Hernández forming a back four. In the midfield, Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni forms a double pivot with Rabiot. Griezmann will pull all the strings at the number 10 position, flanked by Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé. Up top, Olivier Giroud is the centre-forward. This 4-2-3-1 has proved successful in every single match so far, so it is no surprise that Deschamps will continue using it.
Argentina’s team selection is far more complicated to preview. As mentioned, Scaloni has yet to repeat a starting lineup, and the 44-year-old likes to constantly change formations as well. La Albiceleste should not have any big misses, with Ángel Di María and Marcos Acuña back in action for Sunday’s game.
Emiliano Martínez will definitely be in goal, and ahead of him, Scaloni will probably go for a back four. This back four would be made up of Nahuel Molina on the right, Cristian Romero and Nicolás Otamendi as the centre-backs, and Marcos Acuña on the left. In the midfield, Enzo Fernández and Rodrigo De Paul are the only two guarantees. Whether Scaloni will opt for Di María right from the beginning or not remains unclear.
The most likely option is repeating the same eleven from Croatia, which would see a midfield of Leandro Paredes, Fernández, De Paul, and Alexis Mac Allister with Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez up top. If Di María were to come in, either Paredes or Mac Allister would make way for him. Enzo Fernández performed extremely well in a more advanced position, so keeping Paredes could be an alternative. However, Mac Allister has also been important in the attack.
Due to France’s lethal attack, if Di María were to come in, Paredes would be likely to stay and Mac Allister to make way. At any rate, Argentina’s flexibility allows for all these changes without losing their style of play or effectiveness. This analysis will cover all possible scenarios, and how they may impact the tactics in the game.
Adapting to France
Didier Deschamps’ attack is undoubtedly giving Scaloni a headache, as at least some sort of adjustments must be made for it. On one hand, England proved that being overly cautious against France may not always be the best alternative. Gareth Southgate’s side essentially sacrificed their attacking nature in fear of Mbappé, and it kept them from being as dangerous as they can be. Nonetheless, the danger posed by France with the ball must still be considered. In this first part, we will explore how exactly France like to attack, and how Argentina could adapt to it.
Les Bleus have only averaged 51.97% possession in the competition so far, but their work in this phase is extremely lethal. In possession, Deschamps’ 4-2-3-1 turns asymmetric, with the fullbacks having opposing functions. Theo is in charge of providing support in the final third and linking up with Mbappé. On the other side, Koundé tends to tuck in and form a back three with the centre-backs.
In the midfield, Tchouaméni becomes a single pivot behind Rabiot and Griezmann. Although Griezmann likes to generally occupy the right half-space, he has the freedom to roam wherever he wants to, especially to create overloads on the left. Both wingers remain wide, although Mbappé comes inside a bit more than Dembélé. This creates a dangerous overload on the left, and on the right, Dembélé is extremely dangerous in isolated scenarios.
Argentina’s defensive structure, regardless of the height of the block, tends to be in a 4-4-2. Up top, Álvarez is extremely hard-working as Messi tends to be relieved of most defensive duties. This 4-4-2 can be created in multiple ways, and it provides balance wherever the opposition chooses to attack.
