The World Cup in soccer recently ended in Qatar. The winners of the tournament were the Argentine national team led by Lionel Scaloni. In a dramatic final match, the team defeated the French. The teams spent all 120 minutes on the field and ended the game with a score of 3:3. Already in a series of post-match penalties, the Argentines won.
This is the first World Cup for the team since 1986, when Maradona was still the captain. The triumph of the Argentine national team was quite unexpected, especially after the defeat in the opening match against Saudi Arabia. However, now all the fans of the team are happy, especially those who, not looking at that failure, bet on the victory of the Argentines. You can also earn by watching matches. To do this, visit the website https://gg.bet/uk-ua/football/ and pick a winner.
A random candidate
Lionel Scaloni became the head coach of the Argentina national team by accident. After the dismissal of Jorge Sampaoli, which happened after the failure of the 2018 World Cup, it was necessary to choose his replacement for some time. They decided not to think long and appoint his assistant - Scaloni. The Argentines did not understand this decision and criticized it. Even the legendary Maradona could not resist, saying that this coach is better suited for the cycling championship. As it turned out later, they were all wrong.
The first year as the coach of the Argentine national team can hardly be called successful. The coach released different players almost every game and mainly recorded the following schemes:
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4-4-2
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4-3-3
At the America's Cup 2019, the team with great difficulty got out of the group and eventually received the bronze medals of the tournament. Seems like a good result, but not for Argentina.
Not looking at this, the football federation signed a new contract with the coach until the end of the World Cup in 2022. The initiator of this decision was the director of the national team, Cesar Luis Menotti, who led the team at the triumphant World Cup in 1978. He publicly defended the chosen coach and noted that he should be given time. As it turns out, he was right.
A long-awaited success
The 2021 Copa America is Scaloni's first test after signing. The coach had two years to build a team and choose a style of play. It was important to adjust him as much as possible to Lionel Messi, so that he could fully use his advantages during the match. The coach chose new roles for Lo Celso (he was on the left wing) and Lautaro (he attacked from the left wing much more than before). In addition, Scaloni made good use of De Paul, who actively pressed and defended. All these and many other changes allowed Messi to feel comfortable, not to work in defense and to focus on building the team's offensive game. As a result, Argentina won the Copa America for the first time since 1993. It was Lionel Messi's first trophy for the national team, who also had his best tournament for Argentina. Scaloni's project worked perfectly and he celebrated his first coaching victory.
Then there was a streak of thirty-six matches without defeat, a triumph in a match against the Italian national team in the draw for Finalissima 2022. All this made the Argentines the main favorites for the World Cup in Qatar. During the preparation for the tournament, the coach tried as much as possible to improve the ideal scheme, which revealed the strengths of the players as much as possible, especially Messi. The latter was almost exempt from actions in defense, as he was insured by his partners. This allowed the leader not to waste his strength and save it for offensive actions.
The tournament began with a disappointing defeat against Saudi Arabia, ending a 36-match unbeaten run. The team lacked one match to repeat the record of the Italian national team. But it is better to lose in the first match than in the final. After this match, the coach actively used the rotation of the team. He also often changed the scheme during games. The team sometimes played 4-4-2, then 4-4-3. Against the Netherlands, they went with three central defenders. In the final match, Angel Di Maria unexpectedly appeared in the starting line-up on the left wing, who played an important role in containing the French full-back, as well as creating width in this area of the field. What can be said if Paulo Dybala, who had recorded only 17 minutes in the entire tournament before that, came out before the penalty shootout and did not make a mistake. Throughout the championship, Scaloni did only the right and necessary things, which further contributed to winning matches.
In just a few years, the coach adjusted the game of the national team as much as possible, as it should have been done a long time ago. Maybe then Messi and company would not have lost so many finals and tournaments. The novice coach managed to do what no one else had managed to do before. He built an environment around Messi in which he played as if he were at Barcelona. Literally in two years, the team won everywhere. Back in 2018, Scaloni chaotically rotated and changed schemes, but in time he understood the true recipe for victory.
