Chapter 963: Argentina Arrives in the Round of 32

Chapter 963 -4: Argentina Arrives in the Round of 32

This victory not only consolidated the team’s lead in the qualifiers, it also sent a clear signal to the world: Argentina’s tactical system and talent pool have entered a mature phase.

The France Team, thanks to their recent steady form, have overtaken England to move up to second.

Mbappe has continued his phenomenal form, while the linkage between Camavinga and Saliba in midfield and the back line is growing more and more fluent. Deschamps’ ability to fine?tune the team’s balance between attack and defense has once again been proven.

The core framework of the 2022 World Cup runner?up has not undergone drastic changes, and the age structure of the key players is reasonable. This team is using the Nations League and other competitions to gradually polish the tactical blueprint for the 2026 World Cup.

Spain may have slipped to third, but the Aura of being 2024 European Cup champions still underpins their status as favorites.

The explosive power of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the flanks, combined with Cubarsi’s midfield Dispatch, has given the Bullfighters a three?dimensional attacking mode that’s different from their traditional tiki?taka style.

However, fluctuations in the form of some mainstays after the European Cup have planted hidden dangers for the stability of this young team.

Brazil’s drop in the rankings has sparked widespread debate.

Although they are still in the automatic qualification zone in the South America qualifiers, the Defense holes and midfield collapse exposed in the 1–4 loss to Argentina are impossible to ignore.

With Neymar absent, the team lacks a core player who can link attack and defense. The dip in efficiency up front and the lack of cohesion at the back have formed a vicious cycle. The coaching staff need to resolve the tactical rigidity and the psychological fear of strong opponents as soon as possible.

England have yet to find their ideal rhythm since Tuchel took over.

Although young talents like Bellingham and Foden possess outstanding individual ability, the team’s overall tactics lack coherence. A string of draws in the Nations League has exposed their weakness in seizing key games.

Being overtaken by the France Team reflects the coaching staff’s misjudgment of the speed of squad renewal. How to balance the experience of veterans with the impetus of newcomers will be the core issue of the next two years.

There are also teams like Portugal and Croatia who are quite strong, but it has to be said, running into Argentina in the round of 1/32 is indeed a huge problem.

Messi is no longer the real issue.

After all, Argentina successfully qualified for the World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico without Messi, and the emergence of young players suggests that the future of Argentine football is full of hope.

Scaloni is also full of confidence for this World Cup.

There is no shortage of talent in the Argentina Team, take Almada for example.

Whether on the left wing or in the attacking midfield role, he has shown outstanding performances.

Almada is expected to become the starting left winger for Argentina, while also earning more playing time at Lyon.

In the starting lineup for the group stage, Paredes played as the lone Defensive Midfielder, while Alvarez and Enzo formed a front two.

De Paul and Mac Allister played as dual attacking midfielders, with Almada occupying the No. 10 role.

This setup freed Alvarez and Enzo. In the first group?stage match, the two of them each scored right after the start, and in the 37th minute Mac Allister added another, instantly stretching the score to 3–1.

Argentina’s fighting power is astonishing.

Through flexible tactical changes, Scaloni has showcased the team’s strong strength and versatile formations in matches, proving they are not dependent on Messi.

Ancelotti had the China players watch Argentina’s matches. In the group stage, Almada at the No. 10 position was subbed off, and little Simeone came on to take over on the right wing.

At that point, De Paul dropped back to form a double Defensive Midfielder pairing with Paredes, Mac Allister moved into a single attacking midfield role, Alvarez dropped into a false 9 position, while Enzo and little Simeone continued as a front two.

And that was still not all the changes. Argentina’s tactical variations were rich. In the latter stages, Mac Allister, Alvarez, and Paredes were subbed off, while Nico Paz and Correa (No. 10) came on.

At this time, Enzo dropped from the forward line back into a Defensive Midfielder role, thereby ensuring safety and stability in the backfield.

To display such a variety of tactical changes in a single match makes it very hard for opponents to prepare targeted plans, even though China have also begun to show the makings of a strong team on the international stage.

But Ancelotti also knows clearly in his heart that there is still a gap to becoming a true football powerhouse.

At least in terms of talent reserves, the China Team can at best barely be compared with Portugal, Croatia, and Belgium.

Right now the Argentina National Team is definitely one of the most eye?catching sides in the world.

They have many starters from top clubs. These players may not earn huge salaries, but their performances are excellent. Their strength is great, but their fame is not especially loud.

Ancelotti has studied Argentina, and even took his own coaching staff to observe. Argentina are united as one, and being able to achieve such great success three times in a row, the most important factor is that word “unity”.

No matter how big a star someone is, they will play around Messi, and won’t let their personal issues affect the interests of the team. This kind of unity often can unleash tremendous fighting power.

In this respect, the China Team and Real Madrid actually also have this advantage: no matter how badass or rebellious a player is, when facing Chen Zhong they all behave themselves. As for Real Madrid, no need to even mention it.

In the China Team, Chen Zhong is basically the idol of every player in the current national squad, and in many cases even their benefactor.

Messi’s status in Argentina is similar to Chen Zhong’s status in the national team.

You can’t really say who is greater than whom.

The current difficulty in facing Argentina lies in midfield. The Argentina Team are especially good at midfield strangulation tactics, and over the past few years their midfield has been very strong. With that midfield platform, the forwards get more support and the defenders’ pressure is reduced.

What about China’s midfield?

If you use Zhao Mingzhe as the attacking midfielder, you can count on him to score, but counting on him to control the ball and organize attacks in front of Argentina’s midfield—forget it.

The short Zhao Mingzhe was meant to play the role of an assassin from the start. As a young player he doesn’t have Chen Zhong’s level of experience. In fact, Chen Zhong is the best choice to be the brain of the team, but without Chen Zhong on the back line, China’s Defense drops by an entire tier.

As for the other two Defensive Midfielders.

Li Ji is a defensive midfielder/Defensive Midfielder. From his nicknames “Great Wall” or “Iron Gate” you can tell his traits: his coverage is huge and his stamina is astonishing. His defensive positioning is precise, his tackles are fierce yet clean. He is an impenetrable shield in front of the back line.

He also has excellent Anticipation and Interception ability, and is good at disrupting the opponent’s attacking rhythm.

He is a pure workhorse.

You can let him play some long balls from deep, but if you ask him to organize play, you’re asking for trouble.

Ancelotti regards him as the cornerstone of midfield Defense, an indispensable force when facing the physical onslaught of European and American powerhouses, but he still cannot be the main weapon against Argentina.

As for Li Ji’s other partner, he’s even less up to it.

The 28?year?old perpetual?motion machine Zhang Wenxuan has extremely abundant stamina and covers a huge area at both ends of the pitch.

To put it nicely, he’s well?rounded: he can pass, control, press, and shoot.

To put it bluntly, he has no particularly standout single skill, with every attribute just about average.

If you have to pick a strong point, it’s that his off?the?ball movement and support awareness are excellent. He’s the lubricant and “utility knife” connecting the back line and the front line.

He also has strong tactical execution, able to perfectly understand and carry out Ancelotti’s various midfield schemes.

This is related to his early experience playing abroad in Portugal’s lower?division leagues.

Ancelotti values the high?intensity physical adaptability and tactical literacy he developed in the European League, seeing him as an important tactical piece in the midfield.

Fans also call him “the low?key cornerstone” and “the coach’s favorite type.”

Diligent and conscientious, hard?working and uncomplaining, he is the unsung hero of the midfield.

His all?round game and running provide perfect support and complement to Zhao Mingzhe’s technique and Li Tie Zhu’s toughness, giving the national team’s midfield more elasticity and depth.

But even that is still not enough to allow the China Team to beat Argentina.

Are they really going to fall in the round of 1/32?

Sometimes Ancelotti really wishes he had a second Chen Xuan…

Or…

Maybe…