Szymon Marciniak of Poland to referee World Cup final

By
Roy Nemer
-
150

Szymon Marciniak of Poland will be the referee for the World Cup final.

Marciniak will referee Argentina vs. France on Sunday. It was announced on Thursday that he will be the referee for the match, having previously refereed a match each for Argentina and France.

He was the referee for Argentina’s match vs. Australia in the Round of 16 and also France vs. Denmark.

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150 Comments

  1. I’m getting nervous and thinking about Sunday’s game all day. I really want to see the third star on our shirts. God, whatever it takes, please let us win on Sunday.

  2. I do more research on Argentina in this world cup only. Out of all 12 goals we scored:

    5 goals comes from the RIGHT side (1 vs Mexico, 1 vs Poland, 1 vs Australia, 1 vs Netherlands, 1 vs Croatia) meaning in ALL games but Saudi, at least 1 goal we scored from the right.

    3 goals from penalty (1 vs Saudi, 1 vs Netherlands, 1 vs Croatia)

    2 goals from the center (1 vs Poland, 1 vs Croatia)

    1 goal from corner (1 vs Mexico)

    1 from the opponent mistake (1 vs Australia)

    No goals: from the left side and from FK.

    That means as we all know, our right side is our strongest side where there are Molina, Messi, De Paul, and Di Maria. If you count the solo goal of Alvarez, that was also part of the wonderful job of the right sided Molina. With that being said, I don’t think we can afford to be too defensive against France.

    France is the opposite, a lot of their goals are from the left side. So it is the battle of the best right side in the world vs the best left side in the world. If we play too defensive especially on our right side, that means we give an access for France to attack from their left side which is not good. I hope Scaloni will be balanced here. Yes we need to watch Mbappe closely but if we are not a threat from the right, then Mbappe would be the happiest man as he will attack us non stop.

  3. It would be interesting to see if France would begin in the same style like they did against Morocco. Basically a blitzkrieg beginning. Our defence needs to be extremely alert. There have been couple of matches in the world cup and before where first 10-15 mins we looked shaky like against Italy and even against Estonia, Netherlands.

  5. Yesterday I watched Pablo Sorin telling about his memories of Doha in 1995. He was the captain of Argentina U20 team that year in Qatar which Argentina won vs Brazil. I hope we will do the same on Sunday. Vamos Argentina!

    • I think we would all love for the game to go 4-0 to Argentina and be super easy. I am confident that we will win, but I know it’s going to be. A tough game. I can’t imagine a more difficult opponent. The winner really will be the best national team in the world.

  7. I just saw there’s 2 more player for France that got hit with the flu again. Wishing them speedy recorvery because I want to beat them will all their superstar

  9. Greetings All the mundo members. here everyi e yalks about how great this french team is. How great Mbappe, Griezmen, Giroud, Dembele is. Offcourse they are very good players. Mbappe very pacy player with limited talents. French side have improved a lot since Euro. We are talking about how we are gooing to stop french attackers and how we could dominate in the middle.It seems most of the mundo members are pretty scared to face this french side. I tell you guys what. if u wanna be real champs. beat the the best and be the champion with the pride. Without being bias.
    1. This arg team has improved a lot and much stronger side than WC 2018. And this french side is very strong, however we have not seen thier best in this world cup and TBH this french side is not strong as 2018 WC winnming team.
    2. We have to stop their top notch attackers, dont they have to stop our attackers. We have the best playwe in the world and all the teams who played against argentina have failed to stop Messi. France defense had holes and they really need to find a way to stop messi and thats not it. They have to find a way to stop Di Maria, Alvarez, and to block the faboulous run from Molina, Powerful shots of Enzo. if they use three to four players to mark Messi, this will give plenty of space to Di Maria and Alvarez. eventhough Messi and Di Maria is 35 and 34 Still these two players are very pacy wich most of the so called world class defenders have failed to stop them completely. We have seen them in this world cup.
    3. This arg team is more prepared mentally tham ever, I beleive that our players are mentally stronger than the french side and our team is more united than ever which will boost the confidence. furthermore our the hunger and the thirst to be the champion. france have to do lot to beat this arg team, more than argentina needs to beat the french side. like emi martinez saying ‘they have to kille me if they want to score’.
    3. Argentina knows how to play under pressure which french side lacks. We have played under pressure all the matches in this WC since we lost against Saudis. And they know how to win under these circumstancesm
    3.Our defense line is more stronger than 2018 and than them.
    4. Our midfield has neutrlaized the best midfield line in this world cup. So my opinion is they will do the same against france.
    5. This french side is overrrated and they are overconfident which will give them a good lesson.

  10. Stadium will be full blue and white on the final day. Out of 90 thousands fans, it will be almost everyone support Argentina. It will be like a home game in River plate or Boca.

  11. Im french but sunday i will be with Argentina.

    Messi gave me so much happiness this 15 last years and i want to see him make his dream become true. He deserve it for what he did for the Football.

    But it will be very difficult, France is good. If some guys like De Paul or McAllister dont step up Messi cant do it alone…

    • This is little bit irritating. I mean this wc is needed really badly for Argentina rather than for Messi. I mean even if he couldn’t he would be still regarded as one of the greats for all and the best for his fans but what about Argentina then? Again long wait for the trophy and ignorance from the Europe and standing in the shadow of Brazil. Look at @calimeroi statement regarding de Paul and macallister as”some guys”. And they are our main pillars. It’s the sad part of Argentine players from the Europe. I don’t think there is this much ignorance to French players even in this Argentine forum. Redemption of Argentina is the most important thing than winning it for Messi. May be secondary.

      • Argentina team is not great except 2-3 players Argentina lacks quality remove messi and this team would have out in group leagues. Croatia absolutely dominated the midfield but they couldn’t dominate against Japan that should tell you about our midfield quality except enzo there is no quality in the midfield. Another messi carry job or Alvarez or dimaria brilliance needed to win the cup. France is also a mediocre side that’s the relief

        • But if Messi can’t deliver on one occasion, don’t you think this team has the grit and determination to turn things around on their own for a change? Of course none of them can match Leo in terms of his skill, but it could very well be an occasion where others step up a notch. Whatever happens, I believe this team would not back away from a fight.

        • Complete bullshit. Anda pa’ alla Anuparno. Name me the 2-3 players who are the only players you think have quality and I’ll name the rest that do. I think you must be bipolar. In this same thread you said “France team also stronger now. Their defense is far better than 2018 one” and now you say “France is also a mediocre side that’s the relief”. Which is it? Because the 2018 French team certainly wasn’t less than mediocre if we base it on chain logic.

      • Absolutely. Its not just about Messi. its the love for the blue and whites that makes us cry and smile for this team again and again and again. Of course Leo is a once in a lifetime player who comes in, and Argentina has been so fortunate to have a successor like him to Diego. And he has carried Argentina on his back for years, there’s no denying that either. But that has never deterred our love for Zanetti, Batigol, Riquelme, Caniggia, Gycocea, Tevez, Masche and others. We can’t look away from the likes of Enzo, Julian, Licha, Cuti and others who have contributed in a wholesome manner for us to reach the finals this time around. And yes, the biggest prize has been missing from our cabinet for way too long, which shouldn’t have been the case. So, the cup needs to come “HOME” , the real home!!! We need the respect back from all corners, this whole nonsense around South American football not as good as Europe and shit needs to be stop once and for all.

        • England is a joke. I always visit the forum of MU, Spurs, and Aston Villa. Until 10 days ago, They all thought that Argentina would meet England in the final. They went as far as “What if Argentina-England final and the match goes to PK shootout. I don’t know who to support, my country or my goalie (Emi)” That comes from an Aston Villa fan.

          They overrate their team. They think just because England won big in some matches, they could go all the way. The truth is their team is just as good (or as bad) as the David Beckham golden generation team. No more, no less.

  12. Argentina was most dominant against Poland. We can try the same line-up.

    ===========Alvarez=============[sub:Lautaro]
    ======Messi=========Di Maria=====[sub:Dybala]
    ==MacAllister=====Enzo=====De Paul==[sub:Paredes]
    Acuna===Otamendi===C.Romero===Molina[sub:Lisandro ]
    ============= Emi =============

    or(a little more defensive if we want to protect a lead in last 10-20 minutes)

    ===========Alvarez=============[sub:Lautaro]
    ======Messi=========Di Maria=====[sub:Dybala]
    ===Acuna=====Enzo======De Paul===[sub:MacAllister]
    Lisandro==Otamendi===C.Romero===Molina[sub:Foyth ]
    ============= Emi =============

  13. Is it because of the bald look, He looks like Pierluigi Collina the Italian referee who was a bad one for us. Most of the WC finals in the past he used to be the referee. its a European Referee. Fingers crossed. Hope for the best.

  14. Benzema is understood to be in full training back with his club and the European champions have given him the green light to head back to the Gulf state, Mundo Deportivo reports. However, Relevo now claim that the player himself has turned down the chance of being in attendance in any capacity at The Lusail Stadium on Sunday. – MIRROR

  15. France’s defense is not perfect. 50 minutes deep into ENG v FRA, again. Rabiot, Hernandez and Tchouaméni were caught a step behind the play on the corners of their box a few times. Seen a lot of Rabiot for Juve and PSG, wouldn’t call him a midfield general. He’s an above average box-to-box midfielder, not that good. Tchouaméni is young. He isn’t exceptional at anything in particular at Real Madrid. A few flashes of quality now and then, nothing consistent, proven or extraordinary.

    Definitely space for Argentina to own the midfield battle. Really hope Messi, De Paul, Paredes and Di Maria’s minds are sharpest in midfield. Could neutralize them pretty well. Key to that obviously shutting down any balls to Mbappe. He can win the game alone. He’s that good. Nasty shot acc and faster than anyone on the field. He’s been a goal threat in every big game I have ever seen him in. Probably win the Ballon d’or, if France win. Either him or Haaland (if Haaland crushes Champions League, too).

  16. And the final thing I want to say is that while I am nervous, this Argetina team gives me good vibes for some reason.
    Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez, Dybala, Emiliano; even De Paul, Acuna and Enzo – all these players give me good vibes. Our defence is better than last time. So is our midfield. I believe we can win. Vamos Argentina!

  17. Before that I rewatched the full 1986 finals. Watched it after good 8-9 years or so and it rejuvenated the memories.
    Maradona was marked and fouled throughout the match, but he was still involved in all 3 goals of Argentina.
    The first goal came from a free-kick earned by Maradona for which Matthaeus got a yellow card.
    The second goal was a secondary assist by Maradona.(him to enrique to valdano)
    The final goal was a brilliant assist by Maradona.

    He only had like 2 good runs, the last of which should have resulted in a penalty as he was brought down in the penalty box by GK, but it was given as a free-kick outside the box because he was also fouled earlier when he dribbled past 2-3 players. Those days referees hesitated to point to the spot. The referee should play advantage in such situations. Could easily have been a penalty nowadays.

    What Diego showed is that it is possible to contribute even when you are heavily marked and fouled. The current team should take inspiration from that.

  18. I just rewatched the higlights of the France-Argentina game from 2018 WC.
    I had this vague memory of Argentina playing and losing sadly, but after rewatching the highlights I thought ARG played on equal terms with FRA for the most part. Just luck was not on our side that day.
    The penalty awarded to Mbappe could have been a freekick IMO – the initial pull by Rojo was outside the box. If that was a penalty, then Maradona should have surely got a penalty in 1986 final, but it was given as a freekick outside the box for an earlier foul on him and not the foul by GK inside the box.
    Then Di Maria equalized with an amazing long-shot goal. We went to half time equal 1-1.
    Then early in 2nd half Mercado angled a Messi shot to give us the lead. And till 55 minutes everything was OK.
    Then Pavard scored a stunner shot. He would score that only 1 in 5 attempts at best IMO. But that day it went in. Then Mbappe’s first goal came within a few minutes when we were still recovering. I thought it was savable by a good GK. Though I wont blame Armani too much. At this point Argentina panicked and pressed forward without leaving a strong defence. This resulted in Mbappe’s second goal from counterattack. He was completely unmarked. And so from 2-1 up at 55 minutes, we were 2-4 down at 70 minutes.
    The last 15-20 minutes or so we dominated with more chances but the only goal came from Aguero converting a Messi cross in injury time, finishing at 3-4.

    So while France is very strong, they are far from being unbeatable. Even last time we could have beaten them if we planned well, didn’t panick and had some luck. And our team is stronger now.

    • France team also stronger now. Their defense is far better than 2018 one. Don’t compare a match happened 4.5 years before. Everything has changed. France is still favorite in this game

      • France is stronger now than 2018?? That’s bullshit. Seriously big bullshit. France 2018 is world class almost in all positions.

        France this year Varane, Lloris, Griezmann, decreasing. Other positions not as strong as the ones in 2018. They had the prime Kante, Pogba, Varane, Lloris etc. Mbappe looks the same as 2018, not better. Coming into the tournament in 2018 France looked already the strongest. This year 2022, they did not look good before the WC. Come on man be realistic.

        I remember before the WC u also praised Germany like crazy. Where are they now? Fishing in Koeln? Or ice skating in Berlin? or sun bathing in Bali? No need to overrate these Europeans. Even the hottest team of Europe Dutch looked horrible actually. If Scaloni had not made those stupid subs and if the referee never helped them, it would have been 2-0 easily.

      • France defense is not stronger now that 2018, infact their midfield is even weaker… Annapurna your comments were fine till recently and now you have turned into some negative version of yourself

      • I think defence of France team now and then are more or less same. In 2018, they had Varane, Pavard, L. Hernandez and Umtiti. Also, Kante and Pogba in defensive mid roles. Varane was in his prime during that time. Now they have Varane, Pavard or Kounde, T. Hernandez, Upamecano or Konate. Also, Tchouameni and Rabiot or Fofana in def mid roles. For us, the presence of Alvarez and in form Messi upfront are giving good hopes. However, beating France is a Herculean task, as they will be more aggressive if opponent leads them.

    • Mbappe acceleration was Actually a free kick not penalty but it s france and it s always like that .
      The 2nd and the 4th goal was tagliafico fault
      And meza just missed the draw at 8 sec before whistle
      Argentina had a 10 mn of lack in focus and they grab 3 goals
      Hope scaloni will find a way to counter them

  19. I have read some of the comments in this site with some of the comments pointing to how argentina should fear France…. Isn’t the opposite true also, shouldn’t France be fearing this version of Argentina?….. Have they even played this kind of quality team in this world cup ?…… One thing is for certain Argentina should focus on it’s strength i.e. hit France right through the middle and see how they handle it

  20. Was watching a highlight when Ota was in man city, that man is a beast he is a warriorr, he can pass and control the ball without panickiwarriors,, he need to be credited . He is somewhat one to el jefecito Mascherano when it come to give everything for the team, and he is also improving alot about fouls and making the right decision.

  21. Hoping this isn’t a news flash to anyone here. Dybala is a very good footballer. I’ve watched his entire career in Europe. Nice left foot, can score from range. Deceptive dribbles for a forward, cuts some cunning balls, link up play been very useful, at times. Really wondering if we’ll ever get to see more of these qualities from him wearing Albiceleste.

    Didn’t really see the best of Crespo, Saviola, Tevez, Milito, etc, for whatever reasons. Don’t think Veron or Riquelme played their best football for their country either. Like Zidane did for France. Shame really, but that’s football.

    • Paulo is 29 as much as I hate to see it there isn’t a big chance. I think maybe in 2026 Cup he can get a leading role since Messi will no longer be present. However, it’s not likely he will stay in form until then. Very few players stay world class past 30.

      it’s unfortunate we have had some of the worlds best footballing talent over the last 2-3 decades but thanks to poor team choices by AFA heads we couldn’t ever see them at their best for national teams.

  22. Bruh, even seeing the highlights of the national anthem from previous world cups tells that this Argentina team is different from the ones in the recent past. Even in the 2014 final the team didn’t sing their hearts out quite like the current one does. It tells a lot about the passion and hunger to win this time when they sing the national anthem from their heart.

  23. France’s attack is dynamic. Mbappe and Dembele up top on left and right, both shoot often and set up many goals. Giroud’s form has been good for Milan, not surprised to see him diving in like a real center forward. Griezmann coming in the box late. He shoots, too, as does Tchouaméni. That’s 5 goal threats. Hernandez attacks well also.

    Eager to see how well this generation of Argentine defenders will handle this pressure.

    Argentina obviously gives Messi the MOST SHOTS. Worked out this World Cup. How many knockout stage goals? 3? Even if 2 are penalties. They were BIG penalties. He’s carried this team to the World Cup Final this tournament, imo. Unbelievable script. Alvarez shoots. Di Maria is goal threat. Other shooters are rare. e.g., De Paul, Acuna (lol), Paredes (when is he going to hit the net? Has a nice shot, but just not when really needed).

    Argentina’s goal threat looks less dynamic. Honestly, they have been difficult to watch at times. The style this team plays, compared to the beauty with which Argentine teams in the past have played (kept possession, made goalscoring chances, etc) is incomparable. This team has made it to the World Cup final, though. Not playing pretty, imo. Seems like this is the fashion this squad can win. Ugly. Rebound goals, penalties, PKs.

    Obviously incredibly difficult to make it this far, further, win the World Cup. They are very good at what they are doing. I hope they score some pretty goals in the final.

    Last thoughts, very satisfying to see Messi actualize this potential, odds seemed against him considering his age (weird because of how great he has been). The fact that he’s showing heart, more a street chip on his shoulder is a side of him I haven’t really seen, particularly with these kind of results for Argentina. Marvelous.

    The young Messi was the phenomenon. Unplayable. Go through 5-6 players on the regular. Could dribble and score better than anyone in the world for ages. Scored sooo many goals. I cannot believe he gets another shot at the World Cup. Let’s hope he doesn’t miss it. If he gets another ball like the one from Biglia.

    • One thing I would like to say, from one football fanatic to another is that 100% messi was a phenomenon as a Barca fan I watched him emerge, waited for him every game from that day! One observation/feeling I’ve always had about Messi is a personal one that “he does the unexpected when I least expect it” – for this reason I really believed we would take it in 2014 because it was in Brazil, I was wrong.

      He was just waiting for the greater unexpected. For me this is the greater “fate” explanation for his performance at this age, it’s meant to be this way because it’s always been this way with him lol

      • Remarkable.

        Almost time to sit back and watch.

        Definitely earned his stripes, playing the Final twice! Will go down as one of the greatest climax’s in professional sports history. If Argentina win.

    • This style shows grit and determination and willingness to win matches regardless of the opposition, I will take this team over any other version of Argentina we have seen in the past 🙏🙏🙏🙏

    • Basically what you are saying is, that we need to play out of our skins to win this against a very strong France lineup. But do we have another choice, my friend? We don’t. After so many heartbreaks, we need to seize what is ours. And its only doable when the entire team plays a brand of football never seen before. There’s no other option. Man, I don’t know how to get my day rolling without thinking of Sunday’s outcome. Its difficult to distract from the final. Just can’t.

  24. I think guido must play tomorrow he is good at slowing the pace of the game also i am. Worried about pardees tempo even though his passing playmaking better than gudio i need the first half to be calm and sensible.
    All the france attacks moves through Grizmen we need to stop him

  25. It is important that Scaloni has a clear idea. Looking at the coaching staff, it can be seen that they are good experts to build a team that is hard to beat, a team that is balanced in defense and attack. Whichever team is harder to hit, that team has more chance of winning. To have a good result, surely he knows his team’s weak points to improve. Of course he is also very good at exploiting the weaknesses of each opponent to hurt them and win. I am simply preparing to enjoy another final and I believe I am about to see another great match. However, that also depends on the level and performance of the player when implementing that idea.

  28. France’s philosophy has been to outscore opponents. They are not very good playing when trailing.

    We should take the game to them. If we start 433 and take the lead, I think we can score one more and play ‘hide the ball’ with a 352 later on. When we score one we always seem to score the second.

  29. Not just Mbappe, we need to lock down Griezmann, who is in top form at this WC. Both teams will try to take control of the midfield. Both teams have a clinical striker and both have a weakness in defense. But there is a big chance Argentina will win and be crowned as a champion.

  30. Well I don’t think France’s defence has a lot of holes. England had chances but unclear ones, so as Marocco. We conceded 5, not small either.
    What we can hope is they have a very static system, we can learn from this and plan accordingly.
    England game, France clearly played better. When they wanted to score they did

    • Every team has holes in them but for me France has more holes than us.
      I think we are individually and collectively better than France.
      The only thing we lack in my opinion is that express pace which mbappe has and i m envious of but again they can’t match us in technical quality.

    • I just wonder if Saka can run riot while dribbling towards French goal then imagine what would Messi will cause or even Di-Maria will cause if he plays. All of them panics big time. Been watching England game again and everytime I watch my courage goes up. England
      actually could have beaten them if they had used the players right also if they were patience enough in the build up. All we need to do is stop their counter attack,stay discipline as we do and they will fall apart. If we can destroy Croatia midfield which was called best midfield in the World Cup untill they faced us so i am sure French won’t stand a chance against our midfield. Also we concede 5 goals these are respectfully 2 flukes goals against Saudi also part of our fault coz we thought we had them,1 unlucky deflection against Australia and against Netherlands 1 tallest guy header & 1 clever free kick. People been saying Poland wasn’t attacking us but i feel like they didn’t even get chance however they had plenty of chances against French. If we play with our potential we should be too much for France. Because tactically and technically we are much better then them. But then again in football logic is useless also we need luck. Just hope our boys keep their nerves tight and okay their game. As usual if we can contain France 15-20 minutes without conceding then game is ours.

    • Agreed. France is underrated in this site, as I still think this France is super talented and experienced. However, this team is not as consistent as 2014 Germany. So I expect they will make mistakes during the game, and the final result will depend on if we can capitalize their mistakes.

  31. Rewatching France’s tactics against England and Morocco:
    1. Mbappe doesn’t really offer much in defense when playing in the wing. Most of the time, he’s not engaged when France does not have possession. However, France moved him to play Forward so that he could help spring Griezmann, and France had some success against Morocco
    2. Griezmann is really their playmaker. Compared to 2018, France is missing Kante in the midfield for defense and offense. Tchouameni is playing single pivot and doing a decent job, but this is not the same French team.
    3. France has a much weaker midfield than Croatia and a much more potent attack than any team Argentina has faced so far. If more attention is paid to their forwards, their wingers move into the space vacated by the defense.

    France has got by so far by scoring an early goal and then settling back. If Argentina denies France any goals in the first 20 minutes, or manages to score one in the first 20, France changes to a high-press attack leaving them vulnerable for counters. So Scaloni may start the game in a defensive shape and then patiently wait for opportunities.

  33. Otamendi and Cuti/Lisandro will have to be very careful.

    Mbappe has picked up a habit of diving from the king himself(Neymar).

    the referee is sure to give a penalty if he is given a chance to even touch the ball.

  34. Messi has played with 3 out of 4 French forwards and know body knows them better than him. He knows their strength and weaknesses!! Its like Modric being familiar with Casemiro, V.Junior Rodrigo! All three were shitdown by Croatia!! Also Depaul Correa Paredes and Dimaria have played with quite a few french players long enough to give us an advantage. It could work against us too, but Scaloni will go with a defensive approach.

    • Aguero and Lo Celso seem to be with the squad and Nico Gonzalez and Joaquin Correa are said to be there for the final. Obviously they are no longer part of the squad but just hanging out with the rest of the team.

    • They should use him to practice kicks against the goalkeepers, in many videos I’ve seen the staff practice kicks but Aguero could test them more

    • Yes, he was sitting there and Scaloni saw him and called him over. I’m assuming but it looked like he called him to practice and motivate. Good move by Scaloni, i can see his presence boosting confidence.

  37. guys, don’t worry too much.. believe me messi knows how griezman, dembele, mbape play, of course scaloni and his team have studied in recent days about the game plan to stop the pace of their attackers… we know Samuel, ayala and scaloni are former defenders who Theirs full of experience facing the best strikers of their era… believe…Inshaa Allah victory for Argentina

  38. The defense must be strong in the final with France. Argentina’s small players in the midfield will have trouble keeping the ball because France’s players are tall and strong, which is why a good header in the middle must keep the ball under control and there is no way to conceded early goal.. So we must Need guido Rodriguez….

    This is final so we need compact defense. Something like this – – – – – –

    **********Emi Martinez ***********

    **Romero*Otamendi*lisandro **

    Paul*Enzo*Guido*Angel*Alister

    *****Messi*********Alvez****’****

    • I think 4-4-2 would be more ideal since france has lots of play on flanks. being able to man mark wingers would be ideal.

      It will limit the options griezmann has and having 4 in midfield can help us cut passing lanes.

      • Interestingly Morocco had more success once Saiss was subbed out in the first few minutes where they reverted back to a 4-3-3 when having possession and a 4-1-4-1 when defending. Now Rabiot wasn’t playing so that definitely changes the complexion of the Morocco game.

        I really think Argentina should play 4-2-3-1 they played against Poland. That would leave Messi to tie up the French pivot and then overload the right side with Molina, De Paul and Di Maria. Messi plays a bit more in the midfield and would matchup well against Griezmann-Rabiot-Tchouameni when he has possession and pressure Tchouameni when he doesn’t. This leaves Alvarez as the dangerous striker deep in French backfield.

  39. Enzo Fernandez and Otamendi played against Mbappe two times in Champions League recently. They have done very well against him.
    Messi, DiMaria, and Paredes know him very well.

  40. Scaloni will have noticed that the team lacks a bit of concentration and accuracy at the start of the 2nd half. Between min 46 and 55 we kept giving the ball to Croatia. It looked a bit like the match against SA. We improved after 10 min and dominated again. We cannot have such a period against France.

    • France is not that good with the ball, a pure transition team like Holland which need spaces to run. Netherlands was completely dead against us till the kick and rush with two 195 cm tall strikers in the end.

  41. my take on our match:
    1. Yes, we did well but as I always say there is room for improvement especially with converting our shot on targets to goals

    2. I want to Enzo to work on his long range shots. I can see he has been attempting a lot of them but have not got it yet.

    for our next match:
    1. France uses long ball too with fast, strong and skillful wingers. Mbappe, Dembele. We have to make sure we do not give them space. I just hope once again our 2 and 3 can do their jobs,

    2. France rely on their front four a lot – Mbappe, Dembele, Griezmann and Giroud. we have to find a way to contain them. Each of them have their strengths and weakness.

    3. Griezmann is their most creative player, their play maker. Almost all play goes through him. He is intelligent, Strong on ball, have good passes and can shoot from outside. What we should watch out most about him his is “linking up” skills, he loves to find Mbappe and Giroud
    with pass. He also loves one-two play.

    4. Mbappe and Dembele are similar. Both of them are fast, strong, love dribbling especially with those “body feints” they love using and can shoot long range shots too. We have to be careful with the way we tackle them our defenders should always focus on getting to the ball, do not be distracted by the feints it could be body feint or shot feint. Don’t try to outpace and outmuscle Mbappe he tends to thrive in such situation, honestly I do not think we have any player that can do that even Kyle Walker as fast as he is could not stop him. Always focus on the ball in fact getting to the ball first will be nice. We have to be at alert all the times. I do not know whether our team can use offside trap that usually works against most pacy players. I have seen Spain tried this before with Henry and again what works for one team does not necessarily work for another.

    5. Mbappe also love doing step overs, cut back dribbles I do no know what is called that thing he do when his runninng then suddenly cut ball back. He also loves using back hook passes. Our defenders have to be aware of all these things when they are marking, we can not casually mark we have to anticipate what he can do too. He also enjoys wide area we must not leave space, I did not say we should go all defensive

    6. Giroud is good at all types of heading – high, fly heading, ground….he is also strong on ball and can shoot. We must not let our guards down around him. he is underrated we must not take him for granted.

    7. France too are good at headings not only Giroud they have other players that are good at headers – Varane, Mbappe,… infact most of their players

    8. Due to their fast players, France also love counter attacking.

    9. France loves shooting long range shot. As I said there should be a layer to block the shots. Again “block” not “deflect.” Dibu as usual should not rely too much on our defenders, he should be ready for anything – long range shots, corners…he should anticipate any ball can come at any time.

    10. As usual emotions do not win anything, we have to remain calm as always.

    11. As usual we have to convert our chances better. We cannot have that nonsense that happened in wc2014 to happen again. I do not want care what circumstance the player has injuiry, off day,…JUST SCORE. Also regarding scoring this is not the time for our players to play ” the hero” or “i want to be the one that lead my team to glory ” you know selfishness, we win as collective not individual. if your fellow player is in better position to score not in “offside” pass the ball for better chances to score. Even if it were to be DIBU that scored I am fine with it as long as we win.

    12. France team too are stubborn, even if we might be leading we cannot let our guides down, we do, we die. I am sure they would have watched all of our game notice the way we panic. They will try to press us hard.

    13. As for Leo by now we all know there is always a plan for Leo. That is why we cannot keep relying on him only. Honestly I am happy Julian have been stepping up but others too have to do better. If any other person aside from Leo and Julian can score, I am ok with it.

    14. France backline would do whatever it takes to stop our attackers, they will pull your clothes, they will foul you, they will throw their weight on you, they will push you, you know play dirty… As I said before we have to find a way to counter this, we must not allow them stop our play in fact England could have had chances to score but the fouls on them were too much, i do not know why the referee allowed it. They were bullying England physically which did not help their game to progress. We have to prevent this. We must not underestimate Lloris too.

    15. As usual we cannot trust the officials of this tournment, we must find our own way.

    16. I also notice that “organisation” is important we can say because we want to stop Mbappe we free Griezmann or Giroud. Their two goals against Morocco was also due to lack of organisation. Morocco players were so busy trying to stop Mbappe and all their frontline that they did not pay attention to other players. We have to be 1million percent organised, focused and alerted.

    17. With the way the french have been talking, we have to take this match as “war.” you know do or die. We have to be 1millon percent focused, prepared and alerted.

    18. I cannot believe the level of hate we are getting, that is why the only thing we can do is keep on winning. As Leo says is either we win or… win. I just hope our team would be able to deliver.

    • You re right i am sure that they will focus on our weakness set pieces we don t have their physics so they focus 1000 % on it
      Mollina tend to play advanced he should not in this final cause hernandez and mbappe will threaten us from this side
      I am not fan but i guess we should play same team vs croatia maybe changing paredes for guido but i m not sure guido is 100% and add to this his slowness
      Maybe playing paredes to give some kick to griezman dembele and mbappe
      But playing final without di maria is pretty riskey especially when he s our final s lethal weapon
      I dont think messi will be free cause if he is as he was vs croatia i m sure he ll score and we ll win
      But deschamps is an italian made strategy so for sure he will block spaces all around leo
      I hope he ll be leo champions league final man
      Too stressed about this game france is the team i hate the most in the world and being 3 times champions is insulting football that country is n t a football country they just grab all their immigrants kids whom are treated like shit and make them an african mercenary army playing in europe
      Argentina was is and will be a country of maestro sivori dibstefano kempes diego passarella riquelme aimar gallardo ortega batigol Argentinian made not importing usain bolts

      • No Molina should be advanced forcing Hernandez to stay back. Remember 2nd half Hernandez was not a threat to offensively vs morocco. Hakimi and him battle with Ziyech. France forced to sub giroud and Mbappe went to striker and left side free role and thuram came on the right. France then got another lucky goal.

    • “2. I want to Enzo to work on his long range shots. I can see he has been attempting a lot of them but have not got it yet.”

      What are you talking about? Enzo scored one beautiful goal from outside the box (?), two wood works, and another long range that was saved by the Croatia keeper – all in just a few matches he played in this World Cup, mostly as a DM.

      • Actually, his shot against Netherlands hit the post, despite sea of defenders in front of him.. and his shot against Croatia was on target but goalkeeper made good save.

    • Enzo’s long shots are one of his greatest virtues. Check out highlights for River starting this year. He practically scored one every other match. The thing is they are kind of a gamble, he’s hit the post and stuff like that, he doesn’t need to expressly work on it because he’s created the most danger in our squad from long range and only millimeters have denied him. I agree with all your other points though.

  43. The newest update of the DEFENSIVE RATING Statistics:
    Here is the current new updated statistics. All the games are after Copa America 2021 (the last 18 games including the Croatia last game).

    New ranking:
    1. Marcos Acuna
    (New 806 minutes/Conceding 0 goal
    without 304 minutes/Conceding 6 goals
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 18 goals and conceding 0 goal
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 5 goals and conceding 6 goals
    Defensive rating: Conceding 0 goal in 806 minutes so far.

    2. Giovani Lo Celso
    Lo Celso 603 minutes/ Conceding 0 goal
    Without him 119 minutes/Conceding 1 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 11 goals and conceding 0 goal
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 3 goals and conceding 1 goal
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 0 goal in 603 minutes so far.

    3. Guido Rodriguez
    (New: 428 minutes/Conceding 1 goal
    Without him 78 minutes/Conceding 0 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 6 goals and conceding 1 goal
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 14 goals and conceding 0 goal
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 428 minutes

    4. Gonzalo Montiel
    (New 396 minutes/Conceding 1 goal
    Without him 354 minutes/Conceding 3 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 5 goals and conceding 1 goal
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 15 goals and conceding 3 goals
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 396 minutes

    5. Alexis MacAllister
    (New 768 minutes/Conceding 2 goal
    Without him 252 minutes/Conceding 2 goals
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 20 goals and conceding 2 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 11 goals and conceding 2 goals
    Defensive Rating: conceding 1 goal every 384 minutes

    6. Cristian Romero
    (New 836 minutes/Conceding 3 goals
    Without him 184 minutes/Conceding 2 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 19 goals and conceding 3 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 1 goal and conceding 2 goal.
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 278.67 minutes

    7. Rodrigo De Paul
    (New 1331 minutes/Conceding 5 goals
    Without him 229 minutes/Conceding 2 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 34 goals and conceding 5 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 6 goals and conceding 2 goal
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 266.2 minutes

    8. Nahuel Molina
    (New: 1236 minutes /Conceding 5 goals
    Without him 234 minutes/Conceding 1 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 32 goals and conceding 5 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 6 goals and conceding 1 goal
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 247.2 minutes

    9. German Pezzella
    (New 475 minutes/Conceding 2 goal
    Without him 365 minutes/Conceding 0 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 12 goals and conceding 2 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 12 goals and conceding 0 goal
    Defensive Rating: conceding 1 goal every 237.5 minutes

    10. Emi Martinez
    (New 1290 minutes/Conceding 6 goals
    Without him 0 minutes/Conceding 0 goal)
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 28 goals and conceding 6 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 0 goal and conceding 0 goal.
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 215 minutes

    11. Nicolas Otamendi
    (New 1335 minutes/Conceding 7 goals
    Without him 45 minutes/Conceding 0 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 30 goals and conceding 7 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 1 goal and conceding 0 goal
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 190.71 minutes

    12. Enzo Fernandez
    543 minutes/Conceding 3 goal
    297 minutes/Conceding 2 goals
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 15 goals and conceding 3 goal
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 8 goals and conceding 2 goals
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 181 minutes

    13. Lisandro Martinez
    (New 870 minutes/Conceding 5 goals
    Without him 330 minutes/Conceding 2 goals
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 23 goals and conceding 5 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 4 goals and conceding 2 goals
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 174 minutes

    14. Papu Gomez
    Papu 458 minutes/Conceding 3 goals
    without him 172 minutes/Conceding 1 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 11 goals and conceding 3 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 4 goals and conceding 1 goal
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 152. 67 minutes

    15. Leandro Paredes
    (New 719 minutes/Conceding 5 goals
    without him 301 mins/Conceding 0 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 19 goals and conceding 5 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 3 goals and conceding 0 goal
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 143.8 minutes

    16. Nicolas Tagliafico
    864 minutes/Conceding 7 goals
    Without him 156 minutes/Conceding 0 goal
    The team goal difference when on the pitch: 20 goals and conceding 7 goals
    The team goal difference when off the pitch: 5 goals and conceding 0 goal
    Defensive Rating: Conceding 1 goal every 123.43 minutes

    Notes:

    1. The numbers we conceded goals in the last 18 matches are 7 goals only (1 against Chile, 1 against Ecuador, 2 against Saudi, 1 against Australia. And 2 against Netherlands)

    2. Acuna is better both offensively and defensively than Tagliafico. Most people think that Tagliafico is a better defender than Acuna, but we conceded 0 goal with Acuna and we conceded 7 goals with Tagliafico on the pitch in similar minutes! Acuna has the BEST DEFENSIVE RATING out of all players. Tagliafico has the WORST DEFENSIVE rating out of all players. This is our major concern. Acuna is MUCH BETTER both defensively and offensive than Tagliafico.

    3. Acuna, Lo Celso, Guido, Montiel, and MacAllister are the top 5 defensive rating we have.

    4. Cuti Romero has the BEST defensive rating out of all center backs we have. Better than Pezzella, Licha, or Otamendi as we conceded just 1 goal every 278.67 minutes he played.

    5. Offensively Molina is much better than Montiel but defensively Molina is better as we have conceded 1 goal so far with him on the pitch compared to 5 goals we conceded with Moline on the pitch.

    6. Tagliafico number both offensively and defensively is really bad. We conceded the most with him on the pitch and we scored not that much with him on the pitch. And he has the lowest defensive rating too.

    Safe to say if Scaloni wants to go full defense, the best combinations are Emi; Montiel, Cuti, Otamendi, Acuna; Guido, De Paul, MacAllister, 3 attackers.

    • No brainier that Acuna will play in the final. Question is whether they go with the 3-5-2 like they did against Netherlands or a 4-3-3 with Lisandro on the bench. If I have to guess today, I would guess Molina-Romero-Otamedi-Acuna with DePaul-Enzo-Mac Allister in the mid and Alvarez-Messi-Di Maria up front. That would be the balanced formation with emphasis on wing attack.

      I wouldn’t be surprised if they choose a 3-5-2 with Acuna moving up and Lisandro as the third CB and they sit Di Maria. If Di Maria is fully healthy, I would prefer him to start but depending on how the game goes he may come in the 50th minute to boost the attack.

      • My job does not require me to go to the office. I work from home sending out data and that’s all. I do the same thing for my job and for Argentina. I am collecting data and making stats. And I do that everyday lol.

  44. The newest update of the statistics:
    Here is the current new updated statistics. All the games are after Copa America 2021 (the last 18 games including the Croatia last game).

    How do you see the stats?

    For example Lionel Messi played a total of 1338 minutes in his last 18 matches) and Argentina scored 35 goals while he was on the pitch. He was off the pitch (being a sub) for 132 minutes in those matches (1338 minutes + 132 minutes = 1470 minutes or 16 matches) He was absent in 2 matches in the last 18 matches.

    When the team played without Messi in 132 minutes, the team managed to score 2 goals. Compared to 1338 minutes with Messi on and the team scored 35. So Messi’s team goal/minute rating is 1 goal every 38.23 minute.

    With him off the pitch, we scored 2 goals in 132 minutes or 1 goal every 66.0 minute. So Messi’s impact is 38.23 – 66 (+27.77)

    The higher the + number, the better impact the player is when it comes to scoring goals. For example Messi is +27.77 so he is better than Acuna who is +16.02 when it comes to the impact to the team.

    Here is the top 16. My new statistics update:
    New ranking:
    1. Leandro Paredes
    (New 719 minutes/19 goals. A goal every 37.84 mins
    without him 301 mins and 4 goals. A goal every 75.25 min (+37.41)
    2. Lionel Messi
    (New: 1338 minutes/35 goals 38.23
    without him 132 and 2 goals 66.0 (+27.77)
    3. Julian Alvarez
    (New 731 minutes 24 goals 30.46
    without 559 and 10 goals 55.9 (+25.44)
    4. Marcos Acuna
    (New 806 minutes/18 goals 44.78
    without 304 and 5 goals 60.8 (+16.02)
    5. Nico Gonzales
    291 minutes/8 goals 36.38
    without him 340 and 8 goals 42.5 (+6.12)
    6. Papu Gomez
    Papu 458 minutes/11 goals 41.64
    without him 172 and 4 goals 43.00 (+1.36)
    7. Enzo Fernandez
    543 minutes/15 goals 36.2
    297 minutes/8 goals 37.13 (+0.93)
    8. Nahuel Molina
    (New: 1236 minutes /32 goals 38.63
    without 234 and 6 goals 39 (+0.37)
    9. Rodrigo De Paul
    (New 1331 minutes 34 goals 39.15
    without him 229 and 6 goals 38.17 (-0.98)
    10. Angel Di Maria
    (New: 816 minutes/17 goals 48.0
    without him 384 and 9 goals 42.67 (- 5.33)
    11. Nicolas Tagliafico
    864 minutes/20 goals 43.20
    without him 156 minutes/5 goals 31.2 (- 12.0)
    12. Lo Celso
    Lo Celso 603 minutes/11 goals 54.82
    without him 119 and 3 goals 39.67 (-15.15)
    13. MacAllister
    (New 768 minutes/20 goals 38.4
    without 252/11 goals 22.91 (-15.49)
    14. Lautaro Martinez
    Lautaro 751 minutes/11 goals 68.27
    without him 451 and 12 goals 37.58 (-30.69)
    15. Guido Rodriguez
    (New: 428 minutes/6 goals 71.33
    Without him 382 and 14 goals 27.29 (-44.04)
    16. Gonzalo Montiel
    (New 396 minutes and 5 goals 79.2
    without him 354 and 15 goals 23.6 (-55.6)

    These 16 are the highest offensive impact when on and off the pitch.
    The highest offensive rating (the probability of us scoring goals when the players are on the pitch):
    1. Julian Alvarez 731 minutes 24 goals (1 goal every 30.46 minutes)
    2. Enzo Fernandez 543 minutes 15 goals (1 goal every 36.2 minutes)
    3. Nico Gonzales 291 minutes 8 goals (1 goal every 36.38 minutes)
    4. Leandro Paredes 719 minutes 19 goals (1 goal every 37.84 minutes)
    5. Lionel Messi 1338 minutes 35 goals (1 goal every 38.23 minutes)
    6. Alexis MacAllister 768 minutes 20 goals (1 goal every 38.4 minutes)
    7. Nahuel Molina 1236 minutes 32 goals (1 goal every 38.63 minutes)
    8. Rodrigo De Paul 1331 minutes 34 goals (1 goal every 39.15 minutes)
    Notes:

    1. Only these 16 players can be done. Others (midfielders/strikers/fullbacks only) have received too few minutes to be considered as of now such as Palacios, J Correa, A Correa, Dybala. I do not put defenders or goalies here as center backs or goalies usually have nothing to do with us scoring goals.
    2. The difference between Molina and Montiel, Acuna and Tagliafico are massive offensively. Molina and Acuna have a much higher impact when it comes to us scoring the goal. The left back Acuna rank 4. Tagliafico rank 11. The right back Molina rank 8. Montiel rank 16 (the last one)

  45. Regardless of whether we win or we lose on Sunday, I just want to take to say THANK YOU to all our supporters and fans from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and every other part of the world. The Argentina national team is very fortunate to have you as their supporters, and Argentina is a much stronger team because of all of you! You are all Argentinean at heart!! Now let’s go win this final!!!!!

  46. Guys let me tell you something does anybody here have seen 1982 semis between france and germany if not just youtube it to understand why since then france never ever had lived another injustice although they were those who have the referee with them for the rest of their paticipation they are the biggest cheater in world cup. 98 2006 2018 they always had the favour of referees like germans especially on the finals look at 2006 penalty at the 4th mn in 2018 the freekick that mandzukic scored own goal was a diving from griezman the hand ball of perisic was involuntarily touched after deflection.
    Look yesterday against Moroccans does the referee whistle something nooo.
    It doesn t amaze me to get an European referee because i know that even if the referee would be argentinian he will be on french side cause that s how work fifa. Never forget codeza even if germans were better than us in 90 edition but in the final they couldnt score against bilardo scheme even with 4 of our players being suspended they couldn t win so the ref give them that damn penalty for an inexistant foul.
    Remember neur punshing higuain do you think if it was romero he wouldn t gove a penalty to them??
    That s how things rules Europeans have fifa s favour it s all about money that s why we must beat them because of justice i hope a 3 -0
    They give us this polish to attack our focus team but i bet the guys are aware of all this and hope that they will correct this arrogant team

      • I’ve said a month ago when we lost to KSA in opening match. The whole thing had changed since that game, because we let FIFA, Qatar, and sports betting companies make tons of money. If one of the team will get referee’s help, it will be Argentina this time 100%.

  47. At least not that Brazilian referee or not Dutch or England referee. Poland should thank us because I am sure their whole country heard that Messi and Argentina decided not to score the third goal against them when they desperately needed the help from Argentina. Hope this referee remembers our favor for them.

    That’s also why Lewa was so nice to Messi after the game because he “thanked” Messi for the favor.

  48. Gaston Edul posted that these players compete for these awards
    1. Best young player: Enzo Fernandez, Jude Bellingham, Jvosko Gvardiol
    (Enzo is heavy favorite much more than the other 2)

    2. Best goalie: Bounou, Emi Martinez, Hugo Lloris, Livakovic
    (Bounou is the favorite just very slightly beyond Emi Martinez before the final game)

    3. Best player: Messi, Mbappe, Griezmann, Julian Alvarez, Giroud
    (Messi is the heavy favorite)

    We can win all three for sure.

      • If not Martinez best goalie then who? Buffon and Nauer in 2006 and 2014 barely made amazing saves, but they won the best goalie.

        Livakovic was a heavy favorite but Argentina exposed him. Bounou looked average against France. Lloris is always average.

    • I think Enzo definitely, if we win, Emiliano wins award as well, especially if he has a great game. But I’d much rather see Argentina win than any personal awards or accolades. I want to see Messi holding that Cup, that would be sublime.

    • I was furious to watch that stupid deplorable referee mistake!! It should have been a penalty !!! But that refree for no reason gave a free kick to France and not only that Morocco’s best player Boufal got a yellow card!!

  52. Few thoughts on speculation about Benzema inclusion. If they really call him that means they scared and have no confidence on current strikers against us so it is boost for us. I don’t worry about Grizman coz MacAllister will pocket him for sure when we don’t have ball. I hope we come up with something against their pace same time don’t lose our attacking tooth. If Di Maria plays then he has to track back make 3V2 or 3V1 against Mbape & Hernandez. I am not worried. Saw England Vs France again and it gave me more confidence coz we are more paitence then England on build up. I hope they pass pass and pass some more to frustrate France

    • Where are you guys getting all this Benzema rumors from? Cite your sources. Where in this history of the World Cup have you guys ever seen a player get called up for the very last match. Are you guys here this stupid? 😂😂

      • Well, benzena is on the french 26 man list. So technically he can still play. But Deschamps doesn’t want to comment on it, meaning he doesn’t want to mess with the consistency of the team he has been playing. But just to respond to “are you that stupid”… It seems that u are ill informed. Sadio mane was on the Senegal list even if I injured as they were hoping to go deep in the competition and have him play when he is ready.

    • Benzene was not called up to play. He was simply called up to travel WITH the French team.

      Kind of like how Lo Celso traveled to Qatar after his daughter was born.

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