During the 37-minute stretch where England first seized the lead against Argentina and then surrendered it, they managed to hold the ball for just 12 percent of the time. It’s safe to say the World Cup final will present an entirely different kind of test against Spain. The Spanish don’t share that deep-seated English impulse to stage a desperate last stand the moment they edge ahead. Across the competition, they have controlled around 64% of possession. The contrast with England is stark: their philosophy relies on method, not frenzy.
There is an unmistakable Spanish football identity, one that has existed since Vicente del Bosque took over from Luis Aragonés in 2008 and arguably even earlier. That continuity might give England some encouragement. Spain themselves once struggled to meet expectations, but Aragonés led a break from the old furia roja tradition. The outcome over the last two decades has been three European titles and one World Cup, with the prospect of another arriving this Sunday.
The composure and commitment to keeping the ball can sometimes feel formulaic—no approach is without its drawbacks—but Luis de la Fuente has breathed fresh life into the juego de posición blueprint. Watching the opposite approach unfold in Atlanta on Wednesday, where one team looked pathologically incapable of even attempting to retain possession, highlights exactly how crucial the skill of not losing the ball can be.
It may help that De la Fuente comes from within that structure. He isn’t a club manager trying his hand at international football but a federation coach who has known many of these players since their days in the national youth sides. This tournament has been rough for the high-profile names hired by wealthy football nations—not just Thomas Tuchel but also Carlo Ancelotti, Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino. It feels telling that Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni, like De la Fuente, stepped into the top job after coaching the under-21s. He understands the players, the playing style, the framework and the mindset.
Rodri tangles with Michael Olise of France. Assigning someone to track the midfielder man‑to‑man would disrupt Spain’s flow. Photograph: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Joachim Löw similarly worked his way through his country’s federation before steering Germany to the 2014 World Cup. England’s own revival in major tournaments—four semi-finals in the last five competitions since 2018, compared to only four in all their history before that—followed a transformation overseen by Sir Gareth Southgate, who had been involved with the FA in redesigning the academy setup and the England DNA project before coaching the under-21s.
It increasingly suggests that the highest level of international football revolves around established systems—a point that might support the idea of Lee Carsley, who has guided England Under‑21s to two European Championship triumphs, taking charge of the senior side.
Under Scaloni, there has been a deliberate push to revive a more classic Argentinian game, one less focused on physical power—meaning fewer long balls, fewer bulky forwards, less chaotic running, though the team certainly isn’t shy about muscling opponents off the ball, best shown by Giuliano Simeone trying to prize Marc Guéhi away with his head—and more reliant on short exchanges.
That’s a big reason why their analyst Matías Manna identifies Boca Juniors midfielder Leandro Paredes as the outfit’s central figure. “He recovers the ball a lot from the front and understands how to guard the space behind him,” Manna has noted.
“When a side is constructed around passing, you need a holding player like Paredes who connects well with the inside men and the No 10. He’s the Argentinian best at finding Messi between the lines. You can’t examine the game player by player. The game lives in the links between them.”
Manna is fascinated by the idea that everything must be woven together, that the tactical and human bonds between players matter more than the formation itself. With Scaloni, Argentina’s greatest weapon is their unity, the shared sense of mission, the drive to gift Lionel Messi a second World Cup crown, flipping the tired debate and giving him one more star than Diego Maradona.
Whereas Spain have left behind the furia ideal, Argentina have taken it to heart. It’s clearly not just a case of hanging around until Messi produces a flash of genius, yet his capacity to alter games through sheer ability and willpower is a colossal resource. A late surge ignited by Messi has become the knockout phase’s trademark for Argentina.
Argentina look likely to repeat the setup they used against England, shifting away from the 4‑4‑2 seen earlier in the competition to a 4‑5‑1, with Messi roaming as a free centre-forward and Julián Alvárez positioned on the left wing. Whether they once again deploy Simeone as a pesky presence on the right—his duel with Marc Cucurella could be wonderfully combative—or opt for Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s more familiar protector, stands as perhaps their biggest selection call.
double quotation markWhereas Spain have left behind the furia ideal, Argentina have taken it to heart
The decisive factor, however, will be disrupting Spain’s midfield, stopping them from slipping into their usual groove. That might mean either Alexis Mac Allister or Enzo Fernández shadowing Rodri, the heartbeat of Spain’s midfield, across the pitch.
Cape Verde and Egypt had already uncovered Argentina’s susceptibility to speed. England puzzlingly chose not to target that weakness, and it’s not a weapon Spain can easily wield. During the previous Euros, their main strength lay in blending smothering ball control with direct thrusts in the wide attacking zones. Injuries have curbed that threat in this tournament.
On the left flank, Nico Williams—so influential during the Euros—has been limited to substitute outings, and Álex Baena appears exactly what he is: a creative hub lacking the explosive pace needed out wide. On the right, Lamine Yamal entered the competition nursing a hamstring concern and has looked sharper with each game, though he hasn’t quite hit his highest level yet.
In some ways, the final shapes up as a classic meeting between a methodical outfit and a team surfing a torrent of emotion. Strong feeling always carries its dangers: it could spill over and hand a comfortable victory to the cool‑headed technicians. If Spain seize the lead, it’s easy to picture them frustrating Argentina, hoarding possession and slicing them apart on the break.
But Argentina are a more self-aware unit than, say, Brazil in 2014, better equipped to channel their intensity. The longer the match stays goalless, the more the sense grows that Messi’s apparent destiny will be fulfilled.
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