Emotion v Football IQ: Spain’s ‘dark arts’ hidden behind star’s injury scare
A dark cloud may have been cast over Lamine Yamal this week, but his injury concerns have not turned the experts off backing Spain to win football’s most prestigious prize when they face Argentina in the World Cup final on Monday morning (AEST).
The highly anticipated final will be a battle of Spain’s football intelligence and the emotions that drive Argentina, with the reigning European and South American champions looking to add the title of World Cup winners next to their names.
This image of Yamal with a bandage on sparked concern. Getty Images
Each team has endured different injury scares over the course of the tournament, but Spain copped a late blow to Yamal earlier this week during training.
It has not been the easiest couple of months for the Spanish teenager, who has battled through various injuries and is now sporting a bandage on his thigh.
The image of Yamal training away from the national team before returning a day late with his thigh strapped sparked some alarm about his fitness for the final. But Spain coach Luis de la Fuennte insists his young star is in “optimal condition”.
While he has only scored one goal at his first World Cup, Yamal has been vital in Spain’s successful run to the final - a game which Australian great Robbie Slater believes he will be the standout star.
But he will have tough competition to claim that title, not only within his own team that boasts the talent of Rodri, Pedri and Marc Cucurella, but also with his rivals, who will be guided on-field by the superstar that bathed him 20 years ago for a charity calendar.
Lionel Messi acknowledged the viral image of the pair is “crazy”, especially since he was only one year younger than Yamal when he debuted at the World Cup.
But even though the two stars are at the opposite ends of their football careers, they are some of the best players in the international game at the moment.
Shutting down Messi will be Spain’s biggest challenge in the final, but former Socceroos player Scott McDonald believes Argentina will only be able to activate their maestro to his full potential if they can get the ball off their classy rivals.
“It is going to be a case of how well Argentina can keep the ball,” he said on Stan Sport’s Added Time.
“Argentina are going to try and upset them, we know that. They will try the dark arts of the game to ruffle some feathers. But I don’t think it will be enough.
“Those wider areas (of the field) are where Argentina have been susceptible, that is where they will come undone in this game. Rodri controls (that space), so that will be very difficult to take off Spain.
“If (Spain) can control the game with the ball, they will nullify (Messi) immediately. As the game gets more tired that is when Messi gets into the game.
“It is not in the early parts of the game because he is just walking around for majority of it. When the tempo picks up, he does a bit more and moves out wide.”
Yamal in action against France in the semi-final Getty Images
Spain are often criticised for their boring brand of football, with their remarkable ball retention and passing taking away from the flashy plays of their opposition.
Argentina, on the other hand, have traditional played an emotional and aggressive style of football. While that emotion attracts fans around the globe, the football intelligence of Spain could prove difficult for Argentina to break apart.
“As much as Argentina will play with emotion - Spain have dark arts in them too,” McDonald continued.
“They are a lot more educated in that side of things than what England (Argentina’s semi-final opponent) are because that is culturally how they are brought up. They are not daft to these things.
“But Spain don’t score a lot of goals. If they don’t take chances, Argentina are special and will get in those areas (to shoot).”
McDonald then declared that Spain will fall short of becoming champions of the world if they do not get at least a two goal lead over Argentina.
“It is so tight. If Spain get that goal lead, I know we have seen Argentina come back time and time again, but I don’t see a lot of goals in this,” he said.
Australian great Robbie Slater agreed, but noted that no one should rule Argentina out of finding a fairytale ending despite underdogs with the bookies.
“What people need to understand is this dark arts and the way they intimidate, the passion - that has always been there,” Slater said.
“Argentina have always played like this. This football culture goes right back through every Argentinian team. Every time they play, you can see the love for their country in the emotions they all have. I’m not saying nobody else loves their country, but these guys are special.
“You can’t count them out. I’d go for Spain but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a fairytale there. Why should we be when they have done so in every knockout stage so far.”
It is likely the last time fans will see Messi take the stage at the World Cup for Argentina, although he has yet to confirm if that will be the case.
He could depart the tournament with the World Cup title, which Argentina won in 2022, and the golden boot - but to do so, he will need to score at least three goals to surpass France’s Kylian Mbappe.
The final will take place in New York at 5am AEST on Monday.
