{"id":1457746,"date":"2026-06-14T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1457746"},"modified":"2026-06-14T04:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T03:26:09","slug":"tactical-analysis-argentina-most-interesting-national-team-2026-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-argentina-most-interesting-national-team-2026-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Argentina analysis: Why &#8216;old school&#8217; Albiceleste are the most interesting national team in the 2026 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Current champions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/argentina-world-cup-2026-odds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Argentina<\/a> have one last chance to maximize Lionel Messi&#8217;s high-level performances in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/world-cup-2026-betting-tips-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World Cup<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Albiceleste are among the favourites to win the tournament for a second straight time. They eased past the qualifiers and won them for the first time since 2014. This time, however, it wasn&#8217;t due to Brazil hosting &#8211; but actually having their worst-ever campaign leading up to the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And Argentina soundly beat the Selecao with a 4-1 thrashing in Buenos Aires back in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now they seem to have gone under everyone&#8217;s radar a little bit. They haven&#8217;t played significant opponents for quite some time. Their current seven-game win streak has come at the expense of Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Angola, Mauritania, Zambia, Honduras and Iceland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, with the lack of one true dominant nation in international football nowadays, they could be the best bet to win it all &#8211; yet again. Regardless, they are certainly the most intriguing and interesting team in terms of tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Why Argentina swim against modern football&#8217;s tide<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-lack-of-physicality-and-own-pace\" data-level=\"3\">Lack of physicality and own pace<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-central-focus-and-relationism\" data-level=\"3\">Central focus and &#8216;relationism&#8217;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-zonal-approach-out-of-possession\" data-level=\"3\">Zonal approach out of possession<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-intangibles\" data-level=\"3\">Intangibles<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lack-of-physicality-and-own-pace\">Lack of physicality and own pace<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Football is in constant change, but the most recent ones have put it on a more physical side. Pep Guardiola said it himself that the modern version of the sport is closer to what teams like Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion play. And it&#8217;s up to the rest of the world to catch up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While those three sides are nowhere near from being among the best, they have a lot of things in common. Physicality, ability to press, cover large distances and run all the time, tall players everywhere. Argentina are quite the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their star is an ageing 5&#8217;7&#8221; playmaker who doesn&#8217;t press or track back defensively. Of course, Lionel Messi is in the debate for the greatest of all time, but he has lost a lot of his speed and stamina.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/stakemate-bet-10-get-20-in-free-bets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stakemate Offer<\/a>: Bet \u00a310, get \u00a320 in free bets<\/h2>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/stakemate?q=gb-all-all-wof-s-spo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1422508\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-1024x489.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-1024x489.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-300x143.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-768x367.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-1536x733.png 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-400x191.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-419x200.png 419w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-126x60.png 126w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-150x72.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-40x19.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150.png 1986w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><strong>How to claim:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Go to Stakemate using <a href=\"\/en\/go\/stakemate?q=gb-all-all-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>this link<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>Download the app and create your account<\/li>\r\n<li>Place your first bet of \u00a310 or more (minimum odds of 2\/1)<\/li>\r\n<li>Once settled, receive 4 x \u00a35 free bets - minimum 3 selections and 2\/1 odds on each bet.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"sq-toplist\" data-bookmaker-id=\"1408906\" data-offer-id=\"1408908\">\r\n<div class=\"sq-toplist__items\">\r\n<div class=\"sq-toplist__item\">\r\n<div class=\"sq-toplist__item-tc\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>#AD 18+ New Customers Only. Place any \u00a310 bet to qualify, min 2.0 (1\/1) odds. Qualifying bet must settle, excluding cash outs. Bonus credited with 24hrs of settlement. 4 x \u00a35 free bets. Free bets min 3 selections and 3.0 odds. Returns exclude free bet stake. Expiry applies. Full T&amp;Cs apply.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If we&#8217;re being far and removing him from this conversation due to his greatness, the story remains the same in other positions. The Albiceleste are full of technical, shifty players but who lack phisicality to press high or recover possession quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of their attackers can be easily bounced around, their central defenders aren&#8217;t the most quick-footed. This also means Lionel Scaloni&#8217;s men aren&#8217;t really suited to high-press football as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why they play at their own pace &#8211; and succeed at that. There is no rushing Argentina to the rhythm that an opponent might want them to play. And their midfield talent is the key to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-central-focus-and-relationism\">Central focus and &#8216;relationism&#8217;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Argentina&#8217;s main strength &#8211; other than Messi, of course &#8211; is how they are able to dominate the middle of the park from different systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-1-2, you name it. There is always going to be at least two midfielders who are great at dictating tempo and controlling actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7-819x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1457757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7-214x267.png 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7-160x200.png 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7-48x60.png 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7-120x150.png 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7-59x74.png 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14041134\/image-7.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether that&#8217;s former Premier League champion Alexis Mac Allister, \u00a3100 million Enzo Fernandez, Boca Juniors captain Leandro Paredes or recent MLS newcomer Rodrigo de Paul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not just that, but Scaloni made the best possible decision regarding what to do with all that talent: have them close to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a world where everything seems to be going in the direction of positional play, the Albiceleste are full of what has become known as &#8216;relational&#8217; aspects. No true regard for tactical structures, pass-and-move sequences, multiple players occupying similar zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of their players excel when having freedom to decide where to go, follow the path of the ball after a pass, create confusion in the opposing defence by moving all the time with no pre-determined position to occupy.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2>SpreadEx Sign-Up Offer:\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n<p>SpreadEx are offering new customers the chance to get \u00a360 in free bets when they join and place \u00a310 in qualifying bets.<\/p>\r\n<p>To claim this offer, follow these steps:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Create your account by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/go\/spreadex?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this link<\/a> or the image below.<\/li>\r\n<li>Register for your account by adding your details. It only takes a few minutes.<\/li>\r\n<li>Make your first deposit then place a \u00a310 single or \u00a310 each-way fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1\/2<\/li>\r\n<li>Get 3 x \u00a310 free fixed odds bets, 3 x \u00a35 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x \u00a35 Winning Favourites spread bets on consecutive days and a \u00a31 racing Race Index spread bet<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1393518\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-1024x523.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-1024x523.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-768x392.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-400x204.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-392x200.png 392w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-118x60.png 118w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-150x77.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-40x20.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86.png 1338w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"bookmaker-review\">\r\n<div class=\"bookmaker-review__bet\">\r\n<div class=\"warning\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. 18+ www.gambleaware.org. Place a \u00a310 fixed odds single or \u00a310 each-way bet at minimum odds of 1\/2 and get 3 x \u00a310 free fixed odds bets, 3 x \u00a35 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x \u00a35 Winning Favourites spread bets and a \u00a31 racing Race Index spread bet. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n<hr \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-zonal-approach-out-of-possession\">Zonal approach out of possession<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Argentina are also going against modern football tendencies without the ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowadays, it&#8217;s common to see national teams and clubs adopting a hybrid approach. This means that they push their lines up to press in man-oriented fashion, looking to remove passing options and force long balls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, it&#8217;s risky to have defenders dragged out of position. Therefore, when sitting deeper, the zone-oriented approach is still the usual option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there are teams who try to turn the football game from one 11v11 contest to eleven different 1v1 battles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The unusual thing is to have teams defending zonally at all times &#8211; which, you guessed it, is what Argentina do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not to say they don&#8217;t have defensive fragilities &#8211; there are plenty. Due to their lack of phisicality, there is little aggression against whoever has the ball, which leaves space for opponents to think and execute. Defensive transitions are also difficult due to the lack of speed in the back line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-intangibles\">Intangibles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>None of the following is actually quantifiable, so it&#8217;s hard to prove. But watching Argentinians get together to play for their country just feels like a different experience compared to any other nation in world football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only are they incredibly devoted to extending Lionel Messi&#8217;s international titles and sacrificing themselves so that he can take them all the way, but they seem the most proud national team regarding their own origins in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their ability to get under opponents&#8217; skin is also unmatched. Dibu Martinez literally changed rules due to his antics in penalty shootouts at Qatar. Nicolas Otamendi, Cristian Romero are also masters &#8211; while Enzo Fernandez, Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo De Paul are also sneakily good in the &#8216;dark arts&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This might be their last opportunity to be among the top favourites for the World Cup title. But it also feels like there is a real chance they do it again this year.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/champions-league-tips\/\"><strong>Champions League predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/champions-league-outright-odds-qualification\/\"><strong>Champions League outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Current champions Argentina have one last chance to maximize Lionel Messi&#8217;s high-level performances in a World Cup. The Albiceleste are among the favourites to win the tournament for a second straight time. They eased past the qualifiers and won them for the first time since 2014. This time, however, it wasn&#8217;t due to Brazil hosting&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3354,"featured_media":1457764,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Argentina","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Current champions Argentina have one last chance to maximize Lionel Messi's high-level performances in a World Cup.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[27631],"class_list":["post-1457746","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","squawka-category-world-cup"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Argentina analysis: Why &#039;old school&#039; Albiceleste are the most interesting national team in the 2026 World Cup | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Current champions Argentina have one last chance to maximize Lionel Messi&#039;s high-level performances in a World Cup.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-argentina-most-interesting-national-team-2026-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Argentina analysis: Why &#039;old school&#039; Albiceleste are the most interesting national team in the 2026 World Cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Current champions Argentina have one last chance to maximize Lionel Messi&#039;s high-level performances in a World Cup.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-argentina-most-interesting-national-team-2026-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/06\/14042147\/Argentina140626_ID3E5D7T5-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-argentina-most-interesting-national-team-2026-world-cup\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-argentina-most-interesting-national-team-2026-world-cup\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Guilherme Mirra\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11e48d44f9c6c2a722b00a0145e36b75\"},\"headline\":\"Argentina analysis: Why &#8216;old school&#8217; 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