FU - So is anyone here going with Argentina today?

My heart would like to see Argentina win today b/c of Messi.

My head tells me Spain has more ways to win than Argentina and in "title" games teams often play "not to lose" as opposed to being aggressive and taking risks.

Argentina cannot play 'not to lose' today and expect to win.

IMO Argentinas path for beating Spain today lies with them being aggressive AND making Spain uncomfortable. Granted there is risk involved but IMO if you play "not to lose" against Spain you will lose, because they'll just do what they do, and they're just too good defensively.

Argentina has to get up on Spain early and maybe shit breaks their way at the end.

BTW, I found it odd that neither Scaloni or De la Fuente coach club teams. So these guys just coach the national team?

BTW II, for those who haven't seen it.

19 years ago 20yr old Lionel Messi did a stock UNICEF charity calendar photo with a baby as part of his Barcelona duties.

[image]

That baby was Lamine Yamal.

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Tiki-Taka -> Spanish National team

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9 players that time and got it to penalties.

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These are the 2 best national team programs over the last 10 years …

Here's a little background refresher on the last 10 years for both these national team programs ...

Prior to arriving at the 2026 World Cup, both Spain and Argentina experienced monumental decade-long arcs, transitioning from transitional periods of frustration into era-defining, trophy-laden dynasties.

???????? Argentina: The Era of Complete Golden Era Dominance

Between 2016 and 2026, Argentina completed one of the most celebrated runs in international soccer history. The decade began with immense heartbreak—notably losing the 2016 Copa América Centenario final on penalties, which briefly prompted Lionel Messi's short-lived international retirement, followed by a chaotic Round of 16 exit at the 2018 World Cup.

However, the appointment of Lionel Scaloni transformed La Albiceleste into an absolute juggernaut:

The Trophy Treble: Argentina shattered their 28-year trophy drought by winning the 2021 Copa América against Brazil, followed it up by capturing the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and defended their South American crown at the 2024 Copa América.

The Unbeaten Run: Led by the midfield engine room of Rodrigo De Paul and Rodrigo Paredes alongside Messi, Argentina assembled a historic 36-match unbeaten streak between 2019 and 2022, falling just one game short of the all-time world record before the Qatar tournament.

Qualifying Consistency: They coasted through the grueling CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifiers, finishing comfortably at the top of the table with 12 wins from 18 matches.

???????? Spain: From Tactical Stagnation to Youth-Led Brilliance

Spain spent the first half of the last decade struggling to escape the shadow of their 2008–2012 "Golden Generation." Opponents quickly learned to neutralize their heavy possession style (tiki-taka), resulting in disappointing Round of 16 exits at both the 2018 World Cup (against Russia) and the 2022 World Cup (against Morocco).

The turnaround came with the introduction of manager Luis de la Fuente, who combined Spain's traditional midfield control with terrifying, direct wing play:

Reclaiming Silverware: Spain began their upward trajectory by winning the 2023 UEFA Nations League title.

A Flawless Euro 2024: La Roja completely dominated the European Championship in Germany, becoming the first team in history to win all 7 matches in a single tournament. They scored a record 15 goals along the way, propelled by the explosive emergence of young wingers like Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.

World-Record Level Consistency: Following a friendly loss to Colombia in March 2024, Spain went completely undefeated over the next two years. They entered the 2026 World Cup matching the all-time world record of 37 consecutive matches without a loss in regulation time.

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Prediction markets are expecting Spain to win today, but by a very close margin with 1-0 the most likely outcome. 1-1 and 0-0 are the next most common expected outcomes during regulation time.

I think that Spain may win it (its now in the 58th minute and still 0-0), but its clear to me that its still a pretty close matchup that could pretty easily go either way.

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