On ESPN FC, the panel gives a full preview of Argentina vs. Croatia in the World Cup semifinal. ✔ Subscribe to ESPN+: espnplus.com/soccer/youtube ✔ Subscribe to ESPN FC on RU-vid: bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoESPNFC
De Paul and macallister are being severely underrated. They’ve dominated the midfield in all the games. It’s like these experts don’t even watch the game and just see highlights.
I cant desagree more with the team análisis. De Paul is the world cup player with more ball cecoveries. Otamendi is the World cup plater with more duels wins 1 o 1 in the entire tournament.
@@arjenrobbed1294 you are using fifa logic for the real game...if the ball doesnt even get to mbappe, how can he even run at molina let alone otamendi? and why are you talking about france in the frist place? argentina have to beat croatia and france have to beat morocco first in order to reach the final...
This ESPN analysis was horrible. I can't believe they have not seen De Paul, Enzo Fernandez and McAlister in this tournament. Shocking. But i think it's all down to the disrespect Europeans show towards people from other continents. Even one of the panelists there saying he doesn't know what Albaceleste means
These guys completely ignore the underlying tension between Argentina and Netherlands. They just make it seem like the pressure of the tournament. They are some teams that just bring out the worst in each other and they never replicate it with other teams. Like at El classico or Manchester derbies or London derbies. Some team clashes create a different aura. I don't think they'll do that against Croatia. They didn't do it against Saudi Arabia and they lost that. They won't be so complacent, especially with Croatia's penalty record. I think they go for the win in 90 minutes. But that might get them caught out in counter attacks. Shade of Brazil. So it'll be interesting. Let's see if they've learned anything from the last time they met and from their previous games. Definitely from letting in late goals. 🙄
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Brazil played with 2 midfielders, argentina play with 3 midfielders and May go 5 at the back again, they will be solid defensively as Croatia just are not potent enough
*Argentina are 35-4-1 when DiMaria scores and/or Assists. *DiMaria has scored 3 of the 5 goals Argentina has in Trophy-winning Matches; Two were Only goals. *Last match Argentina had ONE corner at 105',two shot attempts entire second half DiMaria in at112'; Argentina gets SEVEN corners and five shots taken,one hitting the upright. KEY PLAYER!👍😄😎
Argentina has progressed into the semifinals five times before in World Cup history and always made it to the final. Let's hope that record continues...
@Modric X Ronaldinho X zidane arg here! Croatia is not garbage, but we won the america cup, overwhelmed br and had 36 victories in a row before Saudi Arabia game. Seriously, press just likes to talk bs, we have the best team we have had in decades, we don't depend from Messi at this point. Idk why press keeps trying to play it down. Same for Japan, they are a great team rn, just like Morocco
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 exactly because I definitely think Argentina will win this Croatia is a decent team but they ain't all that they have something up their sleeves
I think these guys are pretty ridiculous for saying that Argentina is only one guy. The team has played well and a system that works. Yes Messi is that x factor but they also have players that can step up when needed.
well you can't take these guys seriously, if they had any clue Brazil would have been Champion and no other team should have played bcoz all Brazilians are star and play in bigger teams. Shows you the level of credibility.
I swear it's like they literally don't even watch the matches, all they see is 'Messi scored, that means team is Messi+11' like literally the best player in the world wouldn't eclipse any single roster on the planet like that. The team plays fantastic it's just the goals haven't been coming as much except from Messi (cause how wouldn't them) but they truly deserve better.
Yeah, there's still people who think the 1986 Argentina WC team was a one man show lol. It's the easy way out explanation for people who don't follow the games.
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but Diego's not 💯 everytime too himself.. we shall see in a few hrs~ I'd be very very very pleasantly surprised if Argentina 🇦🇷 wins this semi and advanced to this wkd's matches 😉😜😘🤞🤞🤞
Messi at 100% is a guranteed 10-0 for Argentina. This is 40% messi not fully loaded . Messi prime is literally a nightmare even at this age at 35 all teams just send 7 players on him every match.
@@Xenon1011 no matter how great messi is its not just him, they have to defend and still find pass for messi. Talk about Molina's goal, yes pass is outside of world, but how many ppl praised Molina's run, first touch and finish like a striker? Robson comes and say Molina is avg. Okay, do you know for playing Udinese he was highest goalscoring defender in top 5 leagues in Europe? Obviously those pundits don't know
@@ronymazumder5961 Yeah I’m not saying messi is doing everything.but messi is a player who can dominate the whole flow of the game by playmaking and attacking which makes more difference than other player
Exactly what I'm saying, those two have sparked a fire on the squad, before they even had a chance to play the team looked dead or nervous for some reason, with them inside everything has changed, there's high press and sacrifice all over the field which opens up spaces for Di Maria and Messi to do their thing. Otamendi and Romero also holding it down, the only issue I see is Montiel but he somehow is playing better as the tournament progresses.
@@asfabailey3129 4 years ago.... now Argentina got depth.... tagliafico will play where ancuna was supposed to be... I think it's left back but either way.. that defence Argentina got now is Insane!!!
@@asfabailey3129 this Argentina tram is different, actually almost completely different than the one in 2018. If Croatia wins it then good for them since they have worked hard to be where they at taking in to account that they arrived at the tournament in not so good form as a team. Argentina though started in the wrong foot and has been getting better as the tournament progressed, aside from that, Argentina has Julian Alvarez, Di Maria and Romero well rested. It's going to be a good game, but this team doesn't depend on Messi alone, infact every player is fulfilling their role.
This is so sad - 12 minutes preview about Argentina vs Croatia (7 minutes talking about Messi, 3 about Argentina, 1 about Croatia, 1 about Modric). In the end the all agree they would pick more Croatian players over Argentinian but still they all see Argentina goes to the final 🤣 This might be a single worst preview I've ever seen!
How Tf is Stuart Robison still an analyst? I haven’t followed him since his take on Zidane but his take on Argentina’s defence is ridiculous. They are what keeps us in the game, our midfield moves the ball so slowly.
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Buddy, I like Argentina and especially Lisandro, but the Argentina defense is absolutely the weak link. Romero is an incompetent mess, hence why Juve kicked him to the curb with no hesitation, Otamendi is just God awful in every category. No pace, no awareness, gets beat in the dribble with ease. Acuna is bang average, just as Tagliafico and Montiel are.
It's weird how Argentina are favorites going into this game but you have these pundits still saying the team is nothing without Messi. As a Messi/Argentina fan, I pray Croatia underestimate players like Mac Allister, Alvarez and Enzo Fernandez, they'll be in for a rude shock.
Bunch of players play in Croatian national League, don't worry, they know they are underdogs, they have good leader in Modric and solid midfield. Argentina without Messi would annihilate Croatia without Modric. As it is, it's probably 50/50 and who has a better day.
I agree. Messi was in better previously but Argentina failed to win. De Paul to me is the main guy doing all the dirty work. Enzo and Mac Allister are also very good. Argentina became much better defensively. I was skeptical about Argentina's chances because of Simone managing De Paul badly. But he looks to be back in form now. However, I don't think Croatia will underestimate anybody.
You’re deluded if you’re thinking Croatia isn’t planing for any and everybody they’ve been prepared for every team that has been put in front of them thus far and this will be no difference. Which team will play better we’ll find out tomorrow🤷🏻♂️
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First saw it at the U21 world cup when they beat Nigeria in the final. Messi was red carded 10min lol. He was a menace the whole tournament. Never liked him from then but I respect his game.
Maradona won a WC in 1986 with players that play and die for the national team. This is the same story with this team, it's a team of quality players ( no superstars) and the key ingredient is Messi. hopefully it can happen again.
I just realized that 2022 World Cup semifinal is a deja vu of the 2018 one: 1.The 2018 finalists were team that finished group winners in Group C and D. In this World Cup, this means Argentina vs France. If Croatia wins, it will be a rematch of the actual 2018 Final and I hope Croatian will take a revenge similar to Germany. They lost to Argentina in 1986, but won the next encounter four years later. If Argentina wins, Lionel Messi will win this time based on the cycle and France will endure the same fate as Brazil in 1998. 2.Croatia and Morocco were in the same group, which is Group F. In 2018, Belgium and England are actually played in the same group (Group G). Belgium won two encounters against England (1-0 in group and 2-0 in third place playoff). Since the previous game of Croatia vs Morocco was a scoreless draw, the second one might be ended draw and eventually continued to penalty shootout. 3.If Argentina and Morocco win, it will be the first time in 72 years that the Final was not contested by at least one European teams. Even though the 1950 Final was a group stage, the game between Uruguay vs Brazil was recognized by FIFA as the "Final". In 1930, the Final was an all-America affairs between Uruguay and Argentina.
@@adrianosverko6601 During the history, Croatia was a part of Yugoslavia and Morocco was controlled by France. The imperial colonizers are England, France, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. Brazil and Argentina are also World Cup powerhouses, but they were controlled by Portugal and Spain, respectively, during the history.
I don't understand the constant emphasis on this stupid point that argentina is all about messi. Either these pundits don't watch the game or they just don't understand football. Argentina midfield is the heart of this team and everyone says it is weak, lol. While defending, argentina doesn't play with 4/5 defenders. They play with 10 defenders. Whether its lautaro of alvarez, all of them fall back and press or block the passing channels in the midfield. And when they recover, they come out in a snap. This argentina team has the highest workrate at the international level.
they don't understand football, all they see name. That's why Brazilians are champs declared by all of them. These morons get thousands of dollars for saying nonsense.
As Croatian, it's to bad that Croatia is missing one killer in attack, and real right wing. Argentina is still favorite in this game and I love it. Hopefully we will advance in final and meet France again in seek for revange from 2018
I am confidence that Croatia Vs Morocco will be in the final. I think both team can beat Argentina and France in this semi final. If not My croatian friends gonna beat me up when i see them😂😂.
Kovacic at his prime age can definitely run around the pitch being Messi's shadow and not letting him even get anywhere near the ball. I truly hope so and if he manage to close him pur chances increases drastically!
@@devinleong8126 Messi is a human after all and when it comes to his record in semi finals and finals, it isn’t good. In 2014 WC, he was pretty much a ghost in the knockout stages
@@tahahasan6600 lol, saying about a guy who scored twice in semi of UCL against Mourinho's Madrid, two goals in two UCL finals vs Man U, but yeah keep smoking whatever you are on
I won't be surprised if Croatia beats Argentina. Football has changed, it has globalized. Its gonna be a fascinating semifinals. Argentina with the tenacity, Croatia with the experience, France with the talent and Morocco with the grit. But I want to see a final of the heavyweights.
I thought England vs Croatia final but now we're out I'm rooting for Croatia to do the argies and reach the final. Good luck Croatia from England 🏴
@@David-ke2tx how come david? they have only won 1 game in 90 min. that is atrocious this is truly the epitome of anti football. also Marocco is in the same category.
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@@hao2000ki Or potentialy being Modric World Cup. If Modric can take this, with 5 CL and golden ball he will surpass both Messi and Ronaldo in history of football.
Lol Croatia ain't all that and Argentina is way more skillful than they are I think Messi is being strategic he has been this whole WC he and the coach have a game plan for every team they go up against remember he's a veteran and this is not his first rodeo
Argentina is 29W-11D-1L in their last 41 games played and ESPN still says the team is getting carried by Messi.🤡 Meanwhile, excluding their 4-1 win against Canada, Croatia has scored 2 goals in 4 games this WC. The hate for 🇦🇷 is real by these ESPN “analysts”. Messi is being great, but stop disrespecting the rest of the team.
Winning both your knockout stage games by penalties is not impressive. They have a punchers chance, as always, but that’s it. They’re not the better team
@@oblivionpro69 It is impressive, because Japan and Brazil would routinely knock out Argentina from the competition. Actually, if Argentina was in the group with Morocco and Croatia, instead of Belgium, they would not even pass through into 1/8 finals.
@@oblivionpro69 Japan is a monster. They would dispose Argentina like they did with Germany and Spain. So the fact we beat them with the worse performance (they didnt let us play) in tournament is saying something.
These guys literally watched him play for their country as kids so that's why I think this group Argentine players are different from the past also I think Scaloni doesn't get much respect as a coach even though they had a great record before the Saudi Arabia relapse. They wasn't necessarily great games but they managed to pull through for example the COPA they won against Brazil was very cagey but managed to get over that hurdle why not finish it off with a World Cup win? I think it could happen.
as a moroccan i will be rooting for croatia. 3 people i love in croatia team. Modric of course and the young defender with the mask on. I dont know his name. and the jewel of the team their baby faced keeper. Good luck croatia. I hope to meet you in the final. Hello from morocco
You guys know absolutely nothing! This is not all players trying to win this for Messi. This is Alvarez making a name for himself. Martinez being the stone wall blocker that he is. This is the best defense in the World Cup. Yet you guys called them mediocre. SMH. Get a new career.
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De Paul has been trash. Dude had Messi one on one and gave Messi a terrible pass. He has been so garbage no wonder Diego Simeone has bench him all season long.
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@@TWAAAAACKS yeah even though its an underdog story it'd be a 0-0 PK match which wouldn't be great. The Final needs Messi and/or Mbappe at least one of them. Both would get the most coverage.
@@TWAAAAACKS football evolves, in the past you had teams like Hungary and Czechoslovakia reaching the final, so I don't see why it would be a bad ending
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Modric versus Messi... I think we've seen this movie before. Always ends the same way. All we're missing is CR7 to shed some more tears and Courtois to get nutmegged.
@@mlsarchitect Last couple of times Modric always delivered vs Messi, he knows how to play vs him. He will do it tomorrow and send Messi home packing his bags and his World Cup dream will be over, it will be sad, same as what happened with Ronaldo and the debate will go on and on, but Modric will win this World Cup and show why he is better than Xavi, Iniesta and Zidane.
If Croatia can keep it tight they'll be back in the Final but if Argentina scores first they're gonna press hard like they did with the Netherlands. Croatia needs to keep it 1-1 or 1-0.
@@andrewwright4195 Brazil had better players too, no? If that is how football was played to put better players in all position then nobody would have needed to play on grass as results are already set.
That’s not how sports work buddy. Offense and defense always matter in every match, that’s such a small minded bit of analysis to say “Well I think the defense will matter more in this game, Croatias defense is better therefore they win”. Simply not how it works
Argentina is the underdogs in this one. They have Messi but theur defense still look shakey & they still seem to depend on him somewhat. Croatia, on the other hand, is a complete team with the better midfield & defense. Argentina need some luck but I'm hoping for the best for them. Paredes should not play tho, he almost cost them the lost match
Netherlands > Croatia And if Argentina were able to beat Netherlands ...what will they do to croatia?? Thing is....u guys only watch messi when watching argentina....Messi doesn't win games alone...he wins with the team....u underestimate Argentina players....
What? Underdogs?: they have Messi, most of their players play for top clubs, just won the regional tournament in Brazil, top 10 In Fifa ranking, 40 million people country, their fans are selling their houses to go to Qatar, they live for football, they male business with football terms…. LOL Croatia is the underdog here
Luca Modric is just as impressive as Messi. Personally, I like the center mid position best, so I prefer Modric over Messi. He has 5 Champion's Leagues wins versus 4 for Messi. I know people always fawn over forwards, but the heart and brain of Real Madrid for the past decade has been Modric, and what a run it has been for him and that team!
Argentina have generally been solid until the dying embers of their last two games. The Netherlands never had a shout in the game until the 85th minute. Australia were on the ropes but got a freak goal and then almost equalised with the last touch. Argentina can't afford any mistakes like that tonight.
yes, they are good in most of the time in a game then they suddenly loose composure. I think this is due to the lack of game discipline in players. If they cant maintain patience against croatia, they are going to loose. Croatia is absolutely going to test argentine patience in this match. If Argentina wins against Croatia then i think they will win worldcup too.
I guess this guys didn't watch Copa America, I don't know if this time it will be enough to beat Croatia but this Argentina squad is still one of the best TEAMs around, yes individually they might not be outstanding but Scaloni build a team around everyone's strengths, De Paul might not be the best midfielder, but he is essential in the high pressure that Argentina use when losing the ball, Frankie de Jong did absolutely nothing when De Paul was on the field because he didn't allow him to turn around, and like him everyone in that team has one job that they excell at and that's all they need, because where they lack quality they have teammate that will cover for them
Just as we expect croatia to study and have cover Argentina's mistakes from their previous match against Holland, I will also expect that the Argentina team does the same and ask themselves what went wrong(despite the win) in their match against Holland, then, they work on it.
These espn people gave world cup to Brazil until Croatia knocked them out. Now they are saying no argentine player will get in to combine 11 except Messi wow!
Fitness, psychological factor and stamina. It's not one game, it's a tournament. Need the right temperament and skill as well as the above. Going to be a great game. I hope the underdogs win, but a good honest spectacular match would be ultimate.
Their opinion of Argentina is bizarre. Otamendi has played great and is part of an unbeaten Benfica team this season. The wing backs are good. MacAllistar has been great. Martinez has been solid. Alvarez has done a good job.
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My point is exactly, calling a guy who’s yet to loose a game after playing against the PSG twice the worst one just goes to show, also no praise for enzo fernandez who’s a baller
And it's so freaking funny that people rate croatia so highly even though this team is yet to win a game in 120 mins barring Canada. Imagine having to draw all the games and win on penalties with the best midfield, lmao.
imagine losing to saudi arabia and nearly go in overtime against australia 😃 Argentinia wont see a ball in the midfield tomorrow bro. and you shouldnt wirte comments with your trash football knowledge
Croatia's forwards have been pretty quiet this tournament. If they can turn it on right now, then they have a chance of beating Argentina and winning the World Cup.
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@@andrewwright4195 If having better players on paper won you games...Germany, Brazil, Portugal & Belgium or England would still be in the tournament ....
All the teams i supported are out japan portugal Uruguay. Now the two teams who i would support if not are facing each other, i just hope the one who wins goes on to win the world cup.
Modric is different to messi. Because messi has to basically lead the team. Modric is sneaky, he pulls the strings with his insane passes. It’ll be a very interesting game
@@alexalexalex797 We played well but we gotta keep improving. We can't pretend croatia is a hard opponent and become complacent. Complacency is what has lost us several world cup runs in the past.
We played Croatia in that first group game, we tied, I was so happy, cause i knew Croatia was no easy team, and I knew they were gonna go far. I can understand people underestimating us cause this is our first time in the semis, but Croatia... no way. I can see Croatia beating Argentina like Saudi Arabia did earlier. All respect to my favorite Luka, he is the real GOAT, next to Zidane and Maradona. They are the real players that u can feel make a diff in a team every game, nit just cause of one assist.
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I'd slightly disagree on how Croatia is far superior in the middle of the park than the Argentina. Well, while that might be true to a certain degree, it could also be because we haven't watched or seen enough of the likes of De Paul, MacAllister, Enzo, Paraedes play good football or maybe we're too prejudiced with our own biases to be able to see their quality because of our pre-constructed notion that if this team has come this far it's only because of Messi. I mean, seriously, if these boys weren't good enough, how can Argentina be winning the games at this World Cup. They may not be as good as the Croatian side but they definitely has played a part so far and no doubt they will give everything to win it even against Croatia. We just have to give them a little bit of credit.
Stevie says he does not understand how de paul starts for Argentina, do you think these guys have clue? Robson says all are average player in average clubs, lol England always had elite players in elite clubs, what they have done?
De Paul started the tournament with an injury. He looked terrible in Game 1 and has improved since then. His contributions are very key to Argentina's success.
Argentina Needs to have Paulo Dybala AND Angel DiMaria in their starting lineup and GO for it from Jump! 5up,5 down ; play close to the goal line and pass "back out" to the Box.. Amass set pieces(corners/free kicks) to increase chances of shots on Target/Goals.👍😄😎
You can't have so many people upfront (including Messi) who don't contribute defensively. Also, if Dybala didn't get minutes already he is not getting now at the business end of the tournament.
@@atultripathi4070 Hey,All valid; But, Dybala is a Master at getting accurate shots off in "tight spaces" And a good free-kick taker. IF Argentina doesn't play a very high line all the front players have to do is "track back" and shepherd the ball Carrier into the defense, while trying to cut off passing angles.👍😎
Maybe I've missed it, but I'm surprised Stevie's favourite whipping boy hasn't got a special mention for Argentina's total inability to stop the Netherland's late aerial bombardment that lead to them tying the game. In many respects that exposes the weakness of playing someone short like Martinez in the centre of your defense. It probably wouldn't be so much of a problem in most European leagues but historically it's the scrappers from the Championship or teams fighting relegation that you employ similar tactics. Will be interesting to see clubs try this on and equally interesting to see how Martinez copes and what Ten Haag employs as a counter tactic. The sooner club football is back the better IMO.
It’s a psychological game for Argentina if they play with the same mentality after scoring like they did with Saudi Arabia Australia & the Netherlands they could easily lose cuz it’s even more pressure at the semifinals. If they control their emotions it’s an easy win
@@hellomoto4906 Croatia are much more disciplined team than Argentina,and you need that against the French,Croatia actually beat them twice this year already,none of the teams were always full strength but sill
If Benchnaldo started score would be 27-0 Morocco . since he was on the bench he didnt lose the ball 99 times in a row and assist oppositions. Penaldo fans think standing in penalty spot doing nothing for 90 minutes is a "SKILL"
These guys are delusional. Argentina aren’t average without Messi: - Otamendi has been a rock at the back (one of the best defenders in the tournament even tho he’s slow) - De Paul has the hustle they need in the middle even tho his passing hasn’t been great - Di Maria always creates chances and can take people on - MacAlister and Enzo Fernandez know where to be at the right time in the middle - Molina and Acuña are underrated af - Emi Martinez is a boss
I think saying Argentina is all about messi is incorrect, Argentina as a team is a well oiled machine, they don't lose the ball, their ball control is very very good being a south american nation, their vision is also outstanding, the only problem this side has is blowing lead, messi is the best player itw so it's normal for people to come to this assessment
Parades could have gotten a red card for kicking the ball into the bench. Even though he missed its the intent that matters, and attempting to strike a player intentionally with anything is a textbook red card.
Croatia was better only to Canada, everything else was pk..Agsinst Belgium lukaku,Japan kill them,Brazil has 11-1 in shoots on goal..Croatia s gonna go on pk again, Argentina must go strong from first minute
Belgium is a top team, curren #2, Marocco is still at this WC, Japan defeated Spain and Germany and Brasil is Brasil. Croatia faced top teams. Was Argentina tested on same level as Croatia ?
Totally agree with Stevie. Argentina should maintain their composure whether they lead or trail. Stay focused and disciplined throughout the game with Croatia. I seriously wish they maintain their cool in this game. They simply can't afford to repeat the Netherlands confrontation again. Hopefully Scaloni would have cautioned his side already about it. They need a nerve of steel to win a competition like this and they can and they do have that cool. Vamos!
