Lionel Scaloni has a habit of saying what many think but few dare to voice. In the aftermath of another nerve shredding victory, the Argentina coach l...
Lionel Scaloni has a habit of saying what many think but few dare to voice. In the aftermath of another nerve shredding victory, the Argentina coach let slip the secret to his team's resilience. They are, he confessed to GoalZaza, a squad full of fighters. Wild and unruly in the best sense. But his description cuts deeper. He sees on the pitch a freedom that belongs to eight year olds. Boys who never learned to be afraid.It was Lautaro Martínez who embodied this raw philosophy most vividly. After scoring the goal that booked Argentina's ticket to the final, the Inter forward broke down in convulsive sobs during his pitch side interview. He did not talk about tactical discipline or his movement off the ball. He spoke of his trainers. The first pair his father bought him. He remembered his mother, how she kept making his bed every single day after he moved into a club pension house as a teenager. A world away from the glitter of Lusail. Martínez said that mattered more than any goal, any cup. It was a reminder that football, at its most potent, is still the game of boys chasing a dream in worn out boots.Scaloni admitted he felt a flicker of worry after England's goal but insisted he never lost faith. He knows his players. "They grew up in environments where they were afraid of nothing," he said. "As small children they competed and everyone expected so much of them. Responsibility does not weigh them down." That is the key to this Argentina side. They are not burdened by history. They play as if the pitch is still the patch of dirt from their barrio. They take risks. They bite opponents. They absorb pressure and then explode into transitional play with a conviction that terrifies defences. This is not the cold, calculated machinery of a European superpower. This is something more visceral. A team that channels the hunger of every kid who ever kicked a ball against a garage door and imagined a World Cup final.And what of the final itself Argentina will need every ounce of that unbreakable spirit. They will face a France side capable of clinical finishing from any range. But Scaloni's men have already shown they can handle a low block and break down a deep defence. More importantly, they have shown they can win ugly. They can suffer. They have a goalkeeper who seems to expand in the penalty shootout and a captain who orchestrates the chaos with a conductor's calm. The question is not whether Argentina have the talent. They plainly do. The question is whether they can channel that wild energy into ninety minutes of sustained tactical flexibility. If they do, they will lift the trophy. Because this team, as Scaloni knows, has never learned to bottle it.
