• Will Lionel Scaloni go with four-man or five-man defence against France?
• Argentina coach has proved astute in adapting to opposition's tactics
• Mbappe poses biggest threat to La Albiceleste
Argentina take on France in the Final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ at 18:00 (local time) at Lusail Stadium. Question marks remain as to how La Albiceleste will line up and the tactics Lionel Scaloni will use.
The Argentina coach has been a shapeshifter in this respect, continually adapting to the threats posed by the opposition. In his side's opening match, against Saudi Arabia, the South Americans adopted a 4-3-3 formation when on the attack, with Angel di Maria and Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez down the flanks, Lionel Messi operating in the middle and Lautaro Martinez leading the attack in the centre-forward position.
Against Mexico Scaloni switched to a 4-4-2, with Di Maria stationed on the right wing and Alexis Mac Allister on the left. The Brighton player is not a natural wide man, however, and tucked inside on occasion to link up with the central midfielders.
Against a Poland side more inclined to defend than attack, La Albiceleste went for a front three again, with Di Maria and Julian Alvarez on the flanks, positions they continued to occupy when out of possession. The Manchester City man kept his place in the side thanks to the goal he scored in his side's 2-0 win and the work he did in pressing the ball. Alvarez's work rate has helped relieve Messi of defensive duties.
Di Maria dropped out of the starting XI for the last-16 tie with Australia, as Scaloni reverted to a 4-4-2, with Papu Gomez and Rodrigo De Paul on the flanks this time.
For the quarter-final tie with Netherlands, Scaloni offered up a mirror image of Louis van Gaal's line-up and went with a five-man defence, the plan being to counter the Dutch wing-backs. It worked, with Marcos Acuna and Nahuel Molina, who also got on the scoresheet, proving two of the standouts for Argentina.
In the semi-final against Croatia, Scaloni deployed a line of four at the back and another in midfield to counteract the European side's engine room of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic. Again the coach was spot on, as his side shut down the opposition's supply lines.
It remains to be seen how Scaloni will approach the Final. He may go with five at the back to offer a staggered defence against Mbappe and the rest of France's front three and allow the full-backs to get forward when in possession. He also has the option of a 4-4-2 to contest and potentially gain control of the midfield.
What is for sure is that Scaloni has shown himself to be a consummate tactician at Qatar 2022. The question now is, can he win the most important battle of all?
