The Most WAITing AT The 2022 World Cup Final: Messi Vs Mbappe

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at the 2018 World Cup (Twitter @fifaworldcup)

JAKARTA - The actions of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the 2022 World Cup final are attractions that fans have been waiting for. Moreover, it is different from before when they both dressed Paris Saint-Germain and supported each other in creating goals for Les Parisiens, they are now on the field together in conditions of preying on each other.

Both have deputies who know what they want. They have goal-hungry assistants who are just as smart at reading the game, and know how to free two superstars from the opponent's control.

However, often these two players themselves are creative in creating space for themselves. They also know for sure when to dribble alone and when to send the ball to their colleagues.

Launching Antara, Saturday, if Mbappe is often placed in a wing position flanking Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele on the right, and Antoine Griezmann as false nine, then Messi is placed as the spearhead of the twins who were later juxtaposed with Julian Alvarez.

Both of them tried to be hidden in a position that made opponents hesitate to guard it. Mbappe made opponents doubt whether to guard Giroud, Dembele or him. Messi made the opponent split between having to guard Alvares and others, or him.

But still, the two of them ended up being the main targets of the opposing defenders.

Mbappe was criticized by Kyle Walker against England and then Achraf Hakimi against Morocco, while Borna Sosa was one of the loyal followers of Messi's movement.

Everything didn't really work, because even if the escorts managed to keep the two superstars from scoring goals, the passes of the two green field superstars really couldn't be controlled.

That's what happened when France closed the fairy tale of Morocco in the last semifinals, and Argentina in breaking Croatia's dream of entering the World Cup final for the second time in a row in another semifinal.

Now, whether Nahuel Molina will also be assigned to reduce Mbappe, and whether Theo Hernandez, who was quite successful in reducing Hakim Ziyech, could paralyze Messi later.

It takes more than just physical strength and energy to tame them because all the players assigned to follow the two superstars also need intelligence in reading their movements.

Ask Josko Gvardiol who with a large body and may think Messi is slow, unable to overcome his deflected motion on the edge of the Croatian penalty box before sending a pass from a tight angle inside the penalty box to Julian Alvarez.

Ask Sofyan Amrabat and Achraf Dari, as well as three other Morocco players who failed to stop Mbappe even though Mbappe's pass to Randal Kolo Muani smelled of luck considering that the Morocco players had fallen apart.

It is possible that Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni will immediately field Leandro Martinez to form a three-back formation with Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi, to ward off Mbappe's aggression. But Raphael Varane's large body Ibrahima Konate or high-flying hours are also not a guarantee to tame Messi. Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, Nathan Ake, Daley Blind, and others were made intense by Messi.