Pablo Zabaleta takes notes at every match he watches. He spots trends, talks them through and reflects on them. He spots patterns in teams’ play, studies them and distils the key information. And he has been analysing the intently. As a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group, Zabaleta has been travelling across North America to help interpret the action, identify new tactical situations and offer his own perspective.
His insight into Wednesday’s England-Argentina semi-final is particularly valuable, as few can claim such in-depth knowledge of football in both countries. Zabaleta, 41, captained Argentina to victory at the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2005, a tournament which saw
The former right-back also represented Argentina at Brazil 2014 and at the 2015 and 2016 editions of the CONMEBOL Copa America. At club level, Zabaleta spent more than 10 years in the Premier League, playing for Manchester City from 2008 to 2017 and West Ham United from 2017 to 2020.
will face off in Atlanta with a place in the final at stake. The two sides have a rich World Cup history, with memorable moments including Antonio Rattin’s sending-off in 1966, Diego Maradona’s performance in 1986 and David Beckham’s penalty in 2002.
And few players have a better understanding of the two teams than Zabaleta, who looked ahead to the mouthwatering semi-final for FIFA.
Pablo Zabaleta: Defensively, we have seen many teams opt for a compact low block, keeping the lines close together and denying their opponents space. Many teams are looking to stay solid at the back by defending deeper. Very few teams have consistently pressed high. Spain are one of the exceptions, as that approach is central to their game.
They look to control the game through their positioning and counter-press quickly whenever they lose possession. The USA have also been very aggressive, trying to regain possession high up the pitch. You can say the same about Canada, Ecuador and France.
Yes, England opted for that approach against Norway at times. Argentina also dropped a little deeper defensively in the second half against Switzerland.
It’s primarily because Argentina do not have any out-and-out wingers. Argentina have four midfielders – Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez. They are all players who prefer to link up and play close together, rather than staying out wide waiting for the ball and taking on players one on one. It’s not their style.
As a result, Argentina tend to funnel a lot of their play through central areas and put together long passing sequences. I would even say their spells of possession can sometimes be too long. It limits their forward momentum and means they do not create enough attacking situations. Argentina’s main threat comes from regaining possession and finding Messi in space, so he can turn and run at the defence, or when they play a long ball towards Julian Alvarez, who has made some excellent runs in behind.
Yes, without a doubt. Football is something very special in England. Once you have played in the Premier League, you understand what it means to the English people. The fans look forward to going to a match at the weekend and will follow their team, home or away. The grounds are always packed, and supporters really get behind their team.
They’re so passionate and it is exactly the same in Argentina. We live and breathe football too. Whenever there is a World Cup, the whole country is a sea of blue and white shirts. My colleagues mention it all the time. They cannot believe how many Argentina shirts they see or how strongly everyone gets behind the team. The two countries share a very similar passion for the game.
It is a semi-final between two teams who are always there or thereabouts and who have a longstanding World Cup rivalry. Both sides also boast some exceptional players. It is going to be an incredibly intense occasion.
The demands of playing in the Premier League force players to adapt. It’s a very intense competition and physically, you need to be in peak condition to compete at that level, especially as the schedule is so demanding. A lot of Argentinian players have moved to England in recent years. Argentinian footballers today are well known for their work rate, their commitment and their competitive spirit, as well as their technical and tactical qualities. It makes them a great fit for the Premier League.
Sources: FIFA Official
