Post by Aritra Nandy

Big day for Argentinians 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🏟️ Will Messi lift 🛗 the World Cup for the second time 🏆🏆❓ It was just eight years back—that Luis de la Fuente stood in a coaching classroom, chalk in hand, explaining to one of his favourite students how to break down an opponent’s defence with the right tactical approach. Today, that very student sits in the opposite dugout, preparing to defeat his former teacher. Lionel Sebastián Scaloni is now Argentina’s head coach in the FIFA World Cup final. When De la Fuente patiently guided Scaloni through the intricacies of UEFA’s coaching manual, could he ever have imagined that one day, in the battlefield of MetLife Stadium, his own teachings would be used against him? The student would attempt to outwit the master with the very knowledge the master had imparted. Back in 2018, when Scaloni was completing his UEFA Pro Licence coaching course at Las Rozas in Spain, Luis de la Fuente was one of the instructors. Today, on football’s grandest stage, teacher and student stand on opposite sides, sharpening their tactical weapons against one another. Scaloni’s appointment itself had once been ridiculed. Diego Maradona was so furious when Argentina named him head coach that he sarcastically remarked: “Scaloni isn’t capable of directing traffic on the streets. How is he supposed to manage the Argentina national team?” But Football, however, had different plans. Scaloni began phasing out senior players—but crucially kept Messi at the centre of his project. De la Fuente was even more ruthless. Reputation meant nothing. He moved decisively towards a younger generation. Now, teacher and student meet once again. De la Fuente said: Scaloni hasn’t just introduced a new generation of players. He has instilled in them a winning mentality. Facing a coach like him is an enormous challenge. Scaloni can make his team play however he wants. That doesn’t concern me. My only concern is that my players remain faithful to our own game plan. After that, we’ll see what happens on the pitch. Time is a strange thing. No one knows when it will choose to favour whom.