RIO DE JANEIRO – The best player in the world will go up against the ultimate team machine, on the world’s biggest stage.
When Lionel Messi’s Argentina will take on Germany in Sunday’s World Cup final, it looks at first glance like a meeting between a brilliant individual scoring talent and the tight discipline of a collective unit.
But this game will be about much more than that.
Argentina has shown that it can play just as tactically as the Germans, eking out narrow victories and doing whatever is needed to win. Germany, meanwhile, has put on two of the most explosive displays of the tournament – beating Portugal 4-0 in its opening game, then demolishing host Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals.
Add in the rich history between these two teams – who faced each other in two consecutive World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990, winning one each – and it’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top at the Maracana Stadium.
Here is a look at how the two finalists compare:
Goalkeepers
Manuel Neuer’s reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the world only has grown in Brazil, where he has been one of Germany’s best players throughout the tournament, especially in the knockout rounds. Aside from being a first-class shot stopper, the Bayern Munich goalkeeper showed his versatility by repeatedly rushing out to help the defense in the second-round win over Algeria. He then made key saves to deny Karim Benzema an equalizer for France in the quarterfinals, and he made a number of impressive stops against Brazil.
Sergio Romero has answered most sceptics who questioned whether he was good enough to play for a top team in a World Cup. Romero only was a backup for his club Monaco last season, but he came through big in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands with two saves to send his team into the final. He has kept three consecutive clean sheets in the knockout rounds, but he will face his greatest challenge yet against the clinical Germans.
Advantage: Germany.
Defense
Germany’s defense has improved vastly since head coach Joachim Loew took captain Philip Lahm out of midfield and put him back in his favored position as right back after an erratic display against Algeria in the second round. Mats Hummels has been a steady anchor in central defense, and Germany had little trouble neutralizing the explosive attacks of both Brazil and France. Whether they can deal with Messi is another matter.
Argentina’s defense was seen as its main weakness going into the World Cup, but the team now has gone 330 minutes without conceding a goal in the knockout rounds, including two extra-time periods. The back four, which includes Manchester City duo Martin Demichelis and Pablo Zabaleta, made Dutch strikers Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie look plain ordinary.
Advantage: Germany.
Midfield
This is Germany’s biggest strength, a unit without weakness that plays together as a well-oiled machine. Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger shore things up defensively, while Toni Kroos and Mesut Ozil direct most of the attacks going forward. Germany’s ruthless display against Brazil was orchestrated by the clinical efficiency of its midfield, and a similar display Sunday might just be too much for Argentina to handle, as well.
The Argentines, meanwhile, are hoping that Angel Di Maria will recover from a thigh injury to play in the final. Di Maria’s ability and pace to take on defenders on the wing sorely was missed against the Netherlands, when his team struggled to find ways forward. Defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano was one of the best players on the pitch against the Netherlands and is the key to keeping Germany in check.
Advantage: Germany.
Attack
Germany has the highest-scoring player in World Cup history in Miroslav Klose. But Argentina has Messi – and two other top forwards to boot. While Messi hasn’t scored in the three knockout games, his four goals in the group stage reminded everyone of why he’s a four-time world player of the year. Even with Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain on the team, Messi always has been the key to Argentina’s success – and never more so than in the biggest game of his career. For Argentina to have a chance, Messi will have to create goals – either for himself or for his teammates.
Germany isn’t bad up front, either: Klose netted his 16th career World Cup goal against Brazil, and his teammate Thomas Mueller already has 10 in just two tournaments.
Advantage: Argentina.
