How Spain can use ‘decoy’ Lamine Yamal to baffle Lionel Messi’s Argentina and win World Cup final

THE stage is set for an epic World Cup final on Sunday as Spain take on Argentina. After Lionel Messi and his team-mates shattered English hearts in that agonizing Atlanta semi-final, the narrative is clear. Spain prodigy Lamine Yamal will have a key role to play in the World Cup final Credit: Getty Lionel Messi and his Argentina team-mates are looking to go back to back Credit: Getty The greatest player of all time is chasing back-to-back World Cup glory and most of England will be probably hoping the Spaniards can stop him. From a tactical perspective, we are about to witness an absolute masterpiece. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! How can Spain‘s youthful energy overcome Argentina‘s battle-tested structure? And can anyone actually stop Messi? SunSport’s tactics guru Dean Scoggins breaks down the three areas where the final will be won and lost. READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP YAMAL THE DECOY The first burning question is simple: how can teen sensation Lamine Yamal outshine the legendary Messi? And the answer is by playing the role of a tactical decoy. Rather than trying to beat five players, Yamal’s biggest contribution will be stretching Argentina’s defense to create space elsewhere. Spain love playing in these little triangles on the wings, with Rodri backing them up alongside the two centre-backs. Most read in Football WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS Spain will look to use Yamal as a decoy in 1v1 situations to free blindside runners The key thing is this wide rotation to get Yamal 1v1 against Argentina’s full-back. To do that Spain will try to pin the centre-backs, whether that’s with striker Mikel Oyarzabal or one of the midfielders. That stops them sliding over to help out against Yamal, who will also have Pedro Porro from right-back underlapping or overlapping. Argentina will have to shuffle across to block the inside channel, but if they don’t that’s when Spain unleash their secret weapon – the blindside run. Dani Olmo is a genius at this – the only question is whether Spain can get enough players in the box to punish Argentina. Rodri will have a crucial safety-valve role – especially if Messi gets the ball Credit: Getty Spain will look to win the ball back within six seconds whenever they lose it THE SIX-SECOND TRAP The second key question is how do Spain play through Argentina’s compact midfield? Under Scaloni, Argentina typically set up in a stubborn block, often using Leandro Paredes as a single holding screen in a flexible 4-1-3-2 or 4-4-2. They flood the central channels, making them notoriously difficult to play through. But this Spain side is aggressively vertical. Their secret weapon is a sequence I call “up, back, and through”. A centre-back will play a vertical pass up to a forward, drawing an Argentine midfielder out. The ball is then instantly laid back to a midfielder, before a killer pass is slipped through the newly opened passing lane. They will use this to stretch Argentina and when they do lose the ball they will turn to their ‘six-second rule’. The moment they lose possession, they have exactly six seconds to flood the ball and win it back. If they fail, they immediately drop back into a disciplined defensive shape. Their average time to win the ball back at this World Cup is a staggering 10.1 SECONDS – and that includes times when they are allowing the opponent to keep the ball. So it’s a fantastic effort. The only issue is Messi… If Argentina can beat that six-second counterpress and get the ball to Messi, Spain are in deep trouble. To combat this, Rodri will need to play a crucial safety-valve role, reading the next pass and acting as the direct shield to stop the ball from reaching Messi’s feet. Tactics Exposed is Sponsored by Midnite Midnite is definitely not your grandad’s bookie. Built from the ground up in the UK for 2026 not 2006 , it’s fast, slick, with simple deposits and Rapid Withdrawals. Check out the new customer welcome offer @midnite. Always remember to gamble responsibly — 18+, T&Cs Apply, BeGambleAware.org If Messi draws attention then Argentina will look for runners from deep to help create space for him THE MESSI MAGNET The third question is will Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni change his tactics again? It’s all about getting the ball to Messi, but more importantly it’s HOW you get the ball to Messi. They got it wrong in the first half against England, but then Scaloni brilliantly adjusted by sending runners to drag us narrow, opening up the wide channels for Messi to exploit. Argentina rely on relentless runners from deep to create this space.Whether it is Nicolas Tagliafico overlapping from left-back or Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister making central runs beyond the ball, these movements drag defenders away, leaving Messi free to sit in his favoured pockets of space. Messi is like a magnet to the ball. A staggering 88 per cent of all of Argentina’s chances at this tournament have involved him. And another stat that makes him so difficult to defend – he is 15 yards away from his defence at all times. If he’s 15 yards away from a pass, nobody is quick enough to get to him. This specific positioning means that when a pass is played to him, he has the perfect amount of time to receive, turn, and run before any defender can get close to him. That’s why, not just with his feet but with his brain, he is the greatest of all time. Comment now