Messi

[thehumblegringo]

All true, but the main concern for me if I was a big Argentina fan was how poor they were when they didn't have the ball.

But it's all connected Bob. One of the reasons Guardiola chooses to play short football in triangles through the lines is because this enables them to defend more effectively when they lose the ball.

In the clips above there are huge chasms in midfield which allow Croatia to bear down on the defenders before the "midfield" react.