Mehtab Hossain spoke exclusively to Sports Now and slammed Argentina’s tactics against Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final which they lost 1-0 in extra time.
Argentina’s tactics in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final came under scrutiny after their 1-0 defeat to Spain, as they missed the chance to create history and become the first team in 62 years to defend their title. The Lionel Messi-led side were outplayed by the European champions in the marquee clash, which took place on Sunday (July 19) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The three champions created an embarrassing record as they did not even have a shot on goal till the 115th minute of the game. Since data was recorded (from 1966), they are the first team without a single attempt on goal in a World Cup. Later, they managed two attempts on goal in the dying minutes of extra time, but both were off target. This is only the third instance of a team failing to get an attempt on target in a World Cup; the earlier two occasions also involved Argentina in 1990 and 2014.
While football fans across the world were left baffled by the tactics adopted by the three-time winners in the summit clash. In an exclusive interaction with Sports Now, ex-Indian footballer Mehtab Hossain slammed the approach adopted by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and claimed that they made the same mistake as England did against them. He also stated that eight players from Barcelona being part of their squad was a huge advantage for Spain. He called it the most one-sided World Cup final he has seen.
“First of all, Argentina did not meet expectations. In the first half, you played a low block. In the second half, you should have changed the system. You should have engaged more players in the midfield. You made the same mistake that England made against you in the second half: Argentina’s low block. If you go so far back with the Spanish team, the Spanish team won’t leave you. Their passing quality and technique are better than anyone else’s.
“They follow the same system. Barcelona has eight players. That’s an advantage. Understanding is an advantage. Body language is an advantage. First, you should have played mind games. You should have played with an open mind. It’s the final match. You either win or lose. You should have played normally. You thought you would lose. That’s why you weren’t able to execute. You thought you would block, low block, and win the match. You shouldn’t have done that. You should have taken the challenge. When you couldn’t get the ball, when they were trying to win the ball in 8 seconds, you had to create in the midfield. You couldn’t do that. That’s why Argentina came out of the match. That shouldn’t have happened. Ever since I’ve been watching the World Cup, I haven’t seen a one-sided game,” said Mehtab.
Mehtab, who is currently the head coach of the Bengal Super League team Sundarban Bengal, praised the set-up of the Spanish team. He hailed Luis de la Fuente for keeping Messi quiet by ensuring the ball does not reach the eight-time Ballon d’Or. He claimed Argentina have played better football while chasing a game and should have played with less fear.
“Spain played such a tactical game. You had to get the ball out of that area. You’re a world champion team. I tell the coach, you’re using Messi. Messi won’t run at 39. He can create the ball until the ball goes near him. The coach of the Spain team is blocking the ball before it goes near him. When he’s playing down the line, they’re playing behind the build-up form. They let him pass once. They let him pass twice. He’s pressing on the third pass. He missed on the third pass. They didn’t let him get out of there.”
“Until the 90th minute. If you concede a goal… You can see the character of our team. When the goal is conceded in the first half, or in the first 15 minutes, the character of the team is changing. Concede. Go all out. Press high,” Mehtab explained.
Overdependence on Lionel Messi
Mehtab agreed that the Argentina team was overdependent on Lionel Messi and claimed the 39-year-old was a one-man army in the tournament. He also claimed that England should have beaten the South Americans, and that would have produced a better final. The former midfielder pointed out how Argentina were able to create chances and almost scored after conceding when they were forced to attack.
“Messi was playing like a one-man army. Have you seen the England match? In the England match, England dominated in the first half. In the second half, if they had substituted Saka and Rashford, it would have been a good attack. England coach Thomas Tuchel didn’t do that. He should have done that. If he had done that, England could have gone to the final. If England had been Spain, we could have seen a better match. Magic Man made the difference. He played a low block and let Messi play,” he pointed out.
“In the last five minutes… I said this yesterday as well. How many corners did Argentina score in the last five minutes? That Messi’s shot, which Mereno blocked, if the ball hadn’t been blocked. It was a sure goal. Play all out. Argentina… They are the world champions. In every match, they were under pressure,” he said.
Lionel Messi Should Have Taken More Responsibility
Mehtab stated that while Scaloni’s tactics were questionable, the onus also lay on Messi, who should have asked his team to attack more.
“The coach’s strategy should have been better. And Messi should have taken more responsibility. He should have told them. To play all-out,” the Sunderban Bengal head coach said.
He pointed out that Spain’s planning for the game made the difference and that Argentina’s build-up was poor in this World Cup, and they could not cope with the high press of the Europeans.
“Spain’s Coach did such a good analysis of the Argentina team. Their build-up from behind is very poor in this World Cup. So, what to do? Play high. Win the ball there. Messi… Before the ball comes to him, he has to win the ball,” Mehtab stated.
Rodri Deserved Golden Ball Over Messi
On the decision to hand the Golden Ball to Rodri instead of Messi, Mehtab claimed that the former Ballon d’Or winner deserved the award. He claimed that no team in the world had a player of this quality in the number six role.
“Rodri deserves it. Yes. Because he was the backbone of the team. Even yesterday, look at him. He is winning every ball. If he goes inside, he will snatch the ball. There is no mispass in his entire match. So, Rodri, he is an outstanding player. After Busquets, Rodri is a mind-blowing player. If you remove Rodri from that position, Spain are not as good.”
“No team has someone like that. Not France, Not Portugal, Not England. Declan Rice can run but he is not that sharp. Declan Rice can run for 120 minutes. But Rodri’s technical vision, interception, everything-he is a complete No. 6,” Mehtab stated.
He also pointed out that Spain’s 2010 and 2026 campaigns were similar, with a core of Barcelona players. However, he stated that the player quality is not as good as in their first-ever World Cup title. He predicted Spain will win the 2028 Euros too. He also explained the young team was a big advantage to Spain.
“The advantage that Spain got in 2010 after having 8-9 Barcelona players is the same thing. They repeated history. In the final last time, the Netherlands was down to 10 players. Iniesta scored a goal. In the second half of extra time.”