Austria began intensive preparations on Friday for its World Cup meeting with Argentina, scheduled for Monday at 8:00 p.m. in Dallas. The main tactical question is how to deal with Lionel Messi, but assistant coach Stephan Oesen said man-marking him is not realistic. "It makes no sense at all to mark him individually, because he is everywhere on the pitch," Oesen said.
Instead, Austria wants coordinated pressure from the whole team. Oesen said Messi drifts into central areas and drops deep to receive the ball, so Austria must press collectively and give individual defenders cover to take risks. He added that Messi cannot be completely neutralized, but Austria must stay close and avoid giving him free kicks near goal. "When he gets a free foot from 25 meters and beyond, it is almost like a penalty," Oesen warned.
Oesen also stressed that Messi is even more dangerous because he contributes little to Argentina's defensive work and is already positioned perfectly for counters when Argentina loses possession. In his view, Messi has evolved over the years and now relies more on give-and-go combinations, smart movement and arriving in scoring areas than on the dribbling style he used early at Barcelona. Austria will not focus only on him, Oesen said, but on Argentina as a whole, including Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez.
Austria arrives with confidence after beating Jordan 3-1 in its opener, unlike Argentina, which keeps more of the ball. Oesen believes that suits Austria's style, citing earlier matches against France and the Netherlands at Euro 2024 as proof that the team likes open games and transitions. Austria is also buoyed by its three points and feels it has "a lot to gain" against the world champions. Lineup questions remain, including Conrad Laimer's role, though Oesen praised him for his performance against Jordan. He also highlighted set pieces, saying the winning goal against Jordan came from a corner and that head coach Ralf Rangnick has fully supported extra work on dead-ball situations, which Austria believes are a weakness for Argentina.
