Arlington: He knew what Lionel Messi was going to do and had a plan to stop it -- and then the Argentina captain struck twice anyway in becoming the leading scorer in World Cup history.
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick may not be all that fondly remembered by Manchester United fans, where he pitched up in 2021-2022.But at 67 the German coach is vastly experienced and also widely admired in football.
Rangnick has revived the Austrian team since taking over in 2022, and they beat debutants Jordan 3-1 to launch their World Cup last week in North America.Talking ahead of his side’s group match on Monday against reigning champions Argentina in Texas, Rangnick spoke about the latest iteration of Messi, who turns 39 on Wednesday.
“Lionel Messi maybe doesn’t put in the same legwork as in the past,” said Rangnick.“He likes to stay on the side, and sometimes he likes to stop in front of the goal, in the offside position.“That doesn’t mean that they have one man less, but they have one man less that works in the counter-pressing.
“But that makes him so dangerous, because he might be in a position, free in a position, and we need to be prepared for that.“We shouldn’t have too many transition moments, and not allow transition moments, and not allow him to be free to accept the ball.”
