Victoria, Seychelles, July 23, 2026 — Fernando Llorente said Spain's most important achievement against France was the same thing England stopped doing against Argentina: keeping the ball. In his view, possession allowed Spain to set the rhythm, while England, after taking a 1-0 lead, retreated into a defensive shape with five defenders and a tired striker left up front.

Argentina, Llorente said, spent the next thirty minutes absorbing pressure, observing England's structure and waiting for chances. When openings appeared, Argentina finished clinically. Llorente argued that England had the players to make a different choice, and said Spain should not repeat that approach in the World Cup Final against Argentina. His prediction, recorded before the match, was a 2-1 win for Spain.

The comments came during the fifth and final episode of Zoomex's World Cup Edition X Space, held as part of the Zoomex World Cup Impact Pledge. The discussion featured World Cup winner Fernando Llorente — part of the Spain squad that lifted the trophy in South Africa in 2010 — with football commentators Juan, Gran Mussama and Miguel Serrano TV. Fernando Lillo Aranda hosted the session from Boston in the final hours before the World Cup Final. The X Space was linked at https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1vJpPPeNrrPJE.

The episode also closed the five-part charity initiative that accompanied the series. With Llorente predicting Spain to win 2-1, the pledged 1,000 USDT allocation will support people who have suffered in Venezuela, a cause that a friend recently brought to his attention. If the prediction is correct, the allocation will increase to 5,000 USDT.

Spain's Calm Before France

Fernando Lillo Aranda repeatedly raised a question that many Spain supporters had asked before the final: how could such a young team remain composed against opponents such as France and Argentina?

Llorente said that while covering the tournament for Dazón and Spanish television, he spoke with people inside the Spain squad before the match against France. What they described, he said, was reflected later on the pitch.

“Before the game they already told me that in the changing room they were calm, that they were talking about their things, jokes, stories and such. It surprises me, the attitude so relaxed they have before such an important game, and then how much they came out, because in that sense we were much more involved than the French in the game. They came out winning all the duels. It seemed to me that we were much more involved than them.”

Before kickoff, Llorente expected Spain to face serious difficulty because of France's pace and attacking quality, including Mbappé, Olise, Dembélé and Barcola. He also identified France's counter-attacking ability and the danger of midfield turnovers as major threats.

Instead, he said, Spain neutralized France by controlling possession and denying them the tempo they needed.

“These guys are surprising me. The ability they have to play these types of games in which there is so much pressure, they play as if they were playing with friends, with a naturalness, with a confidence that escapes me.”

Llorente also praised Rodri, who he said had been returning to top form during the tournament. He described Spain's second goal against France as a reflection of the team's overall style.

“From the goal, defense, midfield, how they break the middle, Fabián, the pass, the wall of Porro. It was pure caviar.”

He said Spain constantly rotated positions, with defenders moving into midfield, midfielders appearing in attacking zones and players exchanging roles so fluidly that opponents struggled to identify defensive assignments.

England's Mistake and Argentina's Response

A major part of the discussion focused on England's defeat to Argentina, which had taken place the previous evening. Llorente used the match as an example of what teams should avoid when defending a lead against Argentina.

“I think that England made a mistake. In the end, you score a goal and you think that with that it is already done. And in the end what you cannot allow yourself is to get behind and let Argentina dominate you. They had players on the bench, an incredible squad to have done something different. Players who were still tired, I would have brought players up quickly. Having had players up quickly could have put Argentina in serious trouble. Saka, Rashford left too late, Madueke. Players who could have killed them on the counter, and yet they took out five defenders, 5-4-1, which in the end, apart from Harry Kane up there, who was already very tired, without a counter-attack exit.”

Miguel Serrano TV added match statistics to the discussion. In the final fifteen minutes, England had twelve percent possession, while Argentina had eighty-eight percent. England completed only two effective passes in the final ten minutes, one of them from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Miguel said England's late defensive substitutions sent Argentina a clear message. In his words, the message was not “we are protecting this lead,” but “come and attack me, because I am staying here.” Argentina received that message and responded.

Gran Mussama compared England's approach to Diego Simeone's Atlético Madrid.

“When he is winning, when he goes 1-0 with a very tight result, they fall back and the opposing team sees it. Either a guy with a good shot or someone scores a goal and they keep closing until he scores.”

Gran Mussama said dropping deeper only encouraged more pressure from the opponent.

Discussing Argentina's strengths, Llorente named Lionel Messi, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister as the team's most influential players. Speaking about Mac Allister's role, he highlighted contributions that he said often receive less attention.

“Enzo yesterday moved the team as he wanted, always seeing when Messi was alone, and at the last minute how he went to the right wing because there Messi was all the time alone, and from there they raised the whole play.”

He added: “The opportunities he had yesterday to score a goal was incredible. It is going to be a very complicated game because they have that ability to get out of trouble. If you give them the smallest minimum option to return to the game they are very dangerous.”

Llorente said Spain's priorities in the final should be clear.

“We do not have to get into their game. They have to leave with the same mentality they had against France. Being ready in the duels, reading where the balls can fall to get there before them. Keep dominating the game and not give them too many options. Don't make mistakes, that's the main thing in a final like this.”

The Striker's Craft

One of the most technical parts of the session examined striker play inside the penalty area. After Lionel Messi's headed equalizer for Argentina, Fernando Lillo Aranda asked how such a goal was possible when Lautaro Martínez was reportedly being marked.

Llorente said even slight contact from a defender at the right moment can disrupt a striker's ability to finish.

“When the strikers enter the area, what complicates your life the most is to have the defender already touching you and bothering you? If before the centre, to anything, you give a little touch to the striker, he is dead. When it happened to me playing, that is the worst thing they can do to you. You have to try to gain space so that the defender does not bother you, because if when you are jumping the minimum touch already makes it very difficult for you to finish.”

Drawing from his own career, Llorente said his physical presence often helped him create space in the box, but experienced defenders could still neutralize an opportunity with a well-timed touch just before a header or shot.

“I remember that when I was going to the shot, suddenly the side from the opposite side comes at you. I always tried to look for the back of the defenders. When the side comes on the other side that you do not see it and gives you a little touch before the shot, you were dead. There were sides that did it very well. Very smart people who bothered you at that moment and you have nothing to do.”

He also described how defenders should manage strikers inside the area.

“When you are defending and the striker enters the area, do not focus only on the centre. Do not neglect. The striker is going to try to take your back and take advantage of that. You have to be touching him, grabbing, looking at the centre and the player who is going to score. Because a lot of people accumulate, one thinks it belongs to one defender, the other thinks it belongs to the other, and in the end the striker finishes without a mark.”

According to Llorente, that sequence reflected what happened during Argentina's equalizing goal. With several players in the box and no clearly assigned marker, Alexis Mac Allister arrived late and found himself unmarked despite not being one of the tallest players on the field.

Van Dijk, Chiellini and Defending at the Highest Level

During quick-fire questions, Fernando Lillo Aranda asked Llorente which defender in this World Cup he would least have wanted to face. Llorente immediately named Virgil van Dijk, citing his strength and athleticism.

“When I went to the Premier League, I was very surprised by how strong all the defenders were, they were all big, even bigger than me, stronger. He seemed to me to be a barbarity. Not only how strong he was, how fast he was, because he's very fast in the long run. He's a very complete defender.”

Llorente recalled his first match against Van Dijk, when he was playing for Swansea and Van Dijk was at Southampton.

“In my first game, I was at Swansea against him, and he was at Southampton. In the first clash that happened, he put his elbow in my ribs and fractured one of my ribs. I found out later. At that moment, I held on as best I could. He fell to the ground, I did my best, but the pain I was in was terrible. And then I played the next game, I scored my first goal against City, and I had to stop for a month because I couldn't take the pain anymore.”

He said the physical intensity of the Premier League required adjustment after Spanish football, where contact was generally easier to manage.

“I told my teammates to shoot me from below, because from above it was complicated.”

Llorente said Giorgio Chiellini presented a different challenge because of his relentless marking.

“The first time I faced him was in an Italy-Spain, in a friendly. It was terrible. How does that mark you? Surely, that's the most sticky one, the one that hits you the most. The other one is stronger, but he doesn't hit you as much. Chiellini is exaggerated. He doesn't let you breathe.”

He said two seasons as Chiellini's teammate at Juventus, alongside Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli, gave him direct experience of the high standard of Italian defending.

Rodri, Busquets and Oyarzabal

Gran Mussama asked Llorente whether peak Rodri or peak Sergio Busquets represented the higher standard. Llorente said a direct comparison would be unfair.

“We can be talking about the two best midfielders in the world. At that time, we also not only had Busi, but Xabi Alonso, we had many options there, not just Busi. But Rodri is impressive. Unlike Busi, perhaps he has more travel, he is physically stronger. It is incredible how he is able to be everywhere. He also has the reliability in passes. I think he has more than 90% success in passes, which is incredible. I think he is the one with the most in the world.”

Llorente said Rodri's return to top form was one of Spain's major positives during the tournament.

“Perhaps it is the great news of Spain. Seeing Rodri again at his best is one of the keys for me.”

After earlier injury concerns — Rodri had missed nearly the entire 2024–25 club season after rupturing his ACL in September 2024 — his improved performances coincided with Spain's strongest displays in the competition.

Llorente also praised Mikel Oyarzabal for his technical qualities and team-first mentality.

“I am in love with how he plays, and more of how he plays, with his attitude. He is a boy who does not think about himself, he thinks only about the collective, about the team, about working. I love how he moves, how many times he goes down between the lines, helping the team to get out from behind. In the end, he gathers a lot of people in the centre of the field. The positions are rotated and that makes it very difficult for the defenders. Many times they do not know who to mark.”

Llorente linked Oyarzabal's movement and Spain's tactical flexibility to a wider point about the modern game.

“Nowadays they work a lot on the tactical issue, they tell them more or less what to do in the field, more mechanical movements, and a little creativity is taken away from the player. In Spain, I see that they interpret the game very well. They let each one take out the best that he has, or his creativity inside the field.”

How Football Has Changed

Juan asked whether modern football has become more physical than it was during Llorente's playing career, or whether the overall quality of play has risen and left less room for individual technique.

Llorente said football has changed because of greater emphasis on preparation, conditioning and small details.

“The details are taken care of more and more. All the players already have nutritionists, their diets, their individualised work, which before was impossible. I remember when I started, we would go out to the field and we would start shooting without warming up, without doing anything. Today you already have a pre-activation in the gym, then you go out, you have another warm-up when you go out to the field. They take great care of the details.”

He said those changes have transformed the sport.

“Football is evolving. The fact of taking care of the details also makes you train more and better. The players are better physically, they take better care of themselves, everything is much more professionalised. It is more physical, you run more and every time everyone goes further to the limit. That is clear. That is why there is also so much equality, despite the fact that there are better teams than others.”

Reflecting on his own style as a traditional centre-forward, Llorente said physically dominant strikers who can hold up long balls and bring teammates into the attack have become less common.

“Every time I see a long ball and there is a duel, normally the defenders win it. The one who plays from the back is a striker. It is complicated today to see a striker who, every time there is a long ball, keeps it and is able to give the team a way out from above.”

He added that many leading clubs now try to emulate the possession-based build-up style that Barcelona popularized during their dominant era under Pep Guardiola, playing out from the back. As a result, he said, many goals in modern football come from turnovers during the build-up phase rather than from traditional attacking moves.

Predictions, Golden Boot and Messi's Future

The panel ended by giving predictions for the World Cup Final. Llorente had already submitted a 2-1 Spain win on the FIFA platform. Miguel Serrano TV predicted a cautious 1-0 victory, referring to Johannesburg 2010 and emphasizing the need to manage expectations before football's biggest match. Juan predicted a 3-1 win. Gran Mussama initially forecast a 4-0 result if Spain scored early, and Fernando Lillo Aranda offered to buy him a steak anywhere he chose if that prediction came true.

Gran Mussama later revised the prediction to Spain 4-1, with Lionel Messi scoring.

“Since he's retiring as the best in history and didn't play in the World Cup.”

The panel then discussed the Golden Boot race. Miguel Serrano TV said Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland each had eight goals. With Haaland and Mbappé eliminated, Messi was the only one still able to add to his total. Mikel Oyarzabal had five goals and would need a hat-trick in the final to draw level.

The panel said they would accept Messi winning the Golden Boot if Spain won the World Cup, while also acknowledging that Oyarzabal scoring three in the final was unlikely.

Miguel also addressed discussions about Argentina, officiating and social media narratives. Referring to Messi's comments after Argentina's semifinal exit at the 2019 Copa América, when Messi criticized corruption and refereeing decisions he believed favored Brazil, Miguel said many current arguments about Argentina echoed concerns Messi had previously raised. He said football history often repeats itself and that title-winning teams inevitably become the subject of competing narratives.

The conversation closed with a discussion of Messi's future and the possibility of another FIFA World Cup appearance. With Messi expected to be 41 or 42 years old in 2030, the panel generally viewed another World Cup as unlikely. Gran Mussama suggested Major League Soccer had not maintained the same competitive intensity, while Juan said that if Argentina won this final, Messi's legacy would already be complete. Juan suggested the 2028 Copa América could be a more realistic international objective.

The Main Theme From the Space

Across the Zoomex World Cup Edition X Space, the discussion repeatedly returned to preparation, mentality and execution. Llorente used England's substitutions against Argentina as an example of a team changing strategy under pressure. He said England's decisions invited sustained Argentine pressure and changed the message being sent to both teams on the field.

He contrasted that with Spain's mentality before facing France, describing a dressing room marked by calm conversation, jokes and confidence despite the significance of the match. For Llorente, that atmosphere showed a team that trusted its preparation.

“You have to play a game like the one we played against France. We practically did not make mistakes. Because if you lose the ball in a field where they can catch you in some counterattack with spaces, they are still a dangerous team.”

Llorente said disciplined execution means carrying out the original plan, and that moving away from the plan under pressure creates opportunities that teams such as Argentina can exploit.

Gran Mussama's prediction and the dinner wager were recorded during the session. Llorente's 2-1 Spain prediction also remained tied to the Zoomex pledge, with 5,000 USDT for people in Venezuela if the result was correct.

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