World Cup 2022: Pochettino Names Key Traits That Make Argentina Tick

• Mauricio Pochettino has praised Argentina players' sacrifices for Lionel Messi
• The ex-PSG manager says needs to conserve energy to score and create chances
• Messi and Argentina face France in the final of the 2022 World Cup on Sunday

Argentina's run to the 2022 World Cup final has been incredible. Even after losing to Saudi Arabia in their first game, they have bounced back brilliantly.

Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez have been the driving force for Lionel Scaloni's side, scoring nine of their 12 total goals in Qatar.

Ex-PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino has said that the togetherness in the squad has played a crucial role in their run to the final.

Messi, for instance, has arguably been the best player at the tournament, dragging his team through by his leadership and quality on the pitch.

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He has scored five goals, which makes him the joint top scorer alongside Kylian Mbappe of France, who they meet in Sunday's final.

Against Croatia, the 35-year-old produced one of the best assists in the tournament, when he bamboozled Josko Gvardiol - one of the best centre-backs in Qatar.

The veteran has scored in every knockout game so far, but the final against Mbappe's France is the biggest match of his career.

Although he will go down as one of the best footballers of all time, a World Cup triumph would certainly cement him as the best of all time.

Pochettino on Messi's importance

Pochettino coached Messi at PSG and understands how he operates on the pitch. In his column for the Athletic, the Argentine tactician thinks Messi doesn't need to defend.

He said the rest of the team needs to run and defend, and allow the Barcelona icon to conserve his energy for the attacking third.

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"Players fully understand their jobs: when you have Messi in your team, you need to run for him. And when you have the ball, you need to give it to him as soon as possible so that he can create something."

The former Tottenham Hotspur manager said he is tired of people talking about Messi's fewer defensive contributions.

"I think the debate about Messi’s defensive work is so stale, almost silly."

With his penalty against Croatia, Messi became the top-scorer for Argentina in World Cups, moving past Gabriel Batistuta's record of 10 goals, per ESPN.

He's now joint-sixth on the all-time scoring charts in World Cup history, behind Miroslav Klose (16), Ronaldo Nazario (15), Gerd Müller (14), Just Fontaine (13) and Pelé (12).

Giroud warns Messi

Sports Brief earlier reported on France striker Olivier Giroud sending a warning to Messi ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday.

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The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker, who has bagged four goals so far in the Mundial, is bent on ruining Lionel Messi’s dream of a fairy tale tournament.

“Messi is an incredible player, but we are not going to let him enjoy the best night he can have. We want to win this game. We want to win another World Cup."