Pressing Spain is simple in theory, painful in practice, says Lopetegui

NEW YORK, July 18 : Julen Lopetegui knows what it is to see Argentina picked apart by Spain's passing carousel, but the former Spain manager says Sunday's World Cup final will be no nostalgic rerun of a friendly thrashing in Madrid.Lopetegui was in charge the last time Spain faced Argentina, a 6-1 win at the newly opened Metropolitano stadium in 2018, when Lionel Messi was absent and Spain produced the sort of midfield suffocation that can make opponents feel they are chasing shadows."It's a wonderful memory because I think we played a brilliant match against a great team like Argentina," Lopetegui said."We managed to close down the spaces in midfield, press high up the pitch, and the team put in a good performance. But these are two completely different matches. We're talking about a Worl