The 2026 FIFA World Cup has reached its pinnacle, with defending champions Argentina setting up a blockbuster final clash against Spain. Although the two teams possess contrasting styles, they have looked the most defined from a philosophical point of view. While Spain have conceded just a single goal throughout the entire tournament, Argentina’s aggression and match-winning mentality have seen them repeatedly bounce back from being one or two goals down.
The two teams’ progression to the final has also raised questions over the future of sides like Germany, who suffered a premature elimination in the Round of 32. German legend Oliver Kahn, speaking as a World Cup expert for ZEE5, had no qualms about admitting that Die Mannschaft need to learn from the likes of Spain if they are to reclaim their lost glory days.
“This is the most important part, not only for national teams, but also for club teams, to develop your own philosophy, to develop your own identity and stick to it,” Kahn told NDTV when asked about the importance of having a core style of play in major tournaments. “The best example of that is Spain, and how you can develop something like this. We all remember Spain playing the tiki-taka style 10 years ago, which was, in part, really boring because they were playing it for its own sake. They had no verticality in their game.”
Kahn was full of praise for Spain coach Luis de la Fuente for bringing the national team back to the absolute top, giving many the distinct vibe of the 2010 World Cup-winning side while playing nearly flawless football.
“De la Fuente changed that. He didn’t change everything. He still sticks to the basic philosophy of Spanish football, but he integrates a more vertical, attacking style into the game. However, the identity of Spain’s football, the ball-possession play, is still exactly as it was 15 years ago,” he said.
Change Of Coach Not The Solution
When asked about fellow Germany legend Philipp Lahm‘s recent comments regarding Julian Nagelsmann’s team lacking a tactical blueprint, Kahn agreed that the absence of a clear system is a major concern-more so than who the next manager will be.
“The big question in Germany for me is not who will be the next coach. Maybe, to a minor extent, will it be Jurgen Klopp? But for me, the most important question is, what kind of football or what kind of players do we want to educate over the next 10 years?
“Yes, we have talented players. We have Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, and Kai Havertz. We have good footballers, but that’s not enough. We are talking about responsibility, the right mentality, and how you can handle pressure situations in a tournament. That is the most important thing,” said the former Germany goalkeeper, who won the Golden Ball at the 2002 World Cup.
“We can talk about talent, tactical things, we can talk about so much in football. Yes, everything is important, but the most important thing is, are you able to take responsibility in the deciding moment of a World Cup, like in a penalty shootout? For me, those are the crucial questions in Germany, and we have to find answers to bounce back,” he added.
Kahn also expressed his immense admiration for the way Argentina have navigated the tournament. With Lionel Messi acting as the glue holding the team together, La Albiceleste’s never-say-die attitude has deeply impressed the German icon.
“The Argentinians have a very special style of play, which is really hard to play against. They always have Messi as a genius player between the lines. But if you look at their team, you wouldn’t say they are all top, top, top individual players. However, these are players who play for their country, they play for Messi, they run for Messi, and they create an atmosphere in which high performance is possible.
“We can talk about that for hours and hours, but for me, these are the deciding factors,” Kahn concluded.
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