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Bullet point summary by AI
- England faces a monumental challenge in trying to contain Argentina’s talismanic captain ahead of Saturday’s World Cup semifinal clash.
- Three key players will carry disproportionate responsibility for limiting creative influence from the opposing side’s star attacker.
- Their collective performance over 90 minutes could determine whether England reaches its first World Cup final in nearly three decades.
If England intends to upset Argentina in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday, they must find a way to disrupt Lionel Messi. That task is easier said than done, of course, as the GOAT still looks like his old self at the age of 39. Even so, several members of Thomas Tuchel’s squad will shoulder more responsibility to stop Argentina’s all-time great than others.
In fairness, Switzerland did a reasonable job of freezing Messi out of their 3-1 quarterfinal defeat. He did register an assist, but it was via a corner kick that Alexis MacAllister managed to bury. Their efforts to contain Messi were not enough to secure victory, but they should give England hope that they can find a way to keep him from dominating the match.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will need to power their side’s attack, but they’ll also need support from their deeper-lying teammates to spring the upset. The efforts of the three stars below will be crucial to England’s chances of keeping Messi under wraps.
Declan Rice must play his best match of the World Cup
Declan Rice was hooked at halftime against Norway, which raised a lot of eyebrows. Reports after the match indicated he was suffering from an illness that limited his effectiveness against Erling Haaland and Co.
England desparately needs Rice to be at 100 percent against Argentina. He fulfills a unique profile for Tuchel as a midfield destroyer with real box-to-box range. He’s the player best-suited on England’s squad to man mark Messi for any extended period of time.
It’s probably too much to ask Rice to shadow Messi for 90 minutes, but the Three Lions need an hour plus of his services to blunt Argentina’s midfield genius. If he plays as poorly as he did against Norway, it will doom England to crash out of the semifinals.
Marc Guehi will be highly stressed by Lionel Messi
Julian Alvarez’s world-class finish against Switzerland should remind England that Messi is not the only Argentine attacker worth monitoring closely. That puts tremendous pressure on center backs like Marc Guehi to make sure they choose the right times to step up and challenge Messi for possession in midfield.
Geuhi partnered with John Stones to good effect against Haaland, but that’s a very different challenge than the one they’ll face against Argentina. Look for Stones to sit deeper to make sure forwards like Alvarez don’t produce one-on-one chances against keeper Jordan Pickford.
That heaps pressure on Geuhi to make the right defensive reads when Argentina approaches England’s goal on the break. He’s a classy defender with a real knack for challenging talented attackers for the ball. He’ll need to win a duel or two against Messi at the right time to help his team advance to the finals.
Elliot Anderson will need to play it safe against Argentina
Rice isn’t the only member of Tuchel’s double-pivot that needs to play exceptional soccer to blunt Messi. Elliot Anderson needs to live up to his sky-high transfer price tag against Argentina.
Anderson’s at his best when given the freedom to roam in midfield, but he needs to exercise more discipline than normal to help his side contain Messi. He isn’t typically the most physical defender, but he needs to throw his body around to set the tone against Argentina.
Anderson can also help his side subdue Messi by keeping hold of the ball in the midfield. England’s best chances of keeping Argentina under wraps will be by winning the possession battle. Anderson’s ability to keep the ball moving in the midfield can stop Argentina from putting his defense under too much pressure.
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