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The chess match behind Lionel Messi: How Lionel Scaloni can outfox Thomas Tuchel
For Argentina, their biggest challenge will be ensuring that Lionel Messi receives the ball in areas where he can hurt England.
Lionel Messi has once again proved to be Argentina's main man, in what is turning out to be another extraordinary FIFA World Cup campaign. The Argentine skipper is the joint-top goalscorer with eight goals, along with Kylian Mbappe. Now, Messi and Co. face England in their semi-final clash, and it is also their biggest test in this World Cup.
During the pre-match press conference, England head coach Thomas Tuchel already hinted that he had considered man-marking the Inter Miami star in an old-school manner. So we could expect England to give Messi as little time on the ball as possible.
Also Read: Thomas Tuchel considers 'old-school' plan to stop Lionel Messi: 'Man-marking crossed my mind'
Rodrigo De Paul's role
For Argentina, their biggest challenge might not be creating chances; it will be ensuring that Messi receives the ball in areas where he can hurt England.
Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul probably complements Messi the most in this Argentine team. He is Messi's security during matches, constantly covering ground, pressing opponents, and also carrying the ball from midfield.
De Paul is Argentina's engine, and England are expected to press the ball high through Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice. If De Paul can evade the first line of pressure, then Messi won't have to drop deep a lot.
How to deal with England's compact setup?
England also has a very compact setup for their matches. Scaloni's use of his wingbacks, Natuel Molina and Nicolas Tagliofico, will be pivotal. He could ask them to push high and wide, which would force England's wide players to track back and create width for Messi to exploit.
Julian Alvarez is good at stretching opposition backlines with his runs. He always threatens the space behind centre-backs, forcing them to retreat. When he does that, he also creates space for Messi between the opposition midfield and defence. If the defenders stay deep because of Alvarez, Messi will have more time to pick out passes. Their partnership was key in 2022.
Early goal and set-pieces
Just like what they did against France in 2022, Argentina need to get a goal before England settles into the game. Argentina are also dominant in set-pieces and will use that as a weapon against England. Expect Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez to pose a threat.
England will succeed in limiting Messi for periods. But they will also need to maintain their concentration, as a lapse could give the Argentine space to exploit. Scaloni needs to ensure that Messi does not become isolated.
Scaloni's task is simple. His team needs to create space around Messi, allow runners like Alvarez, De Paul and Enzo Fernandez to shoulder the physical burden. If Messi is given time on the ball and ample space, then it could become a huge problem for England.
