Thomas Tuchel anticipates a challenging encounter as England prepares to face Argentina in the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday. This match marks the sixth time these two nations have clashed in the tournament, with the previous three encounters occurring in the aftermath of the 1982 Falklands War.
The 1986 quarter-finals remain infamous, highlighted by Diego Maradona’s controversial “Las Malvinas, por Diego and por la ultima de Leo” goal, leading Argentina to a 2-1 victory as they ultimately claimed the title. Argentina also eliminated England on penalties in the 1998 round of 16, following David Beckham’s red card. Beckham later redeemed himself in 2002, scoring the decisive penalty in a 1-0 group-stage win. England’s earlier victories include a 3-1 win in 1962 and a 1-0 triumph in the 1966 quarter-finals, the latter propelling them to championship glory.
Tuchel acknowledges Argentina’s fierce determination as they strive to defend the title they won in 2022. The team aims to honor Lionel Messi in what is expected to be his final World Cup appearance.
Following their 3-1 quarter-final success against Switzerland, some Argentine players celebrated by singing a song that references the Falklands War, vowing to win the World Cup “for the Falklands, for Diego and for Leo’s last” – “I know some of the players, I coached some of the players,”
When asked about the heightened emotions surrounding the match, Tuchel stated, “I can sense it. You can see it. They have this kind of edge. You can sense it when they’re going a goal down, when matches are tight. “They’re almost the same group as four years ago. You can see the cohesion, you can see the sacrifice that they put into it. They believe in their style. And their style is a very emotional style. It was in Qatar and it is now. “And, of course, history … they are also fuelled by that. They are fuelled by history, it means a lot to them. So this is what we basically expect, and what we are up against. But we are also emotional, we have the grit, we have the mentality that it takes to go up against it. And we are ready for it.”
He emphasized the continuity of the Argentine squad from four years ago, noting their strong cohesion and relentless effort. “Our comments come from the same place – from being competitive and having the edge when competition is on,” Tuchel remarked.
“He [Bellingham] was just confronted with a critique of my side. I [also] called him a world-class player. I said he had world-class actions again to decide the match. I said the mentality is outstanding of this team. All of that was not part of the question. “I would maybe also bite back when I come from 120 minutes, score two goals and give literally everything that is in my body. It’s just a very normal reaction for a player of his mindset. So no problem. “I spoke to the whole team. We debriefed [the game]. I spoke to the whole team after in the dressing room, which was basically the same message. And I explained it again on Sunday evening to just move on forward. Then, in the [same] talk, we put on a new direction, a new head, which is semi-final and Argentina.”
Tuchel clarified that there are no lingering tensions between him and Jude Bellingham. After the 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the quarter-final, Tuchel criticized the technical performance of the team, which Bellingham found disheartening. The midfielder suggested that Tuchel may not fully understand the pressures of such a high-stakes match.
“There isn’t pressure on us,” Tuchel explained. “What’s the pressure? The onus is on them. They’re the world champions. They need to come out, they need to defend their title. There’s no pressure on us at all.”
“We haven’t managed to watch any of their games,”
Tuchel revealed that he addressed the entire team after the match, reiterating the same message in the dressing room and again on Sunday evening as they shift their focus to the upcoming semi-final against Argentina.
Defender Marc Guéhi intensified the competitive spirit by stating the pressure lies with Argentina as they aim to defend their world champion status. “I’m sure when we have the meeting tonight or tomorrow we’ll see some clips of them and see what we can do to overcome them.” Guéhi asserted. “What’s the pressure? The onus is on them. They’re the world champions. They need to come out, they need to defend their title. There’s no pressure on us at all.”
Having recovered from a hamstring injury, Guéhi is expected to continue his partnership with John Stones in central defense, while Ezri Konsa competes with Reece James for the right-back position. Konsa, who played at full back against Norway, admitted he had not seen much of Argentina’s playing style.
“We haven’t managed to watch any of their games,” he said. “I’m sure when we have the meeting tonight or tomorrow we’ll see some clips of them and see what we can do to overcome them.”
