Thomas Tuchel foresees a challenging encounter for England against an Argentina squad that is “Las Malvinas, por Diego and por la ultima de Leo” in their upcoming World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday. This matchup marks the sixth time these two nations will face off in the tournament, with their previous three meetings occurring following the Falklands War in 1982.
The most notable confrontation took place during the 1986 quarter-finals when Diego Maradona infamously scored his “for the Falklands, for Diego and for Leo’s last” goal, leading Argentina to a 2-1 victory on their way to winning the title. In 1998, Argentina advanced past England in penalties during the last 16, a match that saw David Beckham receive a red card. Beckham later redeemed himself in 2002, scoring a penalty to secure a 1-0 win in the group stage. England had earlier victories in 1962 and 1966, winning 3-1 in the group phase and 1-0 in the quarter-finals, respectively, the latter of which propelled them to championship glory.
Tuchel acknowledges the tenacity present within the Argentine squad, emphasizing their determination to defend the title they secured in 2022. Their objective is to offer Lionel Messi a memorable farewell at what is anticipated to be his final World Cup.
Following their 3-1 quarter-final triumph over Switzerland, some Argentine players celebrated in the locker room with a chant that references the Falklands War, vowing to win the World Cup “I know some of the players, I coached some of the players,” – “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.”
When questioned about the intense nature of this fixture, Tuchel remarked, “Our comments come from the same place – from being competitive and having the edge when competition is on,”
He continued, “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 acknowledged the significance of history for the Argentine team.
“There isn’t pressure on us,”
He also clarified that there are no lingering issues between him and Jude Bellingham. After England’s 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway, Tuchel expressed concerns about the technical aspects of the team’s performance. Bellingham, who scored both goals, was reportedly displeased when this feedback was communicated to him, implying that Tuchel might not fully understand the pressures of playing in such high-stakes matches.
In response, Tuchel stated, “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.”
He added, “We haven’t managed to watch any of their games,”
Tuchel explained that he addressed the entire team following the match to convey a unified message, reiterating it again on Sunday evening to focus on the upcoming semi-final against Argentina.
Defender Marc Guéhi intensified the pre-match tension by asserting that the pressure is on Argentina to defend their title. “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.” he said. “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.”
Guéhi, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, is expected to maintain 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, noted that the team has not yet analyzed Argentina’s style of play.
“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.”
