Thomas Tuchel admitted that it was ‘impossible’ to counter Lionel Messi’s influence in an entire match against Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semi-final, but England will try to counter him as much as possible.
Tuchel, who was making pre-match comments ahead of the eagerly-anticipated match, praised the 39-year-old forward and stated England will have a scheme in place to deal with him.
Tuchel admitted that they could never stop him throughout the match, 100 per cent. Tuchel also mentioned that Messi is a player very different to Erling Haaland, but they very well in the match against Norway in their own way.
The England manager also referred to the match as being “a personal first”, explaining it would be the first match in which he’s ever managed a team against Messi.
“It’s the first time I think that I personally managed with a team that played against him. He manages to do it in all sorts of different ways and its just incredible every time he does,” Tuchel said.
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The former England manager, meanwhile, has proposed one player to be assigned to stay closer to Messi during the game.
In his interview on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce (former England manager) stated that the midfielder Elliot Anderson has the discipline and work rate for the position.
The England vs Argentina matchup is one of the most iconic World Cup pairings and they’ve played against each other a number of times in previous World Cups.
Messi made his debut for an international team in 2005 and has yet to play against England at a senior international level.
As the World Cup final looms, much focus will be on whether England can diminish Messi’s influence and nullify Argentina’s final chance.
Also read: Argentina beat Austria 2-0 as Messi sets new record
