Thomas Tuchel believes a challenge from Argentina and Lionel Messi will bring out the best in the England team.
England will face off against rivals Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, with the winner going on to face Spain in Sunday’s final.
Tuchel was critical of the football his side produced in the quarter-final extra-time win over Norway, but expects a better performance from his players when they meet their rivals on the big stage.
“There were too many technical errors in the last game that prevented us from finding our rhythm,” Tuchel explained. “We made hasty decisions and didn’t have enough patience or discipline, so we lost our rhythm.
“We have improved in the tournament as a team and in our defense, which is what we need (against Argentina) at the highest level.
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Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister insists he is ‘not surprised’ England have reached the World Cup semi-finals.
“Acceleration combined with technical execution must be at a higher level. A setup like (from Argentina) will bring the best results for us and the players.”
Commenting on the scale of the event and the opportunity to achieve a big win, Tuchel added: “We know we’re here, and we’ve never been shy about expecting it and dreaming about it.
“We are in the semi-finals and we arrived very hungry. We want to get the next win.
“It’s a big football game, but we’re very excited and ready to go.”
To stop Argentina, England must stop Lionel Messi. The Argentina captain continues his outstanding form, topping the World Cup scorer charts with eight strikes during an influential season.
Tuchel admitted he was considering a man-marking approach to stop Messi, but said England would ultimately aim to force the game against Argentina.
“We were contemplating whether to do the old-fashioned man mark or not,” Tuchel laughed. “I don’t know if we’ll take that idea literally, but it occurred to me.
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Kaveh Solhekol presents England’s expected line-up for the match against Argentina, with a number of players looking to make Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI.
“Everyone knows the space he wants to appear in. If you analyze the game, he sees things quicker. When the ball falls to him, he finds the gap.
“We have noticed some patterns in their game, but if we close the patterns we will find new ones. Playing against the reigning champions and Lionel Messi is very unique. It is a big game in a big tournament.”
Summarizing the challenge, Tuchel said: “It’s a lot to deal with. We’re here to play our way and impose our style.
“We are here to play the semi-finals on our own terms. We know how big the ask is, but we are ready.”
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It tells you when and where the semi-final between England and Argentina will be played and, if it does happen, when to record it in your finals diary.
Tuchel: I can’t say it’s just another game.
When asked about the history of the England-Argentina match, Tuchel admitted the match had special significance beyond the World Cup semi-finals. But he insists past events won’t get in the way.
“I’d like to say it’s unrelated, but I’m not sure,” he said. “The players know what it means to them. If there’s an iconic moment in a game, you can’t say it’s just another football game.
“Me and my team don’t talk about historical events. The tension is high enough.
“We try to reduce the amount of information as the stage gets bigger and the tension gets higher. If the game gets bigger, being involved doesn’t help.”
