Atlanta, July 15 (IANS) England manager Thomas Tuchel says his side is embracing the pressure, not the history, as it chases a first World Cup final in 60 years against Argentina.
The semi-final in Atlanta pits England against an Argentina side seeking back-to-back triumphs after winning the 2022 tournament in Qatar, while Tuchel’s side seeks a first men’s title since 1966.
England go into the game having made it to the previous two EURO finals and reached the last four at the 2018 World Cup and quarter-finals in Qatar four years ago.
“It’s a big rivalry – two big football nations, as every fan knows, and everyone knows what it brings,” Tuchel told a news conference as quoted by Xinhua. “We expect an intense match, an emotional match, with a lot of momentum swings. Anything else would surprise me.”
England has the superior head-to-head World Cup record between the teams with three wins from their five previous meetings.
But Argentina’s two victories are arguably remembered most. One was the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, etched into World Cup legend by Diego Maradona’s two goals, and the other a round-of-16 duel in 1998 which Argentina won on penalties after a David Beckham red card.
“We don’t use it as fuel,” Tuchel said. “We know why we’re here, we know what we want, and we’ve never been shy about saying that or dreaming about it. We are in the semifinals, we are very hungry, and we want another win. We respect our opponent, but we don’t dip into historic events and don’t make it bigger than it is. It’s a big occasion. We are excited and humble and we’re looking forward to the game.”
Tuchel praised Argentina captain Lionel Messi and admitted no level of planning would likely be enough to stop the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Messi, 39, has taken his career World Cup tally to 21 goals and shares the Golden Boot lead with France’s Kylian Mbappe at eight goals.
“I think everyone knows the spaces where he wants to show up,” the German said. “He sees spaces before anyone else on the pitch, gets the ball and executes at the highest level. We think we’ve identified some patterns, but if we close them off, maybe he’ll find new ones.”
“It’s incredible how he carries this team. There are no words left for this kind of achievement, responsibility and quality. Again in this tournament he is a leader and the key player, for any team he plays for and certainly for this Argentina side.”
Despite that, Tuchel said England had to trust its own game plan and recognised that his team also had its own stars in Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have scored 12 goals between them in the tournament.
“There’s a lot to take care of, but we have to play our game and use our strengths,” he said. “We know how big the task is, but we’re ready for it. I believe every team in the world is beatable, including Argentina. We will try to do our best tomorrow.”
The match at Atlanta Stadium will be England’s second consecutive semifinal at a major tournament, having reached the final at the UEFA Euro 2024.
Tuchel has encouraged his players to embrace the occasion and use the pressure as a motivating force.
“It fuels me, it makes me feel alive. I love it so much, it gives me energy every day,” he said. “I think the players from both teams are aware of what this means. When a fixture provides so many iconic moments, you can’t just say it’s another football match.
“But as coaches, we focus on what we can influence. My team and I don’t talk about the iconic moments – those moments and the tension are big enough on their own. We try to reduce the information the bigger the stage gets and the bigger the tension gets, so the players can simplify it. The magnitude is what it is – I don’t think it helps to engage emotionally with it.”
–IANS
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