ARGENTINA look so beatable. Yet no-one beats them, and England need to work out why.
Lionel Scaloni’s side have obvious strengths, starting with their miraculous 39-year-old captain.
Jude Bellingham’s brace against Norway fired England into the World Cup semi-finals Credit: Getty
Thomas Tuchel must now devise a plan to beat Argentina Credit: Getty
But Switzerland, like Cape Verde and Egypt before them, exposed their weaknesses.
Thomas Tuchel’s job is to exploit them so effectively that La Albiceleste’s character and any questionable refereeing are not enough to keep the dream of back-to-back World Cups alive.
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LIONEL MESSI
The greedy little attention-seeker finally let others enjoy the limelight against Switzerland.
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Only kidding, of course. Even though this was the little man’s least effective game of the tournament, he still swung in the corner from which Alexis Mac Allister headed the opener.
Which means he now holds the record for World Cup assists as well as goals.
He also had a couple of good chances to add to the latter landmark, even having a shot with his right foot which went just wide.
Messi essentially plays as a slightly withdrawn striker in a formation which often looks like a 4-4-2.
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Stats show he spends about 60 per cent of a game walking and another 20 or so standing still.
In that other 20 per cent, once he gets on the ball, he is hard, sometimes impossible, to stop.
The key is cutting off supply and crowding the central area of the pitch where he likes to operate.
The Swiss did this well, keeping a really compact shape out of possession and trying to close the passing lanes into Messi and Julian Alvarez.
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You cannot shut Messi down for a whole game. But you can stop him from controlling it and minimise his opportunities.
BEST OF THE REST
Scaloni has some world-class talent to call upon besides Messi, which is always going to give you a chance when things are tight.
If one guy does not deliver, the chances are another will. This time it was Julian Alvarez who produced a wonder goal to break the Swiss resistance.
The Atletico Madrid forward seems to have regained the starting position which he worked his way into at the last World Cup.
Lautaro Martinez is not sulking though, contributing a late third from the bench. Alvarez, more than Martinez, is a willing runner of the channels.
Goalkeeper Emi Martinez had no qualms about hitting goal kicks long for Alvarez to chase, so England will need to win first and second balls to stop him or you know who from finding space in the final third.
Leandro Paredes has now been given the holding role in midfield, giving Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez more freedom to go forward.
They and Rodrigo De Paul were far from their best against the Swiss.
Argentina are more than just Lionel Messi Credit: Reuters
Julian Alvarez scored a stunning goal against Switzerland Credit: Getty
Centre backs Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero will pass out from the back if you let them, defend uncompromisingly, and can pop up in the other box to great effect, too.
PHYSICAL, FAST, FOCUSED
The Swiss were all these things and the Argentinians had few answers until Breel Embolo’s sending off in the final quarter of the game.
Scaloni, to be fair, was honest about his side’s shortcomings afterwards and highlighted their failure to win duels as a key problem.
Apart from the more rugged Paredes, Argentina’s midfield don’t like it up ‘em.
If thirtysomething Swiss midfielders Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler can do it, so can Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice, although it will need to be a team effort.
Once you have the ball, Argentina are vulnerable to pace all over the pitch, but especially down the flanks.
Again, Scaloni admitted the obvious problems with his full backs, none of whom are elite.
Anthony Gordon and England’s other wingers will be shown how Nottingham Forest struggler Dan Ndoye had a field day even before equalising with a simple give-and-go.
Dan Ndoye was a threat to Argentina from out wide Credit: Getty
England will be hoping Anthony Gordon can do the same Credit: Getty
Which leads to the final point: Argentina have a habit of switching off.
They let the game drift after taking the lead and failed to heed warnings of the possible consequences of their sloppiness in possession. It is almost as if they need the drama to perform.
SUPPORT AND SPIRIT
Every game Argentina play feels like a home match for them.
Their supporters always travel in large numbers and their ranks are swelled by locals and tourists who mainly come to pay homage to Messi but also love being part of the whole experience.
The power of having the crowd with you should not be underestimated.
It gives Scaloni’s team an audience to play to, as Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero did after making typically last-ditch challenges.
And when times are tough, it gives players the will to give everything they have.
For Argentinians, football is the way they show the world who they are. In their case, this really does mean more.
Argentina are passionately supported at the World Cup Credit: Reuters
England will hope to avoid the same fate as in 1998 Credit: Getty
A clash with England, with all the historical connotations, will raise the temperature to boiling point on and off the pitch in Atlanta.
England need to match their opponents’ energy and commitment without losing their heads.
If they go down to 10 men, the result is more likely to be the same as Saint Etienne 1998, rather than Mexico City 2026.
On the flipside, there is always the chance of winding up players like Romero so they become their country’s answer to David Beckham.
