England will face Argentina in the 2026 World Cup semi-final. Ahead of the match, England manager Thomas Tuchel attended a press conference to answer questions from the media. The following is the second part of the press conference.
Ian Wright once said that the Argentine team has weaknesses, and Jakin also said that the Argentine team can be broken down. What are your thoughts on the Argentine team's performance throughout the tournament?
No, I rate the Argentine team higher than both of them. Of course, everyone has the right to express their opinion. As I just said, what I see is a team with a strong mental fortitude. They are very united and don't panic when they fall behind. They are a highly competitive team with high-level, experienced players in every position. They like to organize their attacks through the middle and are also capable of playing a tough defense. So, in my opinion, they are a team without any obvious weaknesses.
I believe this is my first World Cup, but not my first major tournament as head coach. In major tournaments, it's very rare for everything to go smoothly, for every match to unfold as planned, and for everything to fall into place effortlessly. In major tournaments, you have to fight hard and overcome difficulties; that's the norm. I believe their ability to overcome these difficulties will showcase their strength, not expose their weaknesses. We will prepare based on the strongest version of the Argentine team. We expect and demand of ourselves to give our best performance tomorrow, to play a top-level football match. I believe any team in the world can be defeated; Argentina is an example, and so are we. Both sides will fight tooth and nail for victory tomorrow.
Hello. I'm Juan Castro from the Spanish newspaper Marca. Excuse me, my question is slightly off-topic regarding tomorrow's match. You just said the Spanish team is impressive. I'd like to ask about Spain's head coach, De la Fuente. Have you spoken with him? What's your assessment of him?
Look at his coaching record. It's truly unbelievable. Under his leadership, the Spanish team seems virtually invincible in the knockout stages of major tournaments. His impact on this team has been outstanding. The team plays with a very distinctive style. However, to be honest, I haven't watched many of their games because we were either training, on the bus, or on the plane. Until today, I only watched half of their game, so I can only comment on that half. That half left a very deep impression on me. As I just said, congratulations to them; they deserve all the praise, including from the head coach and his coaching staff. This is a remarkable achievement. Hopefully, we can do the same. But first, we must overcome the huge hurdle tomorrow.
Thomas, before the World Cup started, you talked about some player selection strategies similar to those used in American football, such as Gordon coming off the bench to provide an assist, and the roles of Dan Byrne, Morgan Rodgers, and Jed Spence in the last game. Could you explain this process? Were these arrangements planned before the game, or were they decided on the spot based on the game's progress? Did you discuss them with the other coaches? Also, you just mentioned that you expect the situation in tomorrow's game to change a lot.
To be honest, we rely more on our intuition and the coaching experience we've accumulated from the sidelines. We also have to remain open-minded and react to how the game unfolds. We can only predict how the game will play, but nobody really knows what will happen. So, we just have to go with the flow. As for the "special tactical arrangements" you mentioned, that's not a term I would use. However, we certainly clarify each player's responsibilities with them. Every player knows why they're here and why they were called up. Then, they'll do their best to fulfill their duties. They'll compete for a starting position. Even if they don't make the starting lineup, everyone contributes to the team at a very high level, and that's how it should be.
However, I believe all the players deserve the highest praise. Many of our substitutes made a positive impact after coming on. And there were players who didn't play, yet they continued to actively motivate the team, constantly encouraging and guiding their teammates from the sidelines, bringing positive energy to the team. Many things happen behind the scenes. No one is discouraged. Everyone maintains a positive attitude in post-game recovery training. They re-establish training standards and boost team morale. No one is dragging the team down. So, a lot of work is done behind the scenes. All of this should be attributed to the entire team.
I think everyone can feel that. The players can feel it, and they've passed that spirit on to our fans. As I just said, sometimes that's just how it is. For example, in Mexico, I had a brief conversation with Dan Byrne and Trevor Chalobah, and we might make adjustments if the game required a five-defender formation. It's really great to see that the players and coach have built up that connection; they're open to information and willing to accept and implement those ideas. That's why we think this team is so special. I hope we can show that again tomorrow.
Thomas. It's well known that Argentina's attack relies heavily on Messi. He likes to move freely in the middle. Have you considered using more zonal marking instead of assigning a player to mark him constantly, thus avoiding creating space for Enzo and Julian? Have you considered traditional man-marking tactics?
I did consider using traditional man-marking. Whether I'll ultimately do it, I'm not sure, but the idea certainly crossed my mind. However, I think everyone knows where Messi likes to be. Anyone who's analyzed a game will see that he always seems to see opportunities earlier than anyone else on the field. The ball always ends up at his feet. He always finds space. He always creates about two meters of space for his left foot and then finishes with world-class skill.
Of course, we've identified some patterns to counter him. But the problem is, even if you block those patterns, he can immediately create new methods, new routes. That's his greatest strength. That's just how it is. Facing the defending champions is an exciting challenge. Facing Lionel Messi and his team is equally special. Leading England against Argentina is also a unique experience. This is a heavyweight match in a major tournament like the World Cup.
