Jamie Carragher urges England to exploit Lionel Messi against Argentina

Jamie Carragher urges England to exploit Lionel Messi against Argentina

Former England defender Jamie Carragher has advised Thomas Tuchel's side to target the defensive vulnerabilities of Lionel Messi as England prepares to face Argentina in their World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday.

The match represents the first time in the senior international career of the 39-year-old Messi that he will face the Three Lions. Argentina, the reigning champions after their 2022 success in Qatar, are seeking to become the first nation to retain the title. Meanwhile, England is attempting to reach its first World Cup final since 1966.

Messi enters the clash as a primary contender for the Golden Boot, having recorded eight goals and two or three assists across six games this summer, according to varying reports. Despite his attacking dominance, Carragher believes England can find an advantage by focusing on Messi's lack of defensive contribution.

"Also, they should be thinking about how they can exploit Lionel Messi as well. He walks about when the opposition have got the ball, so that doesn't mean England's left-back should stand next to him for the whole of the game,"

Jamie Carragher, pundit, via Sky Sports

Carragher further noted that England can take advantage of the fact that Argentina typically defend with only nine outfield players. To implement this, he encouraged the left-back - likely to be Nico O'Reilly - to bomb forward and vacate the space Messi will leave in transition.

Data supports Carragher's assessment of Messi's movement. At this tournament, 47% of Messi's distance covered has been accounted for by walking. He has averaged 8.2km per 90 minutes, the shortest distance of any Argentina outfield player featuring for 20-plus minutes. His sprinting has also declined, averaging 2.7 sprints per match compared to 5.3 four years ago. However, his offensive impact remains high; he has combined for 54 shots and chances created, the highest such total since Diego Maradona in 1986.

While Carragher does not believe a man-marking strategy is the answer, other experts disagree. Former England manager Sam Allardyce suggested that Elliot Anderson could be disciplined enough to perform a man-for-man marking role to frustrate the Argentine captain.

The semi-final follows England's 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the quarter-finals, where Jude Bellingham scored both goals. Carragher has compared Bellingham's "arrogance" and world-class quality to that of Steven Gerrard. In that match, England's defense, led by John Stones and Marc Guehi, successfully kept Erling Haaland scoreless.

The victory over Norway was not without internal tension. Following the match, Thomas Tuchel criticized England's quality on the ball and suggested they nearly threw the game away. Jude Bellingham responded by implying Tuchel did not understand the extreme conditions in Miami, where temperatures exceeded 33C and humidity made it feel closer to 40C. Carragher defended Tuchel, stating that the manager's direct nature is a "plus point" and that Bellingham was simply emotional after the game.

Tuchel now faces a selection dilemma on the right flank. Noni Madueke has started four games this summer, while Bukayo Saka has started three. Despite Saka's fitness struggles, Carragher urged Tuchel to start him against Argentina.

"These are the games you take a chance in. If he's right, or you think you can get something from him, you've got to pick him. There's no worrying about what comes after that,"

Jamie Carragher, pundit, via Sky Sports

England's squad has seen some recovery, with Declan Rice fit and Reece James returning as a substitute in the Norway clash. The match will see England face its first competitive meeting with Argentina since the 2002 finals.