England given clear tips on how to take advantage of Lionel Messi’s biggest weakness before facing Argentina
England has never faced Lionel Messi in a senior international match, but Thomas Tuchel’s team knows how dangerous he can be. At 39, Messi is playing in his sixth World Cup, tying a record with Cristiano Ronaldo and Guillermo Ochoa. He’s scored eight goals and set up three more this tournament.
Messi is leading the race for the golden boot alongside France’s Kylian Mbappe, and he’ll be eager to make an impact in Argentina’s World Cup semi-final against England. Much of the talk before the match is about how Tuchel plans to stop Argentina’s star player, and he’ll want his team just as focused as they were against Norway.
England made it through a tense quarter-final without conceding a goal to Erling Haaland, one of the world’s most feared strikers. John Stones and Marc Guehi, both defenders for Manchester City, did a great job keeping Haaland in check. Although Haaland had chances, Tuchel’s defense held strong, and two goals from Jude Bellingham helped England reach their second World Cup semi-final in three tournaments.
England’s game plan worked perfectly, even if it was nerve-wracking at times. We can expect a similar approach against Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is known for playing in the spaces between the right wing and center, using his quick moves and creativity to break down defenses. Even at 39, Messi is still a huge threat, but Jamie Carragher believes England can take advantage of Argentina’s defense because Messi doesn’t track back much.
Carragher told Sky Sports, “There has to be a plan. It won’t be about man-marking, but the players need to be prepared. They’re facing perhaps the greatest player of all time, who’s showing that again this tournament. But they should also think about how to exploit Messi. He tends to walk when the other team has the ball, so England’s left-back doesn’t need to stay glued to him every minute.”
Carragher suggests England’s likely left-back, probably Nico O’Reilly, should push forward and use the space Messi leaves behind during transitions. This has been clear throughout the World Cup because Messi walks more than any other outfield player—47% of the distance he covers is at walking speed.
Messi has run less than any other Argentine player who has played 20+ minutes, averaging 8.2 kilometers per 90 minutes. He’s sprinted only 2.7 times per game this tournament, down from 5.3 in the last World Cup, but he’s been more effective in attack.
So far, Messi has taken 33 shots and created 21 chances, making a total of 54 key actions—the most since Diego Maradona in 1986. England will need to be sharp to stop him from making a big impact, but the stats show Tuchel’s attacking game plan can take advantage of Messi’s slower movement.