Argentina’s coach makes bold move ahead of England World Cup semi-final game
Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni is making some big changes ahead of their World Cup semi-final against England in Atlanta on Wednesday. With just one win needed to reach the final again, Argentina are eager to bring home a fourth World Cup trophy.
So far, the reigning champions have needed extra time in a couple of knockout games against Cape Verde and Switzerland, and they had a wild 13-minute burst of three goals against Egypt in the round of 16. Now, they face their biggest challenge yet against England at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Scaloni seems ready to switch up his game plan.
Argentina has mostly relied on their star player Lionel Messi, the top goal scorer in World Cup history. At 39, playing his sixth World Cup, Messi has scored eight goals in what could be his last tournament. Enzo Fernandez and Julian Alvarez have also stepped up, but the team hasn’t looked completely solid.
According to Argentina’s Diario Ole, Scaloni might change his starting lineup. He’s tried two new formations in training and is thinking about trying a fresh approach. Argentina’s squad, averaging 29 years old, is nearing the end of its cycle and lacks wingers, so Scaloni has been using four central midfielders—Fernandez, Rodrigo de Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, and Leandro Paredes—who work hard to give Messi space to control the game. Messi has covered 47% of the team’s distance in the tournament and still leads with the most goals.
Up front, Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez usually play in a 4-4-2 setup, but adding players like Giuliano Simeone or Thiago Almada from the start could give the team a new edge. Other players like Nico Paz, Nico Gonzalez, and Valentin Barco might also get a chance to play.
The Argentina vs England match is always intense, partly because of the history between the countries. England won their last game back in 2005 and also beat Argentina in the 2002 World Cup. Argentina’s two World Cup wins against England happened when they wore darker kits—in 1986 with Diego Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ goal and in 1998 when David Beckham was sent off.
Looking for some good luck, Argentina asked to wear their away kit and got the okay from FIFA. England will wear their all-white kit. England’s coach Thomas Tuchel joked about the superstition, saying, “If there was any superstition, I’d probably do the same, so good for Argentina. I have my own routines to keep calm, but I won’t share them or they might not work!”
Both teams are ready for a huge, exciting game.