World Cup 2026: Argentina and Lionel Messi will bring best out of England, says Thomas Tuchel ahead of semi-final
England face Argentina in World Cup semi-final on Wednesday at 8pm in Atlanta; Thomas Tuchel says the challenge of the world champions and their captain Lionel Messi will draw a better performance out of Three Lions after quarter-final win over Norway
Wednesday 15 July 2026 07:20, UK
Thomas Tuchel believes the challenge of Argentina and Lionel Messi will bring the best out of his England side.
The old rivals are set for an epic contest in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, with the winner facing Spain in Sunday's final.
Tuchel was critical of the football his team produced in their quarter-final extra-time win over Norway but expects a better performance against Argentina.
"We had too many technical errors in our last match that hold us back from finding a rhythm," explained Tuchel. "We were rushed in our decision making, not patient enough or disciplined enough and it cost us our rhythm.
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"We improved in the tournament in defending and defending as a team. This is something we need at the highest level [against Argentina].
"The acceleration, combined with technical execution, has to be at a higher level. A set-up like [from Argentina] will bring the best out of us and the best out of our players."
On the size of the occasion and the opportunity at stake, Tuchel added: "We know we are here, we were never shy of expecting that from us and dreaming it.
"We are in the semi-finals and we arrive very hungry. We want to have the next win.
"It is a big football match but we are very excited and ready to go."
To stop Argentina, England will have to stop Lionel Messi. The 39-year-old continues to excel and is the tournament's joint-top scorer with eight goals.
"I was thinking about this, whether we do an old-school man mark," Tuchel smiled. "Not sure if we follow through with the idea but it crossed my mind.
"Everyone knows the spaces where he wants to show up. If you analyse matches, he sees things faster. The ball drops to him and he finds the gap.
"We have found some patterns in their games but if you close the pattern, they will find a new one. It is very unique to play against the reigning champions and Lionel Messi. It is a big match in a big tournament."
Summing up the challenge, Tuchel said: "There is a lot to take care of. We are here to play our way and impose our style.
"We are here to play the semi-final our way. We know how big the ask is but we are ready for it."
Tuchel: No cracks with Bellingham after Norway comments
Tuchel insists there are "no cracks" with Jude Bellingham and believes the pair are closer than ever before despite the England star publicly hitting back at his manager.
The pair's relationship has been under the microscope since the German coach admitted last summer that his mother found some of Bellingham's on-field antics "repulsive".
Tuchel apologised for that remark and Bellingham has sparkled under him this summer, taking his World Cup tally to six goals with his two goals in the 2-1 extra-time victory against Norway in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final.
The head coach said he was "not happy with the performance" but the Real Madrid midfielder did not take it lying down, challenging his manager's view as he called for positivity.
Tuchel revealed he spoke to the squad to clear the air the following day and claims there are no issues whatsoever with Bellingham ahead of Wednesday's semi-final against Argentina.
"I wonder who blows these things up, eh? So, there is nothing to blow up and if it's blown up, it's blown up in the media, of course," he told talkSPORT.
"What do you expect of a player that just played 120 minutes and gave literally everything if you shorten the comment of his coach, if you don't tell him that 'he was world class', if you don't tell him that 'he has world class actions'.
"If you just cut all this and tell him 'oh, your coach said you were sloppy' what do you expect?"
He continued: "Yeah, of course you get the comment that you get and then you try to blow it up and people try to create misunderstandings and cracks where no cracks are.
"We come from the same place. We come from being competitive and I am a competitive coach. I push this team to the limit and that was my assessment.
"I think the question was unfair in this moment towards Jude because he cut all the compliments out of my assessment and just asked about the critical points, so I can understand.
"What do you expect of a player that just gave everything and stands there in front of a microphone in a flash interview?"
Tuchel said: "It's just what it is but we're as close as ever, and close more than ever before.
"You can see that on the field. The energy and mentality in camp is excellent in the last days and we are ready to go for it tomorrow."
Tuchel: We cannot say it is just another match
When asked about the history of the England-Argentina fixture, Tuchel conceded the game carried special meaning - even beyond being a World Cup semi-final. However, he insists past events won't be a distraction.
"I would say it's irrelevant but I am not sure," he said. "The players are aware of what it means to them. If a fixture has iconic moments, you cannot say it is just another football match.
"We don't speak, me and my team, about the historic events. The tension is big enough.
"We try to reduce information the bigger the stage gets and the bigger the tension. The magnitude of the game is what it is, it does not help if we engage."
