England prepares for World Cup semi-final against Argentina
England will be without just two players for Wednesday night’s huge World Cup semi-final against Argentina as Thomas Tuchel closes in on his starting XI, reports BritPanorama.
The Three Lions head into the showdown in Atlanta with a place in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain at stake, with Jordan Henderson and Jarell Quansah the only members of the squad unavailable.
Henderson remains sidelined after undergoing surgery on the broken arm he suffered while celebrating England’s dramatic last-16 victory over Mexico. Quansah, meanwhile, misses out through suspension after being shown a red card in that same match.
Aside from those two absentees, Tuchel has a fully-fit squad to choose from. Declan Rice has recovered from the illness that disrupted his preparations for the quarter-final victory over Norway and trained without restriction on Tuesday. The Arsenal midfielder is now expected to start against the reigning world champions.
Tuchel also has a major decision to make in defence. The England boss has yet to field the same back four in consecutive matches during the tournament but is understood to be considering keeping faith with the unit that impressed in the 2-1 victory over Norway. Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Marc Guehi and Nico O’Reilly all started the quarter-final and produced one of England’s strongest defensive displays of the competition.
Their task becomes considerably harder against an Argentina side led by Lionel Messi, with Tuchel admitting his players will face opponents fuelled by far more than football. “I know some of the players, I coached some of the players, I can sense it,” Tuchel said. “You can see it. They have this kind of edge. You can sense it when they’re going a goal down, and when matches are tight. They’re a tough team to beat. It’s just what it is. They’re a tough group.”
“They’re almost the same group as four years ago. You can see the cohesion, you can see the sacrifice that they put into it,” Tuchel added. He believes Lionel Scaloni’s side possess a resilience built over several years together. “They don’t panic when they’re behind. They believe in their style. And their style is a very emotional style. It was in Qatar, and it is now. They have the same coach. And of course, history, they are also fuelled by that, they are fuelled by history, it means a lot to them.”
“But we are also emotional; we have the grit, we have the mentality that it takes to go up against it. And we are ready for it,” he concluded. Victory would send England into their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 1966, while defeat would leave them facing France in Saturday’s third-place play-off.
As Wednesday dawns, anticipation hangs thick in the air, reminding everyone that in football, it’s never just a game — it’s a stage where legacies are forged and heroes are either celebrated or consigned to the shadows.
