Thomas Tuchel heaps praise on Lionel Messi ahead of England-Argentina clash

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England head coach Thomas Tuchel hailed Lionel Messi as the driving force behind Argentina ahead of their FIFA World Cup semifinal, saying the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner remains the key player for the defending champions.

Ahead of the highly anticipated semi-final matchup, the Three Lions manager pointed out that the forward’s impact on the squad is more than just his individual brilliance.

“It is just incredible how he (Messi) carries that team. There are no words. Who am I to talk about that? No words left for this kind of achievement,” Tuchel said.

“He is just the leader and the key player in any team he plays. You can see the cohesion, and they are experienced in tournament football. They have a good coach and have been together for a long time. They love to play in the middle of the pitch with short passes, always looking for gaps. When Messi has the ball, the movement starts,” he added.

Tuchel emphasised that the English squad must deliver a perfect performance to limit Argentina captain Lionel Messi, but he also stressed that his players will not change their tactical identity.

“The technical execution of the supply of Messi is on the absolute highest level. 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,” he said.

Tuchel wants his team to keep improving

Reflecting on his team’s previous match against Norway, Tuchel said that England lacked precision on the ball and urged them to be far more clinical against Argentina.

“We had too many technical errors in our last match that held us back from finding a rhythm. We were rushed in our decision-making, not patient enough or disciplined enough, and it cost us our rhythm,” he said.

“We respect our opponent, but we don’t dip into historic events and make it bigger than it is. It is a big football match, but we are very excited and ready to go,” he added.

England face defending champions Argentina in the second FIFA World Cup semifinal, with the winners set to meet Spain in the final after 2010-champions defeated France 2-0 in the first semifinal.

(With inputs from ANI)

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