England Must Exploit Messi's Weaknesses in World Cup Semi-Final
Jamie Carragher has seen enough of Lionel Messi to know one thing: you don’t stop him. You survive him – and then you punish what he leaves behind.
The 39-year-old has lit up this World Cup, again. Eight goals, two assists, Argentina dragged to the brink of a second straight final almost by force of his will. Thomas Tuchel’s England now stand in his way in Atlanta, chasing their first World Cup final in 60 years.
Most of the talk has been about how to contain Messi. Carragher thinks England are only doing half the job if that’s all they focus on.
‘Exploit Messi – don’t just fear him’
"It's nothing new with Messi. He's been around for 20 years and no one has found the answer," Carragher said, with the weary respect of someone who’s been on the wrong end of that left foot.
"There has to be a plan. I don't think it will be a man-marking job, but they need a plan. The players will be expecting that. It's not admitting defeat in any way. You're coming up against arguably the greatest player of all time. He's shown that in this tournament too."
Then came the twist.
"Also, they should be thinking about how they can exploit Lionel Messi as well. He walks about when the opposition have got the ball, so that doesn't mean England's left-back should stand next to him for the whole of the game.
"They can exploit the fact that Argentina only defend with nine outfield players."
That is the gamble every Messi team takes. You accept one man won’t track back, because that man can win you the World Cup. Carragher’s point is simple: if Messi is strolling, England’s left flank cannot afford to.
Get the extra man into midfield. Overload Argentina’s right. Force their defenders into decisions they don’t want to make while Messi watches from the halfway line. The risk, of course, is what happens the moment the ball turns over.
Echoes of Croatia – and space to attack
Carragher expects the semi-final to be shaped by something England have seen already this tournament.
"I don't think there's too much between the teams. I'm hoping that this game has got elements of the Croatia game in it, where you're playing against a side who fancy themselves as a good team," he said.
Argentina will not sit in a low block and wait. They rarely do.
"I certainly don't think they'll be getting everybody behind the ball. They'll try to tackle us, and will that leave space for ourselves to attack? Their full-backs like to go high and wide, but they don't really play with wingers, so maybe that's something we can exploit."
It’s a key tactical fault line. High, ambitious full-backs. No natural wide cover. A No 10 who doesn’t defend. For an organised, quick-transition side, that’s an invitation.
"I'm hoping that it's a different type of game than what we've seen from the majority of England games throughout this competition. I still don't think England have been anywhere near the best in performance-wise."
The semi-final, in Carragher’s eyes, is not just about surviving Argentina’s front line. It’s about finally seeing England play with the authority their squad suggests they should have.
Tuchel’s honesty, Bellingham’s heat – no rift
Tuchel’s blunt post-match assessment after the quarter-final against Norway raised eyebrows. He criticised England’s quality on the ball and said they almost threw the tie away. In the heat of Miami, with temperatures above 33C and humidity pushing the feel closer to 40C, Jude Bellingham fired back, hinting his manager didn’t understand what it was like out there.
For some, it looked like the start of a crack. Carragher isn’t buying that.
"I didn't think there was anything wrong at all with Tuchel's comments," he said. "He's probably a little bit emotional after the game. England didn't play particularly well and could have easily lost that game against Norway.
"I totally understand Tuchel. We know what he was like at Chelsea. That's one of his plus points. He tells you straight. You've seen him against [Djed] Spence in this tournament."
The World Cup, Carragher argues, is no place for soft edges.
"In a World Cup, a manager's got to be decisive. He's got to make big decisions, he's got to tell people straight. You can't wait. Things need to happen right away. I thought the interview from the manager was brilliant.
"Jude, again, he's emotional after the game. He's just scored a couple of goals, and then he's realised how hard it was on the pitch, and the conditions as well. I could understand that, but Thomas Tuchel will be absolutely fine with that."
In other words: this is elite football. Friction is not a crisis; it’s a by-product of standards.
Saka over Madueke – no holding back
Selection headaches are easing for Tuchel. Declan Rice is fit. Reece James is back, having come off the bench against Norway. The real debate now sits on the right flank.
Noni Madueke has started four times this summer. Bukayo Saka three. Both have flickered; neither has dominated a game. Saka has been carrying fitness issues for weeks, his rhythm disrupted just when England need his usual reliability.
Carragher, though, is clear. Against Argentina, you back Saka.
"I think Madueke's had a lot of chances in this tournament," he said. "It hasn't quite happened for him. Saka certainly hasn't been at his best, but as we know, he's not 100 per cent fit.
"I'm just hoping with each minute or longer he's on the pitch and other appearances, we start to see a little bit of what we know of Bukayo Saka."
This is not the night, Carragher insists, for saving legs for a game that might never come.
"These are the games you take a chance in. If he's right, or you think you can get something from him, you've got to pick him. There's no worrying about what comes after that. I know it's a World Cup final after that, but this game is too important."
England now stand on the edge of a World Cup final, with Messi in their path and their own manager demanding more. The plan, as Carragher sees it, is brutally simple: respect the genius, punish the weakness, and don’t dare think about Sunday until you’ve survived Wednesday.
