'The best way is to...' - how Chris Waddle thinks England could stop Lionel Messi and Argentina
Fierce rivals England and Argentina clash in Wednesday night’s World Cup semi-final
Chris Waddle says England will need to cut off the ‘supply line’ to ‘genius’ Lionel Messi if they are to beat Argentina and reach the World Cup final.
The Three Lions face their fierce rivals in Atlanta on Wednesday night as they aim to secure a place in the World Cup final for the first time since 1966.
Strangely, despite being 39, Messi has never come up against England before. If Thomas Tuchel’s men are to progress, they will need to keep arguably the greatest player of all time quiet. But how do they do it?
“The best way is to cut his supply off,” Waddle told Freebets.com. “Cut the lanes off. If people can't get the ball to his feet, you stand a chance. But I bet every team in this tournament has tried to stop Lionel Messi on the ball and it hasn't worked. He'll find space. There might be two or three moments in the game where you think wow — and that could decide the match. I know he's 39 and his legs have gone slightly. But when he gets the ball to his feet, he sees that pass, the quick one-two. He's so bright with what he thinks about the game still. To stop Lionel Messi — people have been trying to work this out for 25 years and I've never seen anyone do it. So if England do that job on him, they've got a great chance. He is a genius. Simple as that. He can turn a game within seconds."
England have their very own superstars in Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, with the latter scoring a double in the quarter-final against Norway. Before the tournament started, like many others, Waddle thought that Aston Villa’s Morgan Rodgers might be selected instead but Bellingham has shown why he has been Tuchel’s pick. Pundits have compared Bellingham to England great Paul Gascoigne but Waddle says they are ‘completely different.’
The Sheffield Wednesday favourite explained: “Gazza had little tricks, one-twos, nutmegs — Gazza was just a one-off footballer, he played like he was in the playground as a kid. Jude Bellingham is a modern-day footballer — big, tall, strong, athletic, gets the ball, uses it, doesn't give it away. But he just offers that little bit of difference at number 10. He comes alongside Harry Kane very well. Against Norway in the quarter-final he was absolutely outstanding — for 35 minutes he carried the team and basically ran the game. He's on the list for player of the tournament if England win it. He's been one of the massive pluses for England."
Tuchel said that England ‘got lucky’ against Norway and his comments made headlines but Waddle has been impressed with the German’s approach so far.
"The thing I like about Thomas Tuchel is he wants his players to express themselves,” he added. “A lot of coaches modern day are all about possession stats and data — no-risk football, don't dribble. Thomas Tuchel is quite the opposite. He wants his players to get forward, to create, to have a go. That's why he gets frustrated — sometimes the players take the easy option by passing back or square when they could actually advance with the ball. He knows the game and he's very positive. But a lot of the players seem reluctant to take the risk."
Despite winning the tournament four years ago, Waddle does not think Argentina can be classed as favourites, believing that France have been the standout team so far. England, he says, could ‘easily win it’ with their attacking talent.
“England and Argentina both score goals,” he continued. “You can get at Argentina. A lot of teams have. We've got players who can capitalise — Kane and Bellingham. But listen, it's going to be fine margins. England could easily win it, definitely. The best thing is to go out there and enjoy it. I know it's hard to say enjoy it, but go and enjoy it. It's a game of football. If you go out there thinking too much about the occasion, the game passes you by.”
So what is Waddle’s prediction for the big game? “I'm expecting quite a bit. I'm expecting goals, I'm expecting 2-2 after 90 minutes, and unfortunately I think it goes to the dreaded penalties. I'm not the man to ask about penalties! My fingers will be crossed for England. It's going to be very close — a lot of yellow cards, could even be a red."