World Cup 2026: Argentina and Lionel Messi will bring best out of England, says Thomas Tuchel ahead of semi

Thomas Tuchel believes the challenge of Argentina and Lionel Messi will bring the best out of his England side.

England are set for an epic contest with rivals Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, with the winner facing Spain in the final on Sunday.

Tuchel was critical of the football his team produced in the quarter-final extra-time win over Norway but expects a better performance from his players when they meet their rivals on the big stage.

"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.

"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 to seize a great victory, 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 Argentina captain continues to excel and tops the World Cup scoring charts with eight strikes during his influential campaign.

Tuchel admitted he has weighed up a man-marking approach to stop Messi but says ultimately England will aim to impose their game on Argentina.

"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."

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."