Thomas Tuchel has revealed that England have considered using an “old-school” man-marking plan against Lionel Messi in their World Cup semi-final against Argentina.
England are up against the reigning champions for a spot in Sunday’s final against Spain, and once again, Messi has been at the heart of Argentina’s run.
Tuchel called Messi’s campaign 'absolutely incredible' and pointed to his movement and quick thinking as the main puzzles England need to solve.
When asked if England might go zonal or stick one player on Messi, Tuchel admitted the idea of a more direct approach had definitely crossed his mind.
Tuchel said, “I was thinking about this, if we do a proper old-school man-mark. Not sure if we follow through with this idea, but it crossed my mind.”
Messi keeps finding pockets of space in central areas, often drifting away from Argentina’s front line before linking up with the runners around him.
Tuchel thinks England have spotted some patterns in where the 39-year-old likes to pick up the ball, but he also knows that shutting down those spaces might just see Messi find another way to get involved.
“If you analyse the matches, you feel like he sees stuff just earlier than anyone else on the field,” he added.
In his record-equaling sixth World Cup appearance, Messi finds himself level pegging with France’s Kylian Mbappe on eight goals, two ahead of both Bellingham and Kane.
